Gopher Basketball
East
1. Will anyone be able to keep pace with the Tar Heels?
UNC anchors the one spot in the deepest region from my perspective and there will be strong challenges starting in round two. But none of the potential teams they would face on the way to the Final Four (Marquette, Michigan State, Texas, Georgetown, Washington State) have close to the depth that the Tar Heels can trot out. The funny thing is, with all this depth, all the talk about how Roy Williams wants to run and run some more, the Tar Heels don’t always seem to be maximizing their scoring opportunities. So, I think they can be forced to play a style of basketball that’s not conducive to their style, and it makes them vulnerable.
2. Is Georgetown all that?
Since I’m writing this on Monday, I’ve been able to absorb a lot of the pundit talk and Georgetown seems to be on everyone’s list for the Final Four, and the national champs from esteemed minds like Digger Phelps (there’s a lot of sarcasm there, folks). They might have the most formidable frontline in the tournament with Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green, Dajuan Summers, and Pat Ewing, Jr., but that backcourt seems shaky to me. Jonathan Wallace is a dead-eye shooter, but do Jessie Sapp or Doc Rivers scare you? Not me, and I think a team with a dynamic point guard and a formidable frontline could and eventually will give them trouble.
3. Is Washington State this year’s Texas A&M?
Just as the similiarities between Anthony Grant and Stan Heath are eerie (see part 1), I find Washington State to be very similar to last year’s version of Texas A&M. You have an unknown group of players from a traditionally poor basketball school lead by a young, defensive minded head coach and a clutch junior point guard. Last year, Texas A&M lost a thriller to eventual Final Four participant LSU in the second round. I see Washington State being able to make more noise this year and putting a real scare into the Hoyas of Georgetown in the Sweet Sixteen.
4. Can Kevin Durant pull a Carmelo Anthony this year?
Once again, an obvious question. Durant is better than ‘Melo was, and I love his point guard, D.J. Augustin. Here’s the issue I see though-the likely Sweet Sixteen matchup between UNC and Texas could be a great game to watch, but they are a thin bunch once you get to the bench. With an easier bracket, I’d say they’d have a chance, but I think we just might have to enjoy a potential classic in the sweet sixteen round as Durant exits college basketball, stage left.
5. Can USC grab some national attention before the OJ Mayo circus commences?
There is some great talent on this Trojans team, and I hope Taj Gibson shows up big if they take on Texas in the second round, as he’s one of the best freshman talents out there. Joining forces with Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt, I could see them upsetting the Longhorns, but I think they’ll fall short. And then, prepare yourself for next season when the Trojans welcome another controversial OJ to campus.
6. Why can’t Vanderbilt play Kentucky six times?
If they could, the Commodores may be your national champ, as they now own the Kentucky Wildcats. I haven’t seen Vandy play, but I know they are an erratic team that when they are hitting their three pointers can be torrid, but when they’re off, they are extremely beatable. Unfortunately for them, Washington State in the second round is no Kentucky.
7. Will Al Skinner and the Boston College team track down Sean Williams after this tournament and beat him with a sack of doorknobs?
With shot blocker extrordinare Williams on this team, they might have had a shot at the Final Four. Instead I think they will give a valiant effort against Georgetown, but Jared Dudley’s great college career will end in the second round.
8. Can Dominic James get his mojo back? And will Jerel McNeal be healthy?
I know, two questions, but I had the James question in mind for awhile and McNeal’s recent injury demanded a two part question. James has freakish abilities, but his shot hasn’t been falling and his game seems just a bit off. If he can get right for the tournament, he could break some hearts in East Lansing, Chapel Hill, and Austin. As for McNeal, the Big East defensive player of the year has missed the last few games because of a sprained thumb. No matter what James does, it is necessary for McNeal to be healthy for Marquette to do some damage.
9. Should Tom Izzo take his players to see 300 before the tournament starts?
Because you know, it was 300 Spartans that took on the huge army of Xerxes and fought so bravely and valiantly before being overwhelmed at the end. If they were to beat Marquette, this might be a good activity for the Spartans to do before they would face UNC and their deep bench. Anyway, you heard it hear first, Tom Izzo is an incredible coach. I looked at his roster this preseason and thought there was no way this was a NCAA team. Obviously it helped that the Big Ten was down and also really helped that Drew Neitzel turned into a cold blooded sniper. I see a short visit to the NCAA’s this year, but along with the Buckeyes and Hoosiers, we’re looking at the class of the Big Ten for next season.
