College Basketball and the entire sports world, lost a legend yesterday with the passing of John Wooden. Wooden was more than just a great basketball coach, he was the embodiment of everything that is great about American sports. He played and coached the game, basically from its infancy and left behind a legacy and records that will never be matched. While Wooden’s accomplishments go well beyond the hardwood, as he was known as more than just a great coach, but a man of principal who always stood for what he believed in.

He took early stands against racism, and his Pyramid of Success became a building block of his legacy. Wooden was a man of faith, who was proud of his convictions and his love for his family. Through books, lectures and just the relationships he made, Wooden has passed on his values to countless people. Wooden’s impact beyond the basketball court reached it’s pinnacle in 2003 when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. While John Wooden would have been a great man even if he wasn’t a great coach, he might not have been a great coach without being a great man.

To classify John Wooden as a great coach, is really a gross understatement. Bobby Knight, Mike Krzyzewski and Dean Smith are all great coaches yet combined they can’t match the Wizard of Westwood’s National Championships (10). What is even more impressive is Wooden won those over a 12 year span. It was a 12 year run that can’t even be hoped to match in college basketball ever again, as John Wooden defined basketball from 1964-1975. Between 1967-1973 Wooden led the UCLA Bruins to 7 straight National Championships, no other coach has ever won more than 2 in a row (which Wooden also did winning in both 64′ and 65′). During that time the Bruins not only won, but they dominated, going 335 and 22. In a third of those 12 seasons, the Wizard led the Bruins to undefeated seasons (no other coach has more than 1). And during a stretch between 1967-68 the Bruins won a record 47 straight games. Any one of those coaching feats would be considered amazing, all of them makes Wooden one of a kind. Never before and probably never again has any sport collegiately or professionally been so dominated by one man, yet Wooden did it with grace and respect.

While we remember the great accomplishments by Wooden, we should also remember the way he handled himself as a man and was an example and inspiration for us all. Basketball may have lost John Wooden the coach, but the world lost John Wooden the man and that might be the biggest loss of all. Luckily his legacy will live on, due to the countless lives he touched and we can all remember the man who helped define college basketball and turn UCLA into a national powerhouse.

Duke may have won the National Championship yesterday, but the Butler Bulldogs are the real winners. People may say there are no moral victories in sports, but all one would have to do is watch last night’s game to prove them wrong. Now it might not be a true ‘Cinderella Story’ since Butler was a 5th seed and was a highly ranked team all year. In fact if anything, Butler should have been a 3rd or 4th seed, but wasn’t because they play in a small conference. What this story is really is a ‘David vs. Goliath’, and while David didn’t win, it is a great story nonetheless.

Butler is the smallest school to reach the Championship game since the field expanded to 64 (65) teams in 1985. And while they might have been a highly ranked team, their seeding and respect level in the Tournament fell given their deficiencies. Those weaknesses should have long ago been exposed, but it was figured that they would be fully visible against Duke the ‘Goliath’. Butler couldn’t match up with Duke’s size, athleticism, and strength. And Butler didn’t have a chance to compete with Duke’s pedigree, not only with their school and coach, but their entire roster. Duke is made up of a whole stable of 5-star recruits, with a few 4-star players thrown in their. On paper the Bulldogs didn’t have a chance, and that’s exactly what we heard for 48 hours from every talking head in college basketball.

No one thought Butler’s defensive style could slow down Duke, yet the Blue Devils managed just 61 points. And no one thought that the Bulldogs could run with Duke and keep the game close, but Butler never trailed by more than 6 points. It really was a fantastic game from start to finish, because the entire time Butler was in the game, and you believed that they could upset the Blue Devils. I was amazed with how well Butler dictated their game plan on Duke. And was highly impressed with their ability to avoid unnecessary fouls (for the most part), especially when some of their players were in foul trouble. Butler exceeded every expectation, and in fact when Gordon Hayward’s final shot left his hands I thought it was going to fall. Because Butler deserved to win that game, and very well could have if one or two plays turned out differently.

