Now that 3/4 of the field has been whittled down...

Dr. Giganto

Sports Moderator

Which NCAA Tournament teams do you think will move on?

Here are the match-ups:

#1 Duke vs. #4 LSU: This shpuld be a pretty good game. LSU has that "Baby Shaq" guy (who's not nearly as good as shaq, but whatever) but Duke has possible player of the year J.J. Redick and capable big man Sheldon Williams. The rest of the squad has been shaky. Redick and Williams scored 58 of the 70 points Duke scored in its opening round win, and only one other player had more than 2 points. Freshman point guard Greg Paulus has played like a freshman, committing 13 turnovers in the 2 games. Still, I think Duke will pull it out and move to the Elite 8.

#2 Texas vs. #6 West Virginia: I originally thought WVA would fall flat on its face and lost to Southern Illinois in the first round, but the Mountaineers have been one of the more impressive teams in the tournament thus far, winning their two games by an average of 15.5 points. Texas, meanwhile, played a close one against Penn in the first round, and then absolutely destroyed NC State in the 2nd round. Texas is a very balanced team, with all 5 starters averaging 9.5 points per game or more, and 2 players averaging more than 9 rebounds a game. These teams met back in Novemeber, and Texas squeeked out a one-point victory at home. This time, I think West Virginia takes it on the neutral court, in a close game.

#1 Memphis vs. #13 Bradley: Yeah, it's been fun Bradley, but it's time for Cinderella to go home. Memphis hasn't gotten a lot of respect, but they're a genuinