Gopher Basketball
I’ve got 65 questions and ummm, a bitch ain’t one.
I’m going to run through each team in the tournament and ask a question of each, some pertaining to the action we’ll be seeing the next three weeks, some pertaining to the general world of college basketball, and some just out of curiosity’s sake. We’ll take it region by region, and I’ll offer some thoughts on who we’ll be seeing in Atlanta. I’m breaking it down in two segments, one tonight and one tomorrow, so don’t worry I’ll still give you plenty of time to wager on the play-in game on Tuesday.
Midwest
1. Has Florida overcome their late season funk and will they repeat?
I didn’t say that some of these questions wouldn’t be obvious. I was really surprised by the swoon experienced by the Gators just a couple weeks ago, but it seems they are back on the winning track, and they have the experience. Still, I’m not seeing them repeating, although I do see them in the Final Four.
2. Who’s the key player for the Badgers advancing far? We know that Alando Tucker will deliver, their veterans are pretty solid, but the guy who has emerged the past few weeks is Jason Bohannon, a sharpshooter who gives the Badgers a real nice threat on the outside to go with Kam Taylor. I see the Badgers doing some good things if Bohannon can deliver from off the bench.
3. Can Oregon replicate the success of the 4 guard starting lineup that Villanova introduced last year?
I sure think so. They are playing very well after a midseason lurch, and they create all types of matchup issues for the opposition. I see them advancing to play Florida in the great eight.
4. How busy will Gary Williams’ dry cleaner be over the next three weeks (Maryland)?
Not as busy as a lot of the prognosticators are saying, as they have been very hot in the ACC. I think the ACC was overrated this season, with several mediocre squads but seriously flawed teams, which includes Maryland. Their first round matchup against Davidson will be a challenge, and if they make it past that game, I think they could be tripped up in the second round.
5. Will we be reading clever headlines such as “The Butler did it!” in the course of the next few weeks?
I wish I could say yes, but I see a first round upset for these guys, as they’ve been sliding down the stretch. That said, they played a pretty solid game on Wright State’s home court for the Horizon Championship, but fell just short. If AJ Graves can regain some of his shooting stroke, we may just see the creative genius of headline writers around the country.
6. Will the Notre Dame cagers reverse the post-season trend of their football brethren?
I think this version of the Fighting Irish is a pretty solid and underrated team, but they play everyone’s Cinderella in Winthrop the first round, and if they get past them, they’re staring into an Oregon team that I don’t think they can get past. A really tough draw for Notre Dame, perhaps the NCAA committee is exacting some revenge upon them for the pathetic performances turned in by the football team.
7. When the tournament ends, will we see the starting five of this UNLV squad in a hot tub with a reputed game fixer?
I think Lon Kruger’s got a different sort of team these days than what Tark the Shark had going on back in the day, so I’d say no to this question. I was weaned on the Running Rebs, so to see a workmanlike, unknown squad emerge from UNLV is a bit of a disconnect, but I think they could really give Wisconsin some problems in the second round, without Richie “the Fixer” anywhere in the vicinity.
8. Could Arizona conjure up their past from ten years ago, when they also finished fifth in the Pac-10 and went on to capture the national championship?
If they weren’t sitting at an eight seed, I might be inclined to say yes. I was surprised to see them land here, thought they might be a #5-7 seed, where the path is a bit easier. That being said, the potential second round game between Florida and Arizona could be a dandy-the Wildcats had their struggles this year, but they did play in the toughest conference, and they have five players that can easily get twenty in a game. Few other teams can offer such talent, and if they were to spring that upset of the Gators, well. . .
9. Purdue as a #9 seed?
I was pretty surprised to see them so high, as I thought they might end up on the wrong side of the bubble. That all being said, they had a pretty non-descript season, and really resemble the Golden Gophers team from a couple years ago, when the Gophers surprised a lot of teams in a down Big Ten, and made it to the tournament. I expect the Boilermakers to have a similar experience in the tournament, but better days are soon at hand, with their four top 100 preps coming next season.
10. Can the youthful Rambling Wreck of Georgia Tech make some noise in this tourney?
They could, but they struck me as a pretty sloppy squad when watching them this season, and while I don’t know too much about UNLV, I do know that Lon Kruger typically coaches pretty disciplined teams, so I see some time to visit the Sears Tower and Navy Pier for the Ga. Tech squad. The interesting question with this squad will be if Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittendon return for their sophomore seasons or bolt to the NBA.