I think there was a blown call on the Hayward charge late in the game that unfortunately, should have been an and one situation. Those two points would have tied the game, and had Hayward made his free throw (he went 8 for 8 from the line), Butler would have been up by one as the clock ticked away. All-in-all though I don’t think you can blame this game on the officiating. While I think they let Duke get away with some extra contact in the 1st half, they called a much closer game in the 2nd half.  The difference in the game was Butler wasn’t able to capitalize on their opportunities.

The Bulldogs really did control the tempo of the game, but were plagued with some cold shooting. Their 34.5 % shooting was 11% off their season average. The worst part about it is a number were open shots, and a bunch more were drives to the basket that they were just too strong. I really think their inexperience and the big game played into their cold shooting day. Had Butler been able to shoot like they did during the season, they would have won last night’s game handily.

While we might have to endure a year of Duke being the National Champions, and inexplicably they will be a highly ranked team next year despite the fact pretty much everyone is leaving, Butler will finally get the credit they deserve. They will be back and if Gordon Hayward doesn’t turn pro, they will be a very dangerous team next season. And don’t be surprised if Butler makes a return trip the the Final Four and Championship game.

It was the tale of two games last night in watching the Final Four. The Butler vs. Michigan State game was indicative of the entire tournament. A mid-major team ‘upsetting’ a perennial powerhouse team. And to add to the drama the game came down to the last shot, with the ‘home team’ Butler Bulldogs surviving against Michigan State, one game away from turning their dream into a reality. Game two though was anything but reminiscent of the tournament, and can only be described as a nightmare for any West Virginia fan (or anyone who hates Duke). Not only did the Blue Devils dominate on their way to a 21 point victory, but WVU saw their star player Da’Sean Butler fall to a horrific knee injury (which of course the foul was called on WVU).

While Duke was well in control of the game, you could put a ‘W’ on the scoreboard as soon as Butler went down. He has been their most consistent player all season and if anyone could spark the comeback it would have been him. But with 9 minutes remaining in the game Butler was down on the ground and the Mountaineers were down for the count. Already without one key starter, the loss of Butler was too much for WVU to handle. And someway somehow, Duke played their best basketball of the season. They shot lights out yesterday, particularly from downtown, where they knocked down 52% of their 3-pointers.

Duke will now face the upstart Butler Bulldogs, who will not go down without a fight. Butler has been a surprise team this entire tournament and have knocked off teams with just as much talent as the Blue Devils, so the game isn’t written in stone yet. Though as tough as it is for me to admit, Duke seems unstoppable this season. If West Virginia’s length and athleticism, as well as their stellar defense wasn’t able to overcome Duke (or at least keep the game close), I’m not sure what Butler will be able to do.

One thing I do know is Butler will have the support of the nation, in Monday night’s showdown. Not only do people enjoy rooting for the underdog, but college basketball fans’ favorite past-time is rooting against Duke. The Blue Devils haven’t done themselves any favors of late to change their reputation, as Duke didn’t make any friends with their play this tournament, including last night’s game. Given the way this year’s Tournament has been going, anything is possible so Monday night could (hopefully will) be a surprise.

Yesterday the NCAA announced that it was looking to expand the tournament, and while there are multiple options on the table, the most likely scenario would be expanding to a 96-team field. Now I realize just about every basketball pundit thinks this is the death of college basketball and the world is going to hell in a handbasket with this expansion, but I don’t believe that to be remotely true. And when you hear phrases like “it’s all about money” or “it will lead to a diluted tournament” they really need to be put into context before they should be digested.

Is the tournament all about money? Of course it is, but who gets this money and benefits from it? Well the short answer is the schools. Sure the NCAA themselves get a cut of the profits and host cities will sell more tickets, but the vast majority of the money will go back to the colleges, and since when is that a bad thing? That money will help fund not only the basketball program and facilities at these schools (and the facilities are used by multiple sports programs), but will also help pay for scholarships and fund other non-profit sports. And I’m not just talking about funding Men’s and Women’s Field Hockey.

