By Guest Blogger Brian Murphy:

I will now give reasons as to why the Fightin’ Irish of Notre Dame will win the Southwest Bracket and march on to the Final Four.

Notre Dame finished the season ranked #5 and was one team away from getting that coveted #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.  The Irish fell short to Lousiville in the Big East Tournament in overtime after winning 12 of their last 13 Big East games, including beating #2 (now #4) Pitt on the road.  Funny enough, if Louisville can make a run in the top half of the Southwest Bracket, the Irish could face them again in the Southwest Bracket championship.

Notre Dame is led by Big East Player of the Year Ben Hansbrough and if ND wants to make a deep run in this tournament, Ben has to continue to play hot.  Tim Abromaitis provides some great long range for a forward and can shoot the ball from all over the court.  Just like the traditional successful tournament Irish teams of the past, this team lives and dies by the three ball.  They have some amazing 3-point shooters and we all know how important that three point shot is in college basketball.  If they can manage to drain some “treys” without getting cold, the Irish will definitely make a run.

Mike Brey’s squad open up against the 15-seed Akron, who should pose no threat for Notre Dame.  However, this is the NCAA Tournament and anything can happen.  The second round would be against FSU or Texas A&M who are great teams, but not as good as ND.  The potential Sweet 16 match-up will be difficult.  It could be Georgetown who ND beat handily early in the year.  Since then, the Hoyas have really gotten better so it would be a very interesting Big East showdown.  Purdue could be the other Sweet 16 match-up and I think Notre Dame would not struggle in this battle of Indiana.  Both G’Town and Purdue could get bounced early to some scary higher seeds which would make Notre Dame’s road to the Elite 8 a lot more manageable.

For Notre Dame to beat what could be Kansas in the Southwest Bracket championship, they need to stress their hussle on defense and light up the basket from beyond the arc.  Big man play down low for ND will be a crucial key in containing the opponent and also working the high-low to open up some outside shots.  If Notre Dame gets hot this tournament and rides some outstanding performances by Hansbrough and Co., watch out for the Final Four and possibly even the National Championship!

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Easiest Road For A Number 1 seed: Tie, Kansas and Duke-

I think overall Duke and Kansas have the best brackets to propel them into the Final Four. Neither team should face much of a challenge as they advance through their bracket, and in fact I think in both cases they only have one real challenge facing them.

For Duke that challenge will come in the Sweet 16 as Texas is a team capable of matching up well with them. If they get past Texas neither of their two likely Elite 8 matchups, really scares me. UConn is a very good young team, but they are really a one man show, which I think Duke can handle. On top of that the Huskies just won 5 games in 5 days, including the last four against ranked opponents, to win the Big East Tournament. While that was an incredible feat, it might leave themselves worn down for an early exit. And although I consider San Diego State a very good team, I don’t know if they can matchup with Duke’s shooting ability.

For Kansas, their challenge probably won’t come until their Elite 8 matchup with likely Notre Dame. Notre Dame made a strong case for a potential number 1 seed, and are no doubt a dangerous team with their defense and slow tempo offense. The problem is I think Kansas is one of the better teams equipped to deal with them. Kansas is very deep and experienced so I think that will play into it. Also, they aren’t an outside shooting team, so if they can get the ball into the Morris Twins, Notre Dame can’t match up.

Hardest Road To The Final Four: Ohio State

I know Ohio State is supposed to be the number 1 overall seed, but it sure doesn’t seem like they are. Their 2nd round matchup is dangerous no matter who they face. George Mason has shown before what happens when you take them too lightly. Mason doesn’t have the greatest size and speed, but then again neither do the Buckeyes. Mason plays great team basketball, and have a couple excellent shooters. Villanova on the other hand looks like an easier opponent, b/c they only finished .500 in conference play, and have lost their last 5 straight, but I wouldn’t count them out. They have good veteran talent, and a very good starting 5, with three talented guards and two big men. They have a fairly weak bench, especially among their bigs, but if they aren’t in foul trouble they are dangerous. Either game could be a major hurdle for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State’s road doesn’t get any easier as both their Sweet 16 and Elite 8 matchups look pretty difficult. In the Sweet 16, they will either face Kentucky or WVU, two teams with talent and very good coaching. Both have some flaws, but are real threats to Ohio State. In the Elite 8, both UNC and Syracuse are talented, balanced teams that can upset Ohio State.

