NCAA Tournament Upsets

I think the SEC teams got a little confused in the 2nd round. I thought Alabama and Vandy were supposed to lose and go home and Kentucky and Mississippi State were supposed to move into the Sweet 16, but I guess I was just a little confused.

I could see the Kentucky upset as a possibility becuase they don't have a deep bench and UAB runs as much or more than any other team in the country. The only reason I didn't pick UAB was because I thought Kentucky would be able to slow the tempo of the game down. Vanderbilt surviving into the Sweet 16 never crossed my mind.

Xavier surviving this far makes me wonder if St. Joe's might really live up to their ranking. Both teams have performed better than I thought they would. I loved watching Gonzaga play, but I knew that they probably wouldn't have a good chance to win it all. Their point guard, Blake Stepp, was already struggling with his 3-point shooting during their conference tournament and never got it back for the Big Dance. Turiaf's foul trouble early in the game also contributed to their early exit. They were probably overrated and Nevada has been underrated.

I probably should have made a poll, but I will just ask here: Which "surprise team" has the best chance to move on to the Final Four or further? The teams I would consider "surprise teams" include UAB, Nevada, Xavier, Alabama, and Vanderbilt. My guess would be either UAB or Nevada since the others would have to upset teams like UConn, Texas and Duke, but my second round picks show how little I know about who will win.

 

The "Madness" continues tonight with the first 4 games of the regional semi-finals. Do you think either SEC team can pull off another big upset to sneak into the Elite Eight? Both games at East Rutherford should be great games. St. Joe's could earn a lot of respect if they get a convincing win over Wake Forest.

East Rutherford Bracket
#1 St. Joseph's vs. #4 Wake Forest
#2 Oklahoma State vs. #3 Pittsburgh

Phoenix Bracket
#2 Connecticut vs. #6 Vanderbilt
#5 Syracuse vs. #8 Alabama

I also noticed that Mark's Iowa State Cyclones are playing Marquette in the NIT quarterfinals tonight. The Cyclones beat a good Florida State team in the last round.