Northern Iowa, this year’s tournament darling, had to close their baseball program (among others) last season due to costs and budget issues in the state. Baseball, America’s past time, was shutdown in America’s heartland.  And it’s not alone other baseball and even some football programs have been shutting down, given the state of the economy (and other issues). For some of these schools men’s basketball is their sole money maker, and if having more team’s in the tournament allows for a bigger windfall (not to mention the prestige of those extra teams who are now making the tournament) for these schools and consequently their athletes then what is wrong with that? Since when is taking money from whichever major network is broadcasting the games (actually their Fortune 500 company advertisers) and giving it to the education system in the country a bad thing? And if a couple head honchos at the NCAA and school athletic directors and coaches get a little more money in their pocket, so what? As long as the majority goes to the program, facilities and other sports programs on campus, I have no problem.

As for the other issue of ‘diluting’ or ‘watering-down’ the tournament. How can we really say that after the two extremes we’ve had these last two years. Last season top seeds pretty much won out in that tournament and upsets were few and far between. This year everyone expected either the veteran Kansas team or the NBA’s 31st team, the Kentucky Wildcats to win it all this year, yet all we have are upsets. Both tournaments have been incredible to watch, and goes to show that anything can truly happen in March. I really don’t think adding 31 more teams (remember in reality we are at 65 now, not the perfect 64 teams that everyone talks about), will make a big impact and change the way things are done.  And remember what we are really talking about here. These wouldn’t be 31 teams pulled out of the thin air, these would be 31 of the 32 NIT teams (boy it would suck for that 32nd NIT team who now gets nothing). Those are the next best teams in the nation and the ones who had their bubble burst on selection Sunday. Is it really a bad thing to give Mississippi State, who was 3 seconds away from knocking off Kentucky in the Big 12 Tournament and punching their ticket to the tournament, another shot?

For anyone who thinks that expanding the tournament will ‘dilute’ the field and favor the top teams, remember that the last time the field was dramatically expanded to 64 teams from 48 (technically 53 there were 5 play-in games the year before) in 1985, was also the year 8th seed Villanova knocked off top seed and defending champion Georgetown, to become the lowest seed ever to win the NCAA Tournament.

Now I realize there are plenty of logistical issues involved with expanding the tournament. Where those first games are played, how are the 32 byes awarded, is there any preference to regular season or tournament winners etc. But I like the idea of expanding the field and I do see the benefits for the schools and basketball across the country. I don’t think it will make March Madness any less exciting and instead bring to light the NIT schools that get largely ignored. There is some good basketball played there year in, year out and having them part of the tournament, means everyone who has a shot is now included. I think we should give the NCAA a break and remember that it has been expanded before and the world is still here.

Last season Michigan State lost to UNC in the National Championship game, now they are one game away from facing another of the Tobacco Road teams, the Duke Blue Devils. Yesterday both the Spartans and Blue Devils won close games to go back to a place they are pretty familiar with, The Final Four. Michigan State and Duke  have been two of the most successful programs of the last two decades, so the Final Four is nothing new to either one of them (unlike their two opponents).

Both Duke and Michigan State also have very veteran laden rosters, which have carried them so far in the tournament. Neither team entered this tournament as a favorite to win it all (though Duke had a few backers considering they were a 1 seed), but now both are just one game away from playing for a National Championship. They have taken vastly different roads to get to the precipice, but are now finally here.

Michigan State in the quirkiest Tournament I’ve ever seen, will not have faced anything higher than a 4 seed until the National Championship game, if they advance. In addition to Maryland, the 4 seed, they have faced a 12th seed, 9th seed, 6th seed and now a 5th seed in the Final Four. Now that’s not to say that teams like Northern Iowa or Tennessee didn’t have talent, but just to say that they weren’t considered among the elite teams in their region. The Spartans have earned the right to be in the Final Four, but to avoid any 1, 2, or 3 seeds, does mean that Michigan State has had a little luck on their side.

As for Duke, their luck came on Selection Sunday, when the committee first of all gave them a 1 seed, and then put them in the easiest bracket. The best team in Duke’s bracket, Purdue was without their best player, and had fallen down to a four seed. Even without their star they still came close to knocking off Duke, as the game was tight until the last few minutes. And while Duke faced a more traditional path to the Final Four, including a tough game against 3 seed Baylor, they really haven’t faced a true challenge. While Baylor is a good team, they couldn’t catch any breaks (or get any calls) to go their way yesterday. And couldn’t match-up with Duke’s experience.

Now these long time powerhouses are a just one game away from facing each other, but they shouldn’t forget about who stands in their way. Both Butler and West Virginia are talented teams, that are looking for an upset. Michigan State and Duke will once again need their experience to shine through to advance.

Last night was a crazy night for the teams out West, as 1 seed Syracuse was knocked off by 5 seed Butler, and 2 seed Kansas State needed double overtime to hold off Xavier. It was almost going to be an all mid-major Elite Eight in the West, but Kansas State was able to pull it out at the end of the 2nd overtime. In retrospect I probably shouldn’t be so surprised that Butler won last night, though we should maybe ask the selection committee what they were thinking assigning them just a 5 seed.

Butler has been a dangerous team come tournament time for a couple of seasons now, even advancing to the Sweet 16 in both 2003 and 2007. It still seemed weird seeing them as a 5 seed though, but the reality is this team should have been at least a 3 seed. The Bulldogs finished 11th in the AP Top 25 poll, and 8th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Why they weren’t a 3 or 4 seed is a fair question. Now I know some might ask, why does that matter if they were 1-2 seeds higher, but in reality it does matter. Seeding is a sign of respect, the higher the seed the easier road you have (theoretically). And I don’t know anyone who watched last night’s game that didn’t think, this is a top 10 team in the country, and their rankings prove that. Unlike teams like Xavier, Saint Mary’s and Northern Iowa, who were barely in the Top 25 or just missed, Butler had been recognized as a top team. Now I realize that seeding isn’t solely done by their final rankings, but remember Butler was an 8th seed in the ESPN poll, I don’t think it would be a stretch to put them down only a few spots as a 3 seed. And dropping them as low as a 5th seed makes them seem like they are more in the middle of the pack.

After last night, I don’t think anyone will take them for granted any longer. Butler controlled the game in the first half, leading by 10 at the break. But the top seeded Orangemen came storming back in the second half. With five and a half minutes to go in the game Syracuse held a four point lead, that’s when Butler took the game over. Scoring 11 straight points and holding Syracuse scoreless until just under a minute left in the game. Syracuse managed 5 points in that final minute, but it wasn’t enough as the Bulldogs won 63-59. Butler showed that they can play with anyone, and while Syracuse was missing their big man, the Bulldogs won that game outright. They out hustled the Orangemen, and to take over in the last five minutes of the game against a team like Syracuse is extremely impressive. The Bulldogs will now face Kansas State (oh so close to a fun mid-major match up) for the chance to advance to Indianapolis for the Final Four. For most teams the NCAA Tournament is ‘win or go home’, for Butler it is now ‘win and go home’, so don’t be surprised if the Bulldogs ‘upset’ another top team, because they have something extra to play for.

Kansas State needed 50 minutes to knock off Xavier last night, as the Musketeers just wouldn’t go away. The game turned out to be pretty much what was expected–a battle between Kansas State’s guards, Jacob Pullen and Dennis Clemente and Xavier’s, Terrell Holloway and Jordan Crawford. The game also turned into a 3-point shooting contest as both teams were over 42% from behind the arc. For awhile it looked as though the superior pure shooting ability of Xavier from the 3-point line and charity stripe would win them the game, but Kansas State’s depth and size did play a factor down the stretch. Xavier had one of their starters foul out, as well as three starters and one top reserve playing with four fouls at the end of the 2nd overtime. Kansas State on the other hand had two players foul out (one starter, one reserve) and another top reserve playing with 4 fouls. Their depth allowed them to handle losing two good players, spread the fouls out so none of their top guys were playing timid when the game was on the line. The Wildcats depth also helped them with the extra minutes as their guys weren’t nearly as tired at the end of the game. It was another great finish, in what has been one of the most competitive and exciting tournaments in the last 10 years.

With the way the West Region has turned out this year, nothing will surprise me in the Elite Eight match up between Butler and Kansas State. The only thing I do know is that it will be fun to watch (and to expect the unexpected).

Wow if yesterday is any indication, this Tournament will live up to it’s nickname of “March Madness”. We saw seven upsets yesterday with lower seeds knocking off higher seeds including both a 4 and a 3 losing. We saw one of everyone’s favorite upset picks (UTEP), get killed by Butler. And perhaps the most exciting game was one of the first ones played, where 2 seed Villanova needed overtime to overcome 15 seed Robert Morris. Already we’ve seen a number of story lines forming and here are some of the first day impressions:

Bad Day For Big East Teams:  The Big East didn’t get off to a good start in this Tournament as three of their four teams playing yesterday were among those teams that got upset. What’s even worse is those were three of the four highest seeds to lose yesterday. Georgetown looked to be one of the strongest 3 seeds in this tournament. They were one basket away from winning the Big East Tournament, and had been ranked pretty much all year. They had big wins this year over some of the best teams in the country, including Pitt, Villanova, Syracuse and Duke. They looked like a balanced team with three top scorers, and a good inside-outside mixture. Well none of that mattered yesterday as 14 seed Ohio just dominated them. Ohio was in control for pretty much the majority of the game, and it was just a fantastic performance if you were rooting for an underdog. In addition to Georgetown losing, a pair of 6 seeds lost in the final seconds of the game as both Notre Dame and Marquette fell. Notre Dame lost to 11 seed Old Dominion in a close 51-50 battle. While the Irish kept the game close ODU really shut down Notre Dame’s offense particularly their three point shooting. Marquette on the other hand had little trouble shooting the 3, going 12-19 in the game. But it wasn’t enough to hold off 11 seed Washington. There were a number of times Marquette looked like they had the game in hand, only to see the Huskies battle back and win on a last second shot.

Villanova was the lone Big East team to win yesterday, and boy was it not pretty. Robert Morris led for a good portion of that game, and never showed any intimidation to their cross state foe. Even in overtime, their play was inspired, and they never gave up even when it looked as though the Wildcats were going to pull away. They kept it close and nearly sent the game into double overtime. For Villanova it was a pretty embarrassing game. This is a team that has Final Four or even Championship talent and pedigree but needed an extra 5 minutes to silence a 15 seed team. The Wildcats will need to figure out what went wrong and fast if they hope to get back on track this tournament.

High Seeds Struggle Early:  While both of yesterday’s 1 seeds cruised to victory, other top seeds did not. Villanova just squeaked by Robert Morris, and 3 seed New Mexico was taken down to the wire by Montana. Three seed Baylor didn’t pull away from Sam Houston State until about 2 minutes to play. Then of course we had the upsets. In addition to Georgetown losing big to Ohio, 4 seed Vanderbilt lost on a last second shot to 13 seed Murray State. Of the eight 1-4 seeds that played yesterday, two lost and three just barely advanced to the second round. This doesn’t bode too well if you believe that top seeds will dominate like they have the past few years.

Overtime and Last Second Shots Dominate Day One:  In all the games of last year’s tournament we saw a total of 15 overtime minutes, through the first 16 games of this year’s we saw 20. In addition to the overtime games we saw four games won by a shot in the final 5 seconds (including one of the overtime games). Another three games saw last second shots fall short that could have tied it and sent the game into overtime (2nd overtime for Robert Morris). One of the overtime teams that lost, Florida, had the final shot in both regulation and the first overtime, but couldn’t capitalize. All-in-all it was one of the most intense days in college basketball, with half the games going down to the wire.

Yesterday was proof for what this Tournament is all about. We saw some fantastic basketball being played, filled with great drama. This year’s tournament could ring with parity, as there didn’t seem to be much difference between a number of the seeds. Power conferences fell hard yesterday, showing why exactly we give automatic bids to the Mid-Majors and lower conferences. The best part about it all is the Madness has just begun, so sit back, relax and watch your brackets get destroyed.