10. Can Bobby Knight turn around his recent post-season struggles with this Texas Tech squad?
Although he’s got a talented duo in Jarrius Jackson and Martin Zeno, I don’t see much magic in the Red Raiders. Boston College seems too formidable for the Red Raiders, so it might be worth tuning into ESPN News for the post-game news conference with Knight, if you enjoy boorish behavior.
11. Can Karl Hobbs parlay another NCAA trip with George Washington into a major conference job?
I think Hobbs was hurt last season by the connection between some of his players earning their high school diplomas from the “diploma mills” exposed last year. He did well to get GW back in the tourney, and they could pull off an upset against Vandy in the opening round. It might be a good time for Hobbs to leap to the next level, if a job opens and an athletic director doesn’t mind the potential cloud that will come along with Hobbs.
12. Did Arkansas benefit the most among the at-large team from the conference tournaments?
Time for me to climb up on the soapbox-I hate the conference tournaments. Not the actual gathering of fans and teams to play a few games at the end of season-someday I’d like to partake in the fun that such a gathering will offer. Here is what I hate-the potential for unworthy teams to take a spot for more deserving at-large candidates because of a run in the conference tournament when other teams who are already assured spots in the tournament might be coasting during these tournaments. Do you think Iowa fans preferred a Big Ten conference championship title last season over an opening round upset by Northwestern State? Same with Kansas from last season. So, a team as inconsistent and erratic as Arkansas can get on a three day run and put themselves into the tourney over more deserving squads. It’s a bit ironic that they likely bounced Syracuse from this year’s tournament, since last year’s deep run in the conference tournament probably sewed things up for the Orange. The Orange lost in the first round last year and the same fate will likely await the Razorbacks.
13. Will suave Reggie Theus jump into the nation’s conscious with this tournament?
New Mexico State received a gift when Utah State beat Nevada in the conference tournament semifinals, otherwise they’d likely be NIT bound. With Texas in the first round, I don’t think Theus will be around long enough to garner much attention this year. But next year, with Herb Pope joining his merry band of renegades, I think Theus will garner plenty of attention. One last comment, if you have a chance to see them play against Texas, you can see the wildest point guard this side of Rico Tucker in Elijah Ingram who never met a shot or an ill-advised drive to the basket that he didn’t like.
14. Will the question emerge if Oklahoma State has the wrong Sutton coaching on their sideline?
Oral Roberts is a very formidable 14 seed, and they could create quite a challenge for Washington State. Coach Scott Sutton was able to beat Kansas earlier this season, while his younger brother Sean took his more talented Cowboys to Lawrence and lost by 30, and their season soon unraveled from that point. With two 2,000 point scorers on the team, they have the potential to make Okie State fans bemoan their fate.
15. What can you say about Belmont?
I can’t say much, sorry all you Belmont Bruins fans.
16. How come the Ohio Valley Conference, where Eastern Kentucky hails from, can’t claim a better mid-major resume?
Back in the ’80s & early ’90s, the likes of Austin Peay and Murray State (featuring wide-eared Popeye Jones) sprung some upsets on the NCAA field, but lately it’s been a pretty non-descript run for the OVC. This slide has happened while conferences in the same region such as the MAC and MVC have sprung some big upsets, produced lottery talents, and garnered multiple bids in the tournament. You would think the OVC could produce a similar type of success, but evidently that’s not going to occur, at least not this year.
South
1. Will Greg Oden produce a legendary March?
Oden came in with as much hype as any individual freshman since perhaps Patrick Ewing. Wrist surgery delayed his arrival, and the Buckeyes have had their difficulty at incorporating him into their offense at times during the season. He has been surpassed in the buzz department by Kevin Durant, but Oden is starting to come on, evidenced by his very strong Big Ten tournament. Along with his good friend Mike Conley, the Buckeyes can and should advance far into this tournament and Oden will likely make people realize why the hype emerged. That being said, I don’t see them in Atlanta.
2. How will Memphis respond when playing NCAA worthy teams?
Slick Cal’s bunch played five NCAA bound teams this season and finished 2-3. Those three losses came to a 10 seed, a 8 seed, and a 5 seed. I haven’t been impressed with this team since seeing them in Maui early this season and I think a disciplined team will take them apart, perhaps as early as round two, and most definitely in the Sweet Sixteen.
3. Can Texas A&M stay out of foul trouble in this tournament?
Heading into this tournament, there’s not a team that I like as much as the Aggies. Great young coach, lockdown defense, tough, skilled interior players, a sharpshooter from 3 point range, and the best clutch point guard in college basketball. Here’s the one concern I have-in a few of the games I watched this season, they often were plagued by foul trouble, especially Joseph Jones who fouls out at a remarkable rate. If they are in a game with officials who have quick whistles, it could jeopardize their chance to go far in the tourney.
