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Following up on my 2007 Men’s NCAA Tournament - What to Watch For post.
I started with Five Points
1. Kevin Durant, F Texas
Be mystified at how he can score 30 points and look like an afterthought during the most important part of the game his team invariably loses.
Check. Although, I had Texas losing to Georgetown after beating North Carolina. Who knew USC wouldn’t flame out. They almost always flame out. (Harold Minor, Roderick Rhodes, the 2002 team...)
2. Virginia Commonwealth University
Every year, there is a sleeper - double digit seed that breaks out upsets and makes the Sweet 16. Will this year's team be VCU. How will overseeded Duke 's much derided Greg Paulus handle the ball-hawking skills of Erik Maynor?
Every year but this year. VCU gave a valiant effort in overcoming a 19-point second half deficit but lost to Pitt in overtime. Eric Maynor indeed had a star turn, particularly against Duke.
3. or will the surprise team be Long Beach State
A senior laden team that plays an uptempo style, shoots lots of threes, scores in bunches, but lacks a credible inside presence
And plays no defense in getting bombed off the court by Tennessee, 121-86. I wasn’t just wrong, I was stupid, loud wrong.
4. Wisconsin
Every year, there's one high seed that flames out. Last year was the thin Tennessee Squad - this year, it might well be the Offensively challenged, injury depleted Wisconsin. Texas A&M Corpus Christi could scare, but it's the senior-laden, underseeded UNLV that's really scary
This makes me feel smart. Wisconsin was on the ropes against Corpus Christi until Chris Rock look-a-like Kammron Taylor got incredibly hot. No such magic against UNLV, so the Badgers limp home.
5. Florida
Florida returns it's entire starting lineup (and key reserves) from last year's championship squad. (snip) could they have an early round hiccup against an Arizona team that plays no defense but does have talent
Maybe they could have. If Arizona had played any defense against Purdue. As it was, Florida appeared to sleepwalk through most of the first weekend, doing enough to win but not looking particularly impressive.
So my predictions weren’t too badly off. I’ve got 12 of the Sweet 16, and only lost one Elite 8 Team (Texas). So I’m in decent shape, pool-wise.
Thoughts of the Tourney so-far:
1. Heroic Player: Eric Maynor, G VU
Against Duke, he was clearly the best player on the court, controlled tempo, and looked almost Iverson fast. And he drained the weekend’s only game-winning buzzer beater. I was also impressed with Derrick Byars, the forward for Vanderbilt.
2. Choke of the Weekend: Illinois and Xavier
Virginia Tech wanted to give that game away, but the Illini refused to take it. Granted, there were a number of uncalled fouls in the last minute, but Illinois’ stubborn refusal to sink any foul shots makes it hard for me to sympathize too much in a game that was already sluggish and brutal.
Up there with the Xavier team which found itself leading by 9, and suddenly pulled into a turtle shell. Teams that play afraid of the higher seed have trouble winning games. I remember 1993 UTEP going four corners early against Kansas, but that was their style. Xavier stopped doing what got them the lead, and they lost. Also, missed free throws.
3. Bad Call of the Weekend
It’s easy to complain about the bogus charge called on DJ Strawberry in the Butler game – and as a homer Maryland fan I really want too. I also think he’d have missed one, Butler would have scored again, and we’d have still lost. (Because Maryland can’t play slow this year.)
More egregious was the non-Intentional Foul called on Greg Oden in the closing minutes of Ohio State – Xavier. A clearly frustrated Oden body-checked the Xavier about five rows deep, without making anything resembling a play on the ball. Should have been Intentional, ball to Xavier, Game Over. Call wasn’t made, and Ohio State hits the tying shot. Of note, call made by the same official who didn’t call intentional Gerald Henderson’s elbow on Tyler Hansborough. (That call was overruled into ‘Combative’ by the rest of the crew)
4. Bob Knight loses in the first round again, Tubby Smith & Kentucky win again.
I think Tubby has maxxed out what he’s ever going to do at UK, but at least he beat Villanova. Knight, OTOH, does little to show that basketball hasn’t passed him by.
5. That UCLA-Indiana game was a crime against basketball. 20-13 is a nice halftime score for a football game. I appreciate defense just fine, having grown up with the Georgetown teams of John Thompson Jr. and Patrick Ewing Senior. But this just offends me. While I’m sure it will ruin my shot of winning the pool, I want to see Kansas win the midwest regional, because the other three teams remaining in their bracket are nigh-unwatchable.
So, given the Sweet 16, have anybody’s final four picks changed? I’ve got Florida, UCLA, Memphis, and Georgetown. If I had it to do differently, I’d switch in Kansas for UCLA. I still think UNC is shaky, and that the Texas A&M-Memphis winner is going to beat Ohio State. And despite the lackluster performance, I still believe in Florida. UCLA, again, looks awful and Kansas looks great. Great enough to make up for being coached by Bill Self...
I started with Five Points
1. Kevin Durant, F Texas
Be mystified at how he can score 30 points and look like an afterthought during the most important part of the game his team invariably loses.
Check. Although, I had Texas losing to Georgetown after beating North Carolina. Who knew USC wouldn’t flame out. They almost always flame out. (Harold Minor, Roderick Rhodes, the 2002 team...)
2. Virginia Commonwealth University
Every year, there is a sleeper - double digit seed that breaks out upsets and makes the Sweet 16. Will this year's team be VCU. How will overseeded Duke 's much derided Greg Paulus handle the ball-hawking skills of Erik Maynor?
Every year but this year. VCU gave a valiant effort in overcoming a 19-point second half deficit but lost to Pitt in overtime. Eric Maynor indeed had a star turn, particularly against Duke.