1 Duke:  There is obviously a lot to like when it comes to Duke. They are the third best team in the country, won the ACC Conference Tournament, and suffered just 5 losses this season. Furthermore Duke has a very veteran lineup with all 5 starters upperclassmen, including the three stars Jon Scheyer, Noland Smith and Kyle Singler. Scheyer, Smith and Singler are one of the best scoring trios in the nation, each averaging over 17 points a game. The Blue Devils luck out, because they are in the easiest overall region and don’t have anything standing in their way in the top half of the bracket. An Elite Eight appearance looks like a foregone conclusion for Duke.

That being said Duke is the weakest 1 seed, and has upset potential written all over them. They struggled away from the confines of Cameron Indoor Arena this year, as all 5 losses were on the road. While normally road losses are more acceptable in all sports, its troubling when you are talking about the NCAA Tournament, because all the games are going to be on neutral sites, taking away Duke’s best advantage. It was also troubling on how they lost on the road. Three of the five losses were by 7 points or more, including a 14 point loss to a really bad North Carolina State team. It is also worth noting that Duke barely squeaked by Miami and Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament on a neutral site, and neither one of those teams were top seeds (Miami actually was the 12th seed). In addition to not playing well away from home, there are serious questions about whether or not Duke can match up athletically with some of the teams out there. They lack the quickness to defend some of the other top teams. They will win their first game no problem, but despite being heavily favored don’t be surprised if they get knocked off earlier than projected.

2 Villanova:  The Wildcats looked like they were going to be a top seed earlier in the season, but really struggled in the 2nd half of their conference schedule. While Villanova might lack some signature wins, and be considered one of the weaker 2 seeds, don’t count them out just yet.  Their biggest weakness (Big East teams) are largely not an issue in the South Region as the only other foes are Louisville, in the top bracket, and Notre Dame who will have to get past Baylor to meet them in the Sweet 16. Notre Dame or Baylor could be a major stumbling block for Villanova, but I like their overall chances in this bracket. Yes, they lack the size to match up inside against most teams, but their guard play is perhaps the best in the nation. They have 6 guards that can score anytime they touch the ball. They can shoot and run the floor with the best of them. And that is what makes Villanova so great, they are quicker and faster than just about any other team and if they get out and run the game is over.

Great guard play is key in March, which gives Villanova a great advantage to go far in this region. While their inside game is lacking, they are still my favorite team from this region to advance to the Final Four.

Rest of the Games:

3 Baylor over Sam Houston State:  Baylor is a very balanced team and could be extremely dangerous in this tournament. They have size and outside shooters. At times they can play soft, but will have no trouble in round 1.

13 Siena over 4 Purdue:  You have got to feel for the Boilermakers, they were destined to be a number 1 seed until their top player Robbie Hummel went down with injury and their season went with it. While they still have some talent, I think Siena has a great chance to upset them. Siena is a pretty veteran team with a number of good scorers.

12 Utah State over 5 Texas A&M:  Utah State will get underrated but they are a dangerous 12 seed. They play good basketball for 40 minutes every game and have a number of solid scoring options. Texas A&M had some good wins down the stretch but they aren’t a great team. They lack the couple top options you look for in a team and are too similar to Utah State.

6 Notre Dame over 11 Old Dominion:  Notre Dame has completely changed their offense and it has worked miracles for them. They slow down the game to their pace and have a good combination of inside/outside scorers. They are a very veteran team, that I think can make a small run in the tournament.

7 Richmond over 10 Mount St. Mary’s:  Richmond is a very dangerous, dangerous team in this soft region. They could make a serious run if the stars align for them, and should fairly easily win their round 1 match up. Look for the Spiders to give Villanova all they can handle in the second round.

9 Louisville over 8 Washington:  This isn’t last year’s Louisville team that was a top seed, but they could be dangerous in this Tournament. They have some experience, and are very athletic and strong. In addition they are a very good shooting team, and have shown they can beat anyone, by knocking of Syracuse twice this season. Overall they’ve been really inconsistent, and don’t have a true star player to rely on like they have had in the past. I like them over Washington, and think given their strengths they could be a bracket buster and knock off Duke to make a run, but I’m not sold on them. They have the talent, but we don’t always see it on the floor.