Tough But Doable Path To the Final Four: Pittsburgh

The Panthers have some tough matchups, but overall the path is doable for them. They could face a battle in round two against either last year’s Cinderella, Butlter, or Old Dominion. ODU also has the advantage of playing very close to home, so they should have a favorable crowd. While Pitt is better than either of those teams, they aren’t going to just flat out dominate them. In the Sweet 16 the Panthers could face a Kansas State team, that knocked off Kansas or a Wisconsin team that beat Ohio State. At the same time though there is such parity in this bracket that both of those teams could end up losing to either Utah State or Belmont, who are legit Cinderella team’s in their own right. In the bottom of the bracket, 2 seed Florida is a bit overseeded, but they do possess some serious future NBA talent on that roster. Three seed BYU, could be a bit short-handed, but when you have the game’s best scorer, you can never be counted out. Also, don’t forget that one of Pitt’s few losses came at the hands of 6th seed St. John’s. St. John’s is an inside/outside team with a great coach and a lot of veterans. They have a bit of an uphill climb, but they are talented to make a run.

A Guest Blog By Fanspeak Contributing Writer Brian Murphy:

What a night it was in college basketball on this Wednesday!  With multiple top-25 and rivalry match-ups, it had all the makings of an early March game night.

#21 UNC 73 vs. #5 Duke 79: North Carolina absolutely dominated the first half of the first game this year between the best rivals in college basketball.  The Tar Heels took a 14 point lead into the half, but of course you can never count out Duke in Cameron Indoor.  The Blue Devils came out of the locker room like they actually visited Hell and were on fire, getting their first lead of the game with 9:14 remaining in the second half.  They did not look back the rest of the game.  Led by Seth Curry’s 22 points, Duke made clutch three after three and nailed their free throws to seal another great one between Tobacco Road’s finest.

#10 Villanova 76 vs. Rutgers 77: Looking at tonight’s games, no one would have thought that this game would be the most exciting finish of all.  Let’s fast-forward to the second half where ‘Nova had a 12 point lead with only 3:34 left and then 10 with 2:52 left.  Rutgers’ Jonathan Mitchell and James Beatty decided to do the uncanny and hit five 3-pointers combined in the final 1:50.  Now get this: the Wildcat’s James Bell hit a 3 to go up by 5 with 16 seconds left. Game over right?  Not so much in the RAC said the Scarlet Knights as James Beatty cut it to a 2-point game with 11 seconds left.  Villanova’s Corey Fisher made one free throw to go up by 3 with 9 ticks left.  Then the unthinkable happened: Jonathan Mitchell for Rutgers caught a deep pass and put up a 3 that swished in!!….AND 1!!  Mitchell was fouled on his made 3-pointer and went to the foul line with .8 left in a tied-up ball game.  Mitchell shoots it and…..Buckets!  The Rutgers fans stormed the court and craziness ensued in Jersey!

#15 Louisville 79 vs. #7 Notre Dame 89 (OT):  Many folks that follow these teams will tell you that when you match up the Cardinals and Fightin’ Irish, there is a good chance the game will go into overtime.  On Wednesday night, overtime was needed yet again to determine the winner of this classic Big East battle (5th OT game in last 9 meetings).  Louisville, led by Kyle Kuric and his 28 points, had the lead most of the game.  It was never a big enough lead that ND was out of the game and they tied it up and went up by a couple many, many times.  Louisville had the final shot to win it in regulation but it fell short. Once overtime started, Notre Dame, led by Ben Hansbrough’s 25 points, came out like wildmen and just blew out Louisville scoring the first 14 points of overtime.  Notre Dame is further strengthening its case as the best team in the Big East.  They are currently in second place in the Big East standings, only behind Pittsburgh who ND beat on the road.

#11 Georgetown 64 vs. #13 Syracuse 56: In arguably the most back and forth game of the night, the visiting Hoyas pulled away in the final four minutes to give Syracause another Big East lost.  The game had seven lead changes and numerous ties as Georgetown won its seventh game in a row.  Syracuse lost its third straight in the Dome, which is only the third time that has happened in coach Jim Boeheim’s 35 year tenure there.  This game definitely showcased two teams going in opposite directions.  The Hoyas are hot and making quite the Big East run, whereas the Orange have been struggling big time as of late in the Big East and are plummeting in the standings.

As if those four games weren’t enough for you, there were two top-25 teams not in the Big East or ACC who had scares on the road.  #14 Wisconsin needed overtime to beat the lowly Hawkeyes of Iowa on the road by only three points.  Similarly, #22 Texas A&M needed overtime to squeak by Colorado by three points.  Is this a glimpse of what college basketball in March this season will be like.  I bet yes, is it March yet?!

Notre Dame Knocks Off Pitt at Home: It is never easy to beat the Pitt Panthers, and at home it is next to impossible, but the Notre Dame Fighting Irish refused to get overwhelmed, and did just that. The Irish just out shot the Panthers, particularly from the 3-point line, where they went an impressive 9-18. The Panthers had a small lead at halftime, but couldn’t keep up in the 2nd half with Notre Dame’s shooting. Pitt’s star guard Ashton Gibbs had a cold night, going just 4-13 from the field, including 1-5 from 3-point land. Gibbs who is automatic from the charity stripe never made it to the line, which led to some poor free throw shooting for the Panthers. Outside of forward Gilbert Brown who was 6-6, the Panthers made a pitiful 3 of 10 from the rest of the team combined. The Irish were led by Ben Hansbrough, who had 19 points and 7 assists. Hansbrough was 1 for 6 from behind the 3-point line, but an incredible 7 of 8 inside the arch. Hansbrough and company were too much for the Panthers to handle, and should make a nice jump in the rankings next week.

