NCAA MARCH MADNESS

I dunno.

Joseph Botwinick

 

a definite... maybe.

although it will be much harder without carmelo anthony...

 

It would be very difficult for Syracuse to win it again, but it all comes down to who gets hot going into the tournament. Once the Big Dance starts you can throw out the regular season records because it is down to single elimination. One bad game means a great team has to go home early. It seems like a #12 seed always seems to sneak into the Sweet 16.

I think it is interesting that some of the smaller teams like Gonzaga, St. Joseph's, Southern Illinois, and Utah State are getting some respect in the polls this year. I wonder if they will be able to defend their rankings when the tournament starts. It is easier to win when you are underestimated by your opponent. These teams could now be the favored teams and have to fight off the next wave of "Cinderella teams".

As far as favorites I would have to say any of the top 5 teams in the ACC could win it all. I wouldn't count out Stanford or St. Joseph's, but they haven't really been tested yet either so it is hard to judge them. Pittsburgh and UConn out of the Big East could also make a good run and possibly win it all as well. I don't see my two favorite conferences, the Big 12 and SEC, having much impact this year, but stranger things have happened.

 

I watched Gonzaga last night and their point guard Blake Stepp had an unbelievable 2nd half performance. He was scoreless in the first half and then came out in the second half to hit 8 3-pointers. He hit 8-of-17 3-pointers for the game, but was 8-of-12 in the second half.

With Stepp's 3-point shooting and great passing, & Turiaf and Violette playing good in the paint, the Bulldogs should be in the unfamiliar role of being favored to win their first 3 or 4 games in the NCAA Tournament this year. It will be interesting to see how they and St. Joeseph's handle the pressure of being expected to win rather than being underdogs.

 

I think this tournament is as wide open as any I remember. I think there are maybe 20 teams that it wouldn't really be shocking if they won it. I think everybody Rob mentioned is a legitimate contender, plus a couple of CUSA teams could sneak in, and look out for Michigan State and Illinois - they're both playing good ball right now. Should be fun.

 

GO HAWKS!

 

Syracuse won 49-46 in OT to end Pitt's 40-game home winning streak. I caught the last couple minutes of it. Here is a link to an article: YAHOO.COM SPORTS ARTICLE

 

I'd give Syracuse a 1 in 65 chance.

 

I HATE HATE Duke. I think Duke might win another NCAA Champ again, they're tooooo good team!

 

Is Oklahoma State for real?
Kinda snuk up on me!
Do you think they are final four caliber?
Maybe even deserve a #1 seed.

 

As a die-hard Sooner fan I can't find much positive to say about Oklahoma State but they seem to be playing pretty well right now. The Big 12 as a whole seems pretty weak this year, so it is hard to judge how good they are. I would probably put them as a #3 seed, but they could end up as a #2 seed also. I didn't watch much of the OSU-texas game last night because I can't stand either team. I guess maybe my desire to see texas lose is stronger, so I don't have a problem with the Cowboys beating them.

 

Yes, Syracuse did beat West Virginia 65-52: LINK TO ARTICLE ON YAHOO.COM

 

Speaking of March Madness, Oklahoma's center Jabari Brown's behavior should have his coach and teammates mad. They were already down to 9 players after Kevin Bookout's season ended so that he could have surgery to repair his shoulder. Now Jabari "has been suspended indefinitely after he was charged Wednesday with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia."
LINK TO ARTICLE

The Sooners won without him against the Big 12's worst team (Texas A&M) last night. They will need to beat Baylor Saturday and win 1 or 2 games in the conference tournament to have any chance of making it into the Big Dance this season.

The last time something like this happened was when Sampson kicked J.R. Raymond off the team with 3 games remaining in the 2001 season. The Sooners went on to win the Big 12 Tournament that year. Hopefully, they will be able to bounce back like that this year also, though it will be more difficult because they don't seem to have the same level of talent that they had in 2001 with Hollis Price, Aaron McGhee, Daryan Selvy, and several others.

 

March madness begins tomorrow in St. Louis for the Missouri Valley Conference Tourney. Go Drake!

 

the Orangemen will have to play more consistently if they are even going to make the tournament let alone get anywhere at the tournament.

Sure looking forward to the Final Four. My first year with a dish and I get to see ALL the game.

Cheers,

Jim