4. With as good a backcourt as Virginia has, how can they struggle so at times?
Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds comprise one of the really good backcourts in this nation, each averaging around 18 ppg. Their problem exists in the mid-major like frontcourt that the Cavaliers have. They remind me of Tennessee last year, who had a great backcourt, but were very limited underneath the basket, and found themselves ousted in the second round. Funny, but who might be their opponent in the second round this year?
5. Do you think we’ll see Bruce Pearl interviewed in the course of the next couple weeks?
Regardless of how Tennessee does this tournament, Pearl’s going to find himself in front of the cameras. The Volunteers are in the dangerous 5-12 game, but I think they’re advancing to at least the Sweet Sixteen where they can face off against Ohio State again, who they lost to by one point in controversial fashion at Columbus. If Chris Lofton is dialed in, the other teams in the South region should be very concerned.
6. Have you ever seen a more anonymous Rick Pitino led squad than this year’s version at Louisville?
Probably not since Pitino rode Billy Donovan to the Final Four with Providence, and these Cardinals are not getting close to there. Terrance Williams is a nice player, but I just don’t see this team going very far, despite their cushy site in Lexington.
7. Will Mark Fox be leaving Nevada after this NCAA tournament?
With Nick Fazekas’s eligibility up, and Romain Sessions and Marcellus Kemp juniors, the recent run by Nevada could soon be coming to an end. Fox might not have an opportunity like this again, so if he ever were to leave, this might be the year.
8. Are the Reid brothers still playing for BYU?
Do you remember Robbie and Randy Reid, who played for their dad Roger back in the day for the Cougars? I have no idea who comprises the team for BYU these days, but I do know they made a pretty nice run through the Mountain West against some pretty formidable opposition. I don’t think that gets them past the Buckeyes in the second round, but it should get them past Xavier.
9. Will Xavier prove all their critics wrong?
Among the at-large teams in the tournament, Xavier’s been towards the top for those questioning whether they belong. You should consider that this is a veteran, NCAA tested team though and they won’t be an easy out for whoever takes them on.
10. What’s the over/under on Clark Kellogg saying “We got the Funk” in this tournament?
I’d take the over, but if they can’t get past Nevada in the opening round, it might be low. Lead by Nate Funk and Anthony Tolliver, they could very well advance past Nevada and Memphis. If that happens, Kellogg’s head could very well explode.
11. Will the Lopez brothers morph into the Stanford tree during this tourney, only more mobile?
A lot of criticism came Stanford’s way for being included in the tournament and even if they are on a slide, they create very difficult matchup problems for anyone they play. They are a very big team and I see them defeating Louisville in the first round and causing some issues for Texas A&M in the second round.
12. Will Long Beach State score 100 points in their opening round game?
They very well may, while Tennessee scores 110. The 49ers like to get up and down the court, and this should be one of the more entertaining games in the first round, but I don’t see them springing an upset. Enjoy the track meet though.
13. How did Albany snag a #13 seed?
I may be splitting hairs here, but looking at their resume, I see three of the four #14 seeds who deserve this spot over Albany. One of the commentators yesterday mentioned how they may have gotten rewarded for their strong showing against UConn last year as a 16 seed, but that was last year, wasn’t it?
14. Can Penn spring some of that Ivy League NCAA magic?
The Ivies have represented well in the tourney over the years, but it ain’t happening this year, not against Texas A&M.
15. How did North Texas escape being a 16 seed?
You got me-this team finished the regular season with a 10-8 record and third place in the Sun Belt West conference behind Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas State. Going back to yesterday’s conversation, Niagara should be swapping places with this team.
16. With Central Connecticut State in the tournament and UConn not even making the NIT field, can Central Connecticut steal the state of Connecticut’s fan base?
Not bloody likely! Still, if I was Central Conn’s head coach Howie Dickenman, I’d be careful of any car rides offered by Jim Calhoun into the Connecticut wilderness, as I could see a Soprano-style whack job put into place by the alpha wolf Calhoun.
Whew! 65 questions and I have just one more, but first my Final Four:
Midwest-Florida
West-UCLA
East-UNC
South-Texas A&M
Championship game-Texas A&M over Florida
Best 1st round matchup: Michigan St vs. Marquette
One last question-when this season began or even part way through this season, could you picture Alabama, Connecticut, LSU, Oklahoma State outside of the tourney? And that Connecticut and LSU would not even make the NIT field? It’s a crazy sport. Enjoy the tourney, there will probably be one more Sunday Night Ramble, but on a weekday after the season ends, a year end wrap up type of thing.