11. Should you make Winthrop your Cinderella?
Why not, everyone else seems to be. I always get wary when bandwagons are jumped upon, so that makes me suspicious of Winthrop. However, they are a pretty solid team that I caught early this season and they could create havoc. While they might make it past Notre Dame, I don’t see them matching up well with Oregon, and the slipper will turn into a pumpkin, or however that fairy tale ends.
12. Can Old Dominion pull off the infamous 5-12 upset?
I’m thinking it will be an upset if they don’t. They are playing very well out of the Colonial Association Conference, and their opponent, Butler, has struggled down the stretch. In fact, I think either this team or the next squad I talk about will be a surprise entry into the sweet sixteen.
13. Are the Davidson hoopsters the smartest collection in the tourney?
I’d say that’s very likely, as they attend one of the premier, most difficult colleges in the nation and those expectations extend to the athletes. Will that translate into NCAA wins? I have a good feeling for Davidson this year, as they had a stellar record in the under the radar Southern Conference. They are lead by Dell Curry’s son Stephen, a freshman averaging 20 ppg, and sharing the same shooting stroke as his father (according to Selection Sunday) which is a very good thing.
14. Can Miami (Ohio) repeat their magical entry into the tournament?
If you didn’t see how they won their conference tournament, go to youtube and type in Miami Ohio and Akron, and you’ll see the best finish to the conference tournaments this year. However, reality is Charlie Coles bunch is a mediocre 18-14, and they’re facing a assuredly unmediocre squad in Oregon. This one could and should be pretty ugly.
15. How anonymous would you feel if you played for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi?
Of all the division 1 teams in Texas, which there are a lot of, how far down the chain must TAMCC be? Regardless, they are in the tourney, with only three other teams from the state, so they should feel pretty good. I don’t think they will be a walk for Sconny either-these guys play a pretty competitive non-conference schedule, and while they didn’t have any upsets they stayed within 10-14 points at Oklahoma State, UNLV, and Mississippi State.
16. Can the Jackson State squad tap into the spirit of their famous alum, Walter Payton, and pull an incredible upset?
Unless the ghost of Payton visits Florida’s practice and runs roughshod through the likes of Joakim Noah and Al Horford the way he did countless times against the Vikings, I’d say no.
West
1. Will Kansas be the first #1 seed upset by a #16 seed?
Well, after losing to Bucknell and Bradley in consecutive tournaments, a loss here would probably send Bill Self packing out of Lawrence. I don’t think they have anything to worry about in the first round, but I’ll still torn on these Jayhawks. Many point to their strong finish, but it was done largely on the back of the Big Twelve North, which was very weak this year and in games I saw them play this year, I don’t like the way they have a difficult time finishing against quality opponents (nearly giving away the game to Florida in Las Vegas; losing at home to Texas A&M after having a decent lead late in the game). They are also a very young squad who I sometimes wonder where the big shot is coming from. But with Sharron Collins emerging and Julian Wright one of the true jaw-dropping talents in college basketball, there’s a lot to like about them too. I think they have an easy path to the Great Eight, when they will likely see UCLA, and if they lose before then, they’ll get some heat.
2. Can a bump down to a #2 seed provide some extra motivation for UCLA?
I was very surprised to see them bumped from a #1 seed, and I don’t think this team needs motivation beyond what Ben Howland provides. This is a very good team, I expect the late season slip to be just that, and I see them marching towards Atlanta, and a potential classic matchup with Kansas in the regional final.
3. Will anyone step up for Pitt?
I’ve been a long time fan of Pitt, but I don’t like this year’s version, and part of that seems to be that they have many complementary players with no one with that singular ability to step up and lead the team to a big victory. (kind of like this year’s Gophers, on an entirely different scale of talent). I see an early exit for the Panthers this year, potentially in the first round.
4. What in the Sam Hill is a Saluki?
Remember when this question emerged a few years ago, when Southern Illinois was still a novelty at the NCAA tournament? I still don’t know/care what a Saluki is, but they’ve moved beyond novelty item to one of the consistent presences in the tournament. I do think Gopher fans will have a good chance to evaluate Chris Lowery’s coaching abilities, as I see them emerging to the Sweet Sixteen, and having the potential to really frustrate Kansas.
5. Which Virginia Tech team will show up for this game?
I mentioned in a previous Ramble how maddeningly inconsistent these Hokies are and how I wasn’t looking forward to trying to project them in this tournament, as they swept North Carolina, yet had NC State defeat them three times this season (and they have uglier losses on their resume). I really don’t see them beating Southern Illinois in the second round, which would be the second time those two squads face each other this year, the other time being that memorable tournament down in Orlando around Thanksgiving.