1 Syracuse:  Despite being unranked to start the year, the Orangemen have been one of the top teams all season in college basketball. They had just four losses against them, which is pretty impressive considering the strength of the Big East. They did almost lose their number 1 seed due to their quarterfinals game in the Big East Tournament. Not only did they lose the game to the eventual runner up Georgetown, but their star center Arinze Onuaku went down with an injury. Syracuse won’t need Onuaku in the first couple rounds, but they will need him healthy by the Sweet 16 if they are to advance in the tournament. Syracuse will need to rely more heavily on their unproven bench until Onuaku gets healthy. Luckily, the Orangemen have plenty of other weapons to get them by. Forward Wes Johnson has been in the player of the year discussion all season. He led Syracuse in both scoring and rebounding, and was the number one option all season.

Syracuse dropping to the fourth number 1 seed, sent them packing out West, but in reality their first two games are in Buffalo making them pretty favorable. When they do head out West, Syracuse will try to stay focused but the road ahead of them isn’t an easy one. In the lower part of their bracket Pittsburgh (who was one of the 3 teams to beat them) looms large. They were the first team to knock off Syracuse this season and did so at the Carrier Dome. If they survive to the Elite Eight, Pitt is a dangerous team to play at a neutral site. The two biggest things to watch out for with Syracuse are their free throw shooting and turnover rate. Both of which are pretty low and could comeback to haunt them.

2 Kansas State:  Most teams use a 7-9 man rotation in college basketball, and only go deeper to the bench in blowout situations or serve foul/injury trouble. Kansas State literally plays their entire squad. Of their 13 players, no one played in fewer than 19 games, and no one averaged less than 6 minutes a game. That is unheard of in basketball today. Also, it’s not as though K-State was in some inferior conference that could rest their starters. They were runner up in the Big 12 conference, arguably the 2nd toughest conference in the nation. Their deep bench should be a benefit for a long run in the tournament. They can be more aggressive without worrying about foul trouble the way some teams do, as well as give some of their starters rest to keep them fresh for the next game. Keeping fresh legs in the game allows Kansas State to do what they do best, and that is run the floor. They like scoring in transition and before the defense gets set. In addition to their deep bench the Wildcats have an all upperclassman starting lineup. Their veteran leadership combined, with the young deep bench gives K-State a winning formula.

Kansas State should have no issue in round 1 against North Texas. The 2nd round presents a potential stumbling block against BYU, but the Wildcats depth should help them through. The Sweet 16 could get tricky for Kansas State if they face Pitt, as they don’t match up too well against the Panthers. While K-State can attack the rim some, they don’t control the paint. While they have more depth and experience than Pitt, they lack the defense to control the Panthers. If they do get by the Panthers, K-State’s lack of size will likely be their downfall at some point down the stretch.

Rest of the First round:

3 Pittsburgh over 14 Oakland:  Pitt is notorious to play down to opponents sometimes, and are also an inexperienced team so the potential for an upset exists. That being said, they have too much talent and are too well coached to lose this game. The Panthers have the talent to win this region if they play their best basketball, they just need to remain focused.

13 Murray St. over 4 Vanderbilt:  Vandy looked like a dangerous tournament team a month ago, as they were one of the top teams in the SEC, but they look like an early round upset here. Murray St. is a pretty veteran team, with quick guards that will give Vandy plenty of trouble.

12 UTEP over 5 Butler:  UTEP is a very underrated team. They have great guard play as well as one of the better big men in the country right now in Derrick Caracter. In addition to Caracter they have additional size that allows them to control the paint, and should match up well against Butler’s big men. Even if Butler wins the battle of the bigs, they don’t really have the guards to match up with UTEP. The one weakness for UTEP is their bench which is not very deep. Foul trouble could be devastating for them.

6 Xavier over 11 Minnesota:  Minnesota might have some fans because of what they did in the first couple rounds of the Big Ten tournament, but you need to remember they got beat by about 30 in the finals. Xavier is a pretty good team, that shouldn’t have much trouble with the Golden Gophers.

