MARCH MADNESS

Just a quick post today. First, this is really the only month of the year where I pretend to be a college basketball fan. The reason i don’t really care about college basketball is really just an extension of my jaded feelings toward Michigan’s pathetic basketball program. Anyway, after some serious research on foxsports.com, I have filled in my brackets. Here are some highlights

My Final Four:

UCLA, Kansas, North Carolina, Stanford. I really hate having two PAC 10 teams in the final four, but they really did have a great conference this year and these are the best two teams. Stanford could have probably won the Big Ten or SEC, so i feel good about my pick. So why not Texas or Memphis? Well, I really don’t understand the Texas pick. How do you lose your best player in Kevin Durant, and get better? Texas will struggle guarding the Lopez twins. DJ Augustine could certainly impose his will by creating steals or running the fast break. But I feel good about Stanford. I also hate having 3 #1 seeds in my final four. But, there seems to be a real drop off between the best teams and the rest this year. So, I am not going to get too cute and just pick similar to the rest of the crowd.

My favorites to get upset:

Duke, Tennessee, Louisville, Memphis, Wisconsin. Duke is a 2 seed and Butler is a 7 seed? Aren’t they like 3 spots away from each other in the AP rankings? Duke lives and dies by the three. They have no height and no inside presence. If they hit a cold streak they are very likely to be upset. I think West Virginia, with Joe Alexander and their good perimeter defense will be the team to do it. If not, Xavier will send them home.

Tennessee is a very good team. They are a run and gun team though. When they play Butler it will be a classic matchup of different tempos. If Butler gets them to play against them in a half court game, which i believe them will because Butler is a very team oriented and fundamental team, Butler will win. Although the #10 team in the country beating the #5 team isn’t that much of an upset, a #7 seed beating a #2 is.

Memphis won a lot of games, but they also didn’t play a lot of good teams. They also got dangerously close to losing a lot of games they shouldn’t. The main reason I don’t like Memphis is because they don’t shoot free throws well. If they play Oregon in a close game and Oregon is down by 2 with a few seconds left, Oregon will foul Memphis and they will maybe make 1 of 2. Oregon will do what they do best, which is run and hit big three pointers. Championship teams make big free throws. (see Chauncey Billups in 2004) I cannot believe that a final four team will only make 50 percent from the line. But if I am proven wrong, then Derek Rose is amazing.

Wisconsin is just the highest seed of the trend I have of hating against the Big Ten. The Big Ten was horrible this year. Indiana and Michigan State were supposed to be the class of the conference, but both proved to be inconsistent and flawed. Wisconsin cannot and will not score large amounts of points. They have great defense, but is it enough to stop Michael Beasley? I don’t think so.

Now that Michigan is out, who are you rooting for?

Butler. This team is a lot like watching small West Michigan Christian schools play against Detroit/Flint teams in the MHSAA State Championships. Fundamental, team basketball against showtime stars.

West Virginia. Keep in mind Michigan fans, these players that Bob Huggins is coaching are all Beilein recruits. Any success they have this year could be the success we have in 3-4 years.

Kansas State. The more i get to see Michael Beasley play, the happier I will be. Last year we didn’t get enough Kevin Durant, lets hope a similar thing doesn’t happen this year.

UCLA. They are my pick to win it all, and I want to win.