3. or will the surprise team be Long Beach State
A senior laden team that plays an uptempo style, shoots lots of threes, scores in bunches, but lacks a credible inside presence
And plays no defense in getting bombed off the court by Tennessee, 121-86. I wasn’t just wrong, I was stupid, loud wrong.
4. Wisconsin
Every year, there's one high seed that flames out. Last year was the thin Tennessee Squad - this year, it might well be the Offensively challenged, injury depleted Wisconsin. Texas A&M Corpus Christi could scare, but it's the senior-laden, underseeded UNLV that's really scary
This makes me feel smart. Wisconsin was on the ropes against Corpus Christi until Chris Rock look-a-like Kammron Taylor got incredibly hot. No such magic against UNLV, so the Badgers limp home.
5. Florida
Florida returns it's entire starting lineup (and key reserves) from last year's championship squad. (snip) could they have an early round hiccup against an Arizona team that plays no defense but does have talent
Maybe they could have. If Arizona had played any defense against Purdue. As it was, Florida appeared to sleepwalk through most of the first weekend, doing enough to win but not looking particularly impressive.
So my predictions weren’t too badly off. I’ve got 12 of the Sweet 16, and only lost one Elite 8 Team (Texas). So I’m in decent shape, pool-wise.
Thoughts of the Tourney so-far:
1. Heroic Player: Eric Maynor, G VU
Against Duke, he was clearly the best player on the court, controlled tempo, and looked almost Iverson fast. And he drained the weekend’s only game-winning buzzer beater. I was also impressed with Derrick Byars, the forward for Vanderbilt.
2. Choke of the Weekend: Illinois and Xavier
Virginia Tech wanted to give that game away, but the Illini refused to take it. Granted, there were a number of uncalled fouls in the last minute, but Illinois’ stubborn refusal to sink any foul shots makes it hard for me to sympathize too much in a game that was already sluggish and brutal.
Up there with the Xavier team which found itself leading by 9, and suddenly pulled into a turtle shell. Teams that play afraid of the higher seed have trouble winning games. I remember 1993 UTEP going four corners early against Kansas, but that was their style. Xavier stopped doing what got them the lead, and they lost. Also, missed free throws.
3. Bad Call of the Weekend
It’s easy to complain about the bogus charge called on DJ Strawberry in the Butler game – and as a homer Maryland fan I really want too. I also think he’d have missed one, Butler would have scored again, and we’d have still lost. (Because Maryland can’t play slow this year.)
More egregious was the non-Intentional Foul called on Greg Oden in the closing minutes of Ohio State – Xavier. A clearly frustrated Oden body-checked the Xavier about five rows deep, without making anything resembling a play on the ball. Should have been Intentional, ball to Xavier, Game Over. Call wasn’t made, and Ohio State hits the tying shot. Of note, call made by the same official who didn’t call intentional Gerald Henderson’s elbow on Tyler Hansborough. (That call was overruled into ‘Combative’ by the rest of the crew)
4. Bob Knight loses in the first round again, Tubby Smith & Kentucky win again.
I think Tubby has maxxed out what he’s ever going to do at UK, but at least he beat Villanova. Knight, OTOH, does little to show that basketball hasn’t passed him by.
5. That UCLA-Indiana game was a crime against basketball. 20-13 is a nice halftime score for a football game. I appreciate defense just fine, having grown up with the Georgetown teams of John Thompson Jr. and Patrick Ewing Senior. But this just offends me. While I’m sure it will ruin my shot of winning the pool, I want to see Kansas win the midwest regional, because the other three teams remaining in their bracket are nigh-unwatchable.
So, given the Sweet 16, have anybody’s final four picks changed? I’ve got Florida, UCLA, Memphis, and Georgetown. If I had it to do differently, I’d switch in Kansas for UCLA. I still think UNC is shaky, and that the Texas A&M-Memphis winner is going to beat Ohio State. And despite the lackluster performance, I still believe in Florida. UCLA, again, looks awful and Kansas looks great. Great enough to make up for being coached by Bill Self...
no subject
About your final four: y tu? Are my boys looking so bad? I HATE YOU! But I love how pundits are split over us. Mandel at si.com thought we didn't look too hot, but Yoni Cohen at Fox Sports thought we looked great because of Hans. And I do think that Hans and Lawson are looking a bit like a May/Felton redux. We just need Ellington to step up and be our McCants. But Ginyard was fantastic with the D. I can't believe you like how Florida looks better than us, though. I mean, seriously?
My final four? Dude, I'm sticking with the Salukis (they're looking pretty good-- but I think that it'll be more likely UCLA), Carolina, Texas A&M, and... jeez I dunno. UNLV? My midwest bracket was eviscerated, so it just may be Florida. But I'll go with UNLV as my Cinderella. So: UNC, UNLV, Texas A&M and the Salukis. Dude, that doesn't even look right. Maybe I'll go with: UNC, Florida, A&M and Salukis. Not feeling Memphis and G'town is beatable by us, I think.
no subject
What I don't like about UNC is that they have teams blown out, but then they let them back into games. Florida does that too, but Florida does it because they're coasting... UNC isn't coasting - they just come apart. They play too young - like a team that I think is one year away. See North Carolina in 2004.
And I don't think your key is Wayne Ellington. I think the player UNC needs to step up is Reyshawn Terry -- because he's the one guy on the team that can be a matchup nightmare with his size and athleticism.
That said, there's no indicator that Florida is suddenly going to stop coasting. Hell, they could lose to Butler.
no subject
YES about Terry. I always forget about him when I think of scoring machine. He can probably be great when he's well (he was playing with a migraine, hehehe).
Dude, if Florida is out next round, that will fit my prediction perfectly. I just wish it were your boys that would take them out.