7 BYU over 10 Florida:  Florida somehow squeaked into the tournament, but I wouldn’t count on them being there too long. BYU should have little problem getting past the Gators in Round 1. I think Florida is pretty overrated and doesn’t have the talent level to compete in this game.

9 Florida State over 8 Gonzaga:  Gonzaga has been a tournament favorite for almost 10 years now, but I think they don’t make it out of the first round this year. This is a rebuilding year for them and I don’t think they can match up with FSU, particularly on the inside.

1 Kansas Jayhawks:

Kansas is the best team in the country and my pick to win the entire tournament. They have a good balance of veteran players like Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich (who also make up a great point guard-center combo) with young studs like Xavier Henry and Tyshawn Taylor. They can score from the inside and outside and do an excellent job on the defensive end. Kansas is also a very deep team, the Morris brothers give them size inside and Morningstar and Reed give them depth on the perimeter.

The Jawhawks have been close for a number of years now, but this could be the year they go all the way. They have a tough overall bracket to get through, but have the size and talent to do so. In an ironic twist, the Jayhawks lost only two games all season, and both of those teams (Tennessee and Oklahoma State) are somehow in their region. Kansas will have no trouble in Round 1 and easily knock off 16 Leigh.

2 Ohio State:

The Buckeyes have the best player in the nation in G-F Evan Turner, and he should lead them on good tournament run. Turner reminds me a lot of Dwyane Wade, and will need to carry Ohio State on his back like Wade did for Marquette in 2003. Ohio State has some good secondary pieces around Turner, in guards Buford, Lighty, and Diebler, but none of them can take over a game to take the pressure off Turner. If another team can find a way to slow down Turner, than Ohio State is in trouble. If Turner can be a weapon, then he sets up everyone else and makes them all better.

Ohio State’s biggest problem is their lack of size. While their guards have excellent size for guards they are all really guards, with ET being the lone exception. Turner can play just about anything, he leads the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals, and is the 2nd leading shot blocker. That lack of size and interior presence will present problems for Ohio State as the tournament progresses. Right now though they are an easy favorite over UC Santa Barbra.

Rest of the Match-ups:

3 Georgetown over 14 Ohio:  Georgetown lost some head scratchers this season, but also won some big games. Talent is never the Hoyas problem, staying in their game and playing consistent basketball is. Hoyas should have no problems knocking off Ohio and head into the 2nd round.

4 Maryland over 13 Houston:  Maryland might not have played in as dominate of a conference as the ACC has been in the past, but they were easily the 2nd best team and faced their share of high level competition. While the Terps lack the overall team to go deep into this tournament, they will win this game easily.

5 Michigan State over New Mexico State:  Usually the 5-12 match up is one where we see some upsets, but don’t look for it in this region. The Spartans were last year’s runner-up and have the experience and talent to do some damage in the first few rounds. Michigan State usually plays their best basketball come March, and I’d expect the same thing this year.

6 Tennessee over 11 San Diego State:  This game is an upset favorite for a lot of people out there, but I think Tennessee can win this game. It will be a tough match-up, but I like the Volunteers. Tennessee is a team that beat not only Kansas this year, but Kentucky as well, so you know they have the talent to play with anyone. I also don’t see Bruce Pearl losing in the first round of the Tournament, he’s too good of a coach and gets the most out of his players.

7 Oklahoma State over 10 Georgia Tech:  This is another game people are looking at for an upset, but I like the Cowboys over the Yellow Jackets in this one. Georgia Tech has some great talent on their roster, including a few guys who will be playing in the NBA next season, but they don’t play well enough as a team for me to give them the nod in this game. Tech is far too inconsistent and gives up way too many points from the perimeter. That 2nd issue will come back to haunt them in this game because OK State lives on the 3-point line. James Anderson is one of the most underrated players in the country and a fantastic scorer. He will give the Jackets more than they can handle and send the Cowboys into the 2nd round.

8 UNLV over 9 Northern Iowa:  Yes, that’s right, I don’t believe a single low seed will advance past the first round. UNLV isn’t a great team, but they have enough to hold off a fun Northern Iowa squad. I look for this game to be close, but UNLV to have too much size and strength for Northern Iowa to handle.