Upset City
This was not a good weekend to be a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Two number 1 seeds and two number seeds went tumbling from the dance. A number three got clipped and two number 4's also got the boot. This is why the NCAA tournament is so great. The opening rounds leaves you with the feeling that this is finally the year that there will be no major upsets. The next thing you know, half of the top 8 teams in the tournament are gone.
The only region to escape unscathed is East Rutherford. All four top seeds moved on although the only team that showed any dominance in their games was Oklahoma State. Wake Forest and Pitt squeaked by in both of their games while St. Joes had to fight off Texas Tech in the second round after an easy first game against Liberty. I still think Oklahoma State will emerge from that region but all four teams are solid even though Wake Forest and Pitt have underachieved in both their games.
The most shaken up region is St. Louis. The top two seed got knocked off and Georgia Tech has not played nearly as well as everyone expected. Kansas now looks like they could be the team to make it through but if Georgia Tech turns it on, they are as good as anyone left in the tournament. All that said, I wouldn't be shocked to see either Nevada or UAB win.
The best games will probably be Duke-Illinois and Xavier-Texas. All four of these teams are as hot as any teams in the tournament. Illinois beat up on Cincinnati, Duke steamrolled both of their opponents and Texas is the deepest team in the country. Of course everyone knows Xavier is 15-1 over their last 16 games. Romain Sato and Lionel Chalmers are on a serious roll, they're the best guard combination other than Jameer Nelson and Delonte West left in the tourney. They single-handedly beat Louisville and against Mississippi State, Chalmers was in a serious zone. He won the game for Xavier.
Here are my revised Final Four picks: Im sticking with Oklahoma State but don't be surprised to see St. Joes get there in their place. There has always been at least 1 number one seed make it to the Final Four since the tournament went to 64 teams. Then Im picking Texas, UConn, and UAB. I dont know why, I just think UAB has as good a chance as anyone in that region to make it through. I like them because they have good guards and can really defend. The championship game will be between Oklahoma State and Uconn...Oklahoma State takes home the title in a close game. Im probably wrong so dont go out and bet the house on this.
Two number 1 seeds and two number seeds went tumbling from the dance. A number three got clipped and two number 4's also got the boot. This is why the NCAA tournament is so great. The opening rounds leaves you with the feeling that this is finally the year that there will be no major upsets. The next thing you know, half of the top 8 teams in the tournament are gone.
The only region to escape unscathed is East Rutherford. All four top seeds moved on although the only team that showed any dominance in their games was Oklahoma State. Wake Forest and Pitt squeaked by in both of their games while St. Joes had to fight off Texas Tech in the second round after an easy first game against Liberty. I still think Oklahoma State will emerge from that region but all four teams are solid even though Wake Forest and Pitt have underachieved in both their games.
The most shaken up region is St. Louis. The top two seed got knocked off and Georgia Tech has not played nearly as well as everyone expected. Kansas now looks like they could be the team to make it through but if Georgia Tech turns it on, they are as good as anyone left in the tournament. All that said, I wouldn't be shocked to see either Nevada or UAB win.
The best games will probably be Duke-Illinois and Xavier-Texas. All four of these teams are as hot as any teams in the tournament. Illinois beat up on Cincinnati, Duke steamrolled both of their opponents and Texas is the deepest team in the country. Of course everyone knows Xavier is 15-1 over their last 16 games. Romain Sato and Lionel Chalmers are on a serious roll, they're the best guard combination other than Jameer Nelson and Delonte West left in the tourney. They single-handedly beat Louisville and against Mississippi State, Chalmers was in a serious zone. He won the game for Xavier.
Here are my revised Final Four picks: Im sticking with Oklahoma State but don't be surprised to see St. Joes get there in their place. There has always been at least 1 number one seed make it to the Final Four since the tournament went to 64 teams. Then Im picking Texas, UConn, and UAB. I dont know why, I just think UAB has as good a chance as anyone in that region to make it through. I like them because they have good guards and can really defend. The championship game will be between Oklahoma State and Uconn...Oklahoma State takes home the title in a close game. Im probably wrong so dont go out and bet the house on this.