Redskins Officials Meet With Some Interesting Names At The Senior Bowl: Now just to be clear the Redskins will end up meeting with just about every player this week, but it is still interested to see who they are meeting with and when. Jake Locker has long been rumored to have the team’s interest and it makes sense from a need perspective, but not in the top 10. Locker very well could be the best quarterback from this draft class 5 years from now, but I don’t think he is top 10 material. Especially on a team with multiple other needs. I’d love to see Locker groomed by the Skins, but as a 2nd round pick and after the Skins trade back for more picks. As for some of the other guys they were seen meeting with Schilling and Brewer are both offensive linemen and make perfect sense for the Skins. Jones and Matthews are inside linebackers, which should be a need with McIntosh likely moving on. The one real surprise would be Lance Kendricks, who is a mid-round, tight end prospect. While this could mean Fred Davis is on the trade block, Kendricks is likely to be well off the board by the time the Redskins pick in the 5th round (he is projected as a 3rd-4th round guy, which are two rounds where the Skins don’t have picks). Even if the Redskins acquire extra picks in the mid-rounds, tight end doesn’t rank high enough on the need list to use a pick on. Brewer and Matthews are two of my favorite players at the Senior Bowl this week and two guys who should be able to start right away for the Skins, if they have the draft picks to add them.

By contributing Fanspeak writer Geoff Nelowet

(10) Iowa at (11) Ohio State

The tenth-ranked Hawkeyes took their first loss of the season last week, which nearly destroyed any national championship hopes Iowa once had. Should they win at Ohio State this weekend, the BCS rankings will be very interesting.

Ohio State, on the other hand, is coming off their best win of the season, and it had major Big 10 implication, as they broke the two-way tie for second in the conference against Penn State, and now they have an opportunity to take down the first-place Hawkeyes, and earn a BCS bid.

Ohio State is a superior team in talent. Iowa has no offensive threat equal to Terrelle Pryor. Iowa is a sound football team that makes few mistakes. They have had a great run this season, but it seems unlikely that they will pick where they left off without their starting quarterback – Ricky Stanzi. Iowa will be starting redshirt freshman James Vandenberg on what could not be a bigger stage: at the Horseshoe – the third biggest college football stadium in the country – vying for a Big 10 title and a trip to the Rose Bowl.

Iowa is a major underdog in this came, and rightfully so. Vandenberg will have to step in and play the game of his life, and Ohio State will have to make a few mistakes. This is where Pryor comes in. Pryor is electrifying, and he seems to either win or lose the game for the Buckeyes. Unfortunately for Iowa, though, it seems that both Pryor and Ohio State are finally hitting their stride.

Ohio State will take down Iowa, and they will do so convincingly. At the end of the season, Ohio State will be surprisingly high in the BCS rankings after what seemed like a down season. Final Score: Ohio State 34 Iowa 17.

Notre Dame at (12) Pittsburgh

Notre Dame is coming off their worst loss of the season to a Navy team that should not have been able to keep the game close, let alone win it. Not only did they lose, but Charlie Weis’ is now ostensibly on the hot seat. Notre Dame will respond in one of two ways: they will come out motivated and fired up to salvage their season and their coach’s job, or they will pack it in because they have nothing left to play for, as they are officially out of the BCS hunt.

Unfortunately for the Irish, they are going up against a Pittsburgh team that hasn’t loss since September 26^th. This could very well be Weis’ last season in South Bend.

Pittsburgh is beatable, though, and their schedule reflects that, as they do not have a win against a ranked opponent on their resume – and Notre Dame doesn’t either. These are too evenly matched teams, but at this point in the season, they have greatly differing incentives to win football games, and that could ultimately decide this game.

Pittsburgh has relied on their balanced offensive attack this season, which is lead by senior quarterback Bill Stull and freshman running back Dion Lewis. Lewis has been one of the top rushers in the nation this season, and Stull has complemented the run game with a steady, effective air attack. The Panthers are hard to stop on offense because they can beat a team in a number of ways.

Notre Dame, similarly, is also an offensive-minded program, and junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen was considered a Heisman hopeful earlier this season. Notre Dame is a pass-first offense, and Clausen has thrown the ball almost 100 times more than Stull this season, which may be a disadvantage because it shows that Notre Dame is a bit more one-dimensional.

Pittsburgh is better than Notre Dame at this juncture of the season, and they will be more intense than the Fighting Irish. Both teams will score points, but Pittsburgh will be more focused and more determined. Final score: Pitt 37 Notre Dame 28