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Free March Madness Picks: Sweet 16 By Ron Jumper The 2007 NCAA Tournament has completely let me down. There have been no significant upsets to speak of and the favorites show up just in time to squeeze out a victory in the end. It has ultimately caused me to lose interest in my bracket and actually hope I’m wrong so I see something exciting happen. I didn’t have Xavier beating Ohio State, I didn’t have BC beating Georgetown, nor did I have Purdue beating Florida. However, I was rooting for all of those teams just purely to spice things up a little bit. What fun is it to see virtually every region with nothing but favorites left? I just can’t get caught up in the hype because there ISN’T ANY about the upcoming games.  With the George Mason’s and Gonzaga’s of previous tournaments, I guess I have become spoiled when it comes to Cinderella teams and unforeseeable upsets. Who are this season’s surprise teams you ask? They are 5 seeds Butler and USC, along with 7 seed UNLV. When the surprise teams are 5 seeds, you can’t tell me it has been an exciting tournament to watch. Now, you may say UNLV is a bit of a Cinderella but I have to differ. The Runnin’ Rebels beat a mediocre Wisconsin team that wasn’t playing well down the stretch. Had they beaten a Georgetown or UCLA, everyone would be more enchanted with their performance. However, Wisconsin was on the ropes with Texas A&M-CC in the first round, which isn’t much to get excited about. I don’t consider Vanderbilt a surprise team because I honestly believe a 6 seed has never had an easier road to the Sweet 16. The Commodores only had to beat George Washington and Washington State, two teams that I don’t hold in very high regard. If they beat the Hoyas, I’ll officially admit I was wrong and jump on the bandwagon. Don’t hold your breath… As for me, I had Winthrop and VCU winning their first round games because I didn’t see those games as upsets. I’m a mid-major connoisseur, I follow all of the small schools just as close as the big schools. I know how good Winthrop is and how well their team was built for tournament play. That being said, I didn’t have them in the Sweet 16 because I liked how Oregon played down the stretch. However when it was time for Winthrop and Oregon to play one another, I was pulling for the upset. It was the combination of boredom and overall disinterest. I did have VCU in the Sweet 16, which they nearly pulled off an epic comeback against Pitt. The thing that bothered me with both games VCU had was that they didn’t seem to get any breaks from the guys in stripes. It seemed every momentum swinging call went against the Rams, though they just kept battling back. It really made me lose interest when they lost. They should have been this year’s Cinderella. They had all the writings on the wall. Point guard Eric Maynor captivated fans hearts with his heroic play against Duke. They had an interesting young coach in Anthony Grant. They had the heart-warming story of how a player scrapped and saved to fulfill his dream of playing at VCU, he even slept in his JUCO’s locker room. What more could you ask for? There couldn’t be a more compelling story by any other team. As for the big dogs, they come out like they don’t even care and then when they are losing at halftime they decide to wake up. It seriously became routine over the course of the week. Georgetown was down early in both of their games. Florida was only up 6 at halftime to Jackson State and was actually losing to Purdue by 2 at halftime. Ohio State played as flat as a pancake for 38 minutes against Xavier. Texas A&M was losing to Penn in the second half before pulling away. However, the kicker is that NONE of them actually lost. It just teased you over and over again only to be let down. Hopefully, the Sweet 16 will offer some more exciting games and crazier finishes to make up for a predictable opening weekend. I doubt it will happen, as all the top seeds seem to have very favorable matchups with the exception of maybe Ohio State-Tennessee game. Don’t forget the Vols nearly won in Columbus during the regular season. Okay fine, there are a couple of games that if upsets were to happen it would be a start in the right direction towards having an interesting tournament. The Saluki’s smashmouth style of play could give Kansas a little bit of trouble, due to this writer’s feeling that Kansas is more of a finesse team than power. I don’t think that Vanderbilt has a legitimate shot of beating the Hoyas, but I didn’t think BC had a