I'm a little disappointed with the selection committee for a number of reasons . . . here's a sample:
(1) Louisville is a #4 seed? What? They're the 4th ranked team in the country, they won their conference and conference tourney, it just doesn't make sense. At the worst, they are a 3, if not a 2.
(2) The ACC teams, UNC, Duke, GA Tech, NC St., and Wake Forest are spread out in only 3 of the regions, so I can't pick 4 ACC teams as my final 4.
(3) The ACC has 5 teams, the Big East has 6, the Big 12 has 6, the Big 10 (11) has 5 . . . how does the ACC have as few as the Big 10 and less than those other two conferences?
(4) Didn't Syracuse beat UConn in the Big East tourney? Why is UConn a 2 and Syracuse a 4? I don't get it.
Anyway, who's headed for St. Louis for the Final 4. Well, that's a tough one, any number of teams could be there. Coming out of the Chicago region (Midwest), I could see any of these teams: Illinois, Ok. State, or Arizona. I'll take the Cowboys over the Illini in the elite eight game, despite it being located in Chicago.
Coming from Albuquerque (West), I could see any number of teams. I think this region is loaded, with quality teams UW, Wake, Gonzaga, Louisville and GA Tech all capable of making a run. For this one, I think I'm going out east and I'm going to go with Wake Forest to rebound from a poor showing in the ACC tourney and make a run to the arch.
Duke headlines the Austin (South) region. Yes, I have them beating Delaware St. in the 1st round, though it'll be closer than the experts think! (just kidding) I think this region is a little week. The two and three seeds, Kentucky and Oklahoma haven't been too convincing (OU's a year away - if Taj Gray comes back and UK lost to Florida twice in the last week!). So, I've got Duke coming out of the region, with Syracuse, Utah, OU and UK having an outside shot if they get hot. Michigan State, the number 5, has NO SHOT! Mark it down. Actually, Cincinnati could clobber their way through the bottom half of that bracket and upset Duke or Syracuse in the elite eight to make the final four, but Cincinnati usually has trouble putting together a substantial run of good games in the tourney, kind of like Florida.
Florida, you say? Why yes, they are in the Syracuse (East) bracket, where I see UNC, KU, and UConn as the big guns. New Mexico, with Danny Granger, is my sleeper in the bracket, but I think UNC is too strong for everyone in that region, with KU and UConn having outside shots, especially if Keith Langford is healthy (which he hasn't been, with ankle and elbow injuries lately).
So, did you follow? I've got Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Duke and UNC going to the Final 4 in St. Louis, although it's really a crap shoot. I may have to amend these picks after the 1st couple of rounds, we shall see.
Happy pickin'!
-Et
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Headed for Arch Madness!
Posted by
ET
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3:10 PM
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