6. After which round will we see Coach K weeping this year, and telling us how much he loves his players?
If we’re lucky, round one. As an unabashed Duke hater, the quicker they’re off the national landscape, the better and I really hope I don’t have to hear how they’ve made yet another Sweet Sixteen. Fortunately for the likes of me, they take on a pretty formidable VCU squad in the first round. I’m crossing my fingers. . .
7. Can the Indiana fans get excited about this squad, or should they begin dreaming of next season?
I don’t see Indiana being able to make much noise this tournament, although I’d say Kelvin Sampson’s first year has been a success. But if I’m an IU fan, I’m thinking about Eric Gordon joining forces with DJ White, along with some other solid role players, and the solid coaching of Kelvin Sampson and I think they can dream pretty big.
8. Will this be the last stand for Tubby Smith at Kentucky?
All signs point to yes on this one, and if he leaves, the most interesting national coaching search will commence. I don’t know if you saw it, but Tubby made a bad coaching mistake at the SEC tournament, trying to pull one of his guys off the free throw line, and it ended up costing Kentucky the game and presented yet another piece of kindling for the Kentucky crazies. I don’t see them beating Villanova, and I see Tubby tendering his resignation shortly thereafter.
9. Will the nation become familiar with Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds?
Somehow, Reynolds has not registered very loudly on the national scene yet. Perhaps it’s because Villanova has been outside of the top 25 all year, but he is a dynamic scorer who is regularly scoring in the twenty point range these days, with a high of 40 points against UConn a couple weeks ago. Combine him with senior Curtis Sumpter and they are a dangerous team-unfortunately for them, I don’t think they have enough to get past Kansas in the second round.
10. With expectations so low for this Gonzaga bunch, might they surprise some folks this year?
If Josh Heydtvelt had stuck to the morel version of the mushrooms, I’d say perhaps. With them situated in a bracket with UCLA they’re not making it to the second weekend, even if they could sneak past Indiana. Jeremy Pargo’s a great talent though, hopefully he’s healthy and able to put his full talent on display for at least one game.
11. Is VCU’s head coach Anthony Grant this year’s version of Stan Heath?
You know Stan Heath, head coach of Arkansas. Well, a few years ago, he was a rookie coach for Kent State, fresh off an assistant’s gig with Tom Izzo at Michigan State, and he rode Antonio Gates to the Sweet Sixteen and a big contract in Fayetville. Grant is a rookie coach, fresh off a great season with VCU and coming from Florida’s program, and if they can win a game or two, he’ll surely enter the nation’s and perhaps some athletic director’s consciousness. It doesn’t hurt that his first round game is against a very beatable Duke team, and a win against the most recognizable program in the nation would ascend his reputation rapidly.
12. Will this be the last time we see Illinois in the NCAA tournament for awhile?
The Illini snuck in and while Bruce Weber has been struggling to recruit top players to Illinois, other Big Ten squads seem to be beating him to the elite recruits (particularly his neighbors Indiana and Purdue). I think he’s taken some unfair heat, but I think the Illini will likely make a quick exit this year, won’t return next year, and the pressure on Weber will pick up.
13. Do you ever want to bet against Holy Cross?
If you’re a Catholic boy like me, probably not. I could see them springing the upset against Southern Illinois, as they always seem to play teams tough when they get into the tournament, and if they do, expect about 5000 words from the Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, cause Holy Cross is his alma mater.
14. Will the Raiders have the “Wright” (State) stuff?
No question, the Horizon League has the most opportunity for eye-rolling headlines with Wright State and Butler. After watching them defeat Butler in the conference championship, I have some faith in this team, largely because they have a great little guard in senior Dashaun Wood, who was the Horizon Player of the Year, and can score in a variety of ways. Pitt is beatable, and Wright State might have the Wright stuff-whew, that’s good stuff.
15. Can Weber State tap into past tournament glory?
For those who remember, back in ’99 as a #14 seed, Weber State rode Michael Archeneux and his 36 points to a late night win against North Carolina. This year they face another of college basketball’s elite in UCLA, but I have a tough time thinking there will be much drama in this one.
16a. Did Niagara get screwed by having to play in this play-in game?
I would say yes. They play in a pretty solid conference along with the likes of Marist and Siena. They are on a 11 game winning streak and defeated #13 seed Holy Cross in the non-conference schedule. I’d put some money of these guys Tuesday night.
16b. Is Florida A&M the worst team in this year’s tournament?
Yes.
Okay. . .stop by tomorrow if you’d like for part two of 65 questions and my thoughts who will be in Atlanta and who will be cutting down the nets.