chance either. I’m starting to wonder if the Hoyas are going to be able to pick up the intensity for the rest of the tournament. As far as my statement about games with a lot of “hype” around them, what game are you really excited about seeing? The best matchups are UCLA-Pitt and Memphis-Texas A&M in my opinion. However, I have absolutely no interest in watching the Bruins and Panthers grind out a game in 40’s or 50’s. Both teams strive on defense and streak shooting, be expecting a dull game. In the other matchup, I just think the Aggies caught a huge break by having the game in San Antonio. While I admit I was wrong about Nevada, the only reason Memphis won the game was because they had a very abnormal shooting day at the charity strip and Fazekas was in foul trouble. Yes, I sound like sour grapes but I don’t care. As you may have figured out, when my team loses I vent and blame everyone else. Granted, I will eventually give in and accept that the more deserving (notice I didn’t say better) team won that day. NCAA Tournament: 10-9-1 Southern Illinois (+9) covers vs. Kansas The Salukis are a very hard-noised team every time they take the floor. There is no die or quit in them, that is how they have been coached to play. It is a tough draw to have to play Kansas, who played very well against Kentucky. Take a hard look at Kansas, remind yourself of the close games they had against mediocre teams. They even lost to the likes of Oral Roberts and Depaul during the season. I expect the Jayhawks to do just enough to move on. Kansas 55-51 Texas A&M (-2.5) covers vs. Memphis The Aggies avoided the trap game against Louisville. Now, instead of playing a virtual road game, they get to play a virtual home game against the Tigers. I just think the toughness and consistency that Texas A&M brings to the table will be more valuable than the plethora of talent Memphis possesses. Aggies 67-62 Tennessee (+4.5) covers vs. Ohio State Don’t look at the seeds and the rankings to judge this game. Look at coaching styles, experience, and previous matchups. The running style of the Vols gives Big Ten schools trouble because they take teams out of their comfort zone. OSU doesn’t want the game to be in 80’s nor does it want to play 10 or 11 players significant minutes. I think Bruce Pearl is a wonderful coach and will become one of the next big names in coaching. Something that should not be forgotten, Tennessee almost beat the Buckeyes on their home floor during the regular season. I just see this game as a nail-biter that goes down to the wire. OSU 70-67 UCLA (-3) covers vs. Pittsburgh This is going to be an ugly game to watch. I really hope the Bruins come out early and take care of business so I don’t have to watch it. The Bruins and Panthers both are very good defensive teams, but the play of Aaron Afflalo will give UCLA the edge. I expect a big outing out of him and the Bruins to win comfortably. UCLA 56-47 UNC (-8) covers vs. USC I looked and looked for a matchup that could help the Trojans stay in this game, but I just didn’t have any luck. The Tar Heels just do everything better and are just so talented. I love the way Hansborough has been playing and the freshmen seem to be adjusting to postseason play very smoothly. UNC 80-65 Oregon (-2.5) covers vs. UNLV Nope, don’t do it. Take those slippers off before you look like an idiot. The Runnin’ Rebels are going to have a tough time matching up with the Ducks. There is just an awful lot of speed and 3-point shooting on the Oregon roster and UNLV just doesn’t seem to have enough manpower to answer. I like what UNLV has done and I’m usually very anti-PAC 10. However, I have to take the Ducks. 67-63 Georgetown (-7.5) covers vs. Vanderbilt Though I picked Vanderbilt to pull off the upset last week, I have to admit they had some luck and very timely 3-point shooting that helped give them the edge. I see the Hoyas size and athleticism causing all kinds of problems for the Commodores. The key for Georgetown is that their big guys can plan on the perimeter and guard the outside shot, with the exception of Hibbert. Ewing and Green are guys that can guard anyone anywhere. Hoyas 55-38 Florida (-10.5) covers vs. Butler The Gators are just too tough to have trouble with Butler. Butler strives on creating mismatches and exploiting weaknesses, however, the Gators are just too balanced and complete to have trouble with anything Butler throws at them. Gators 64-52  March 19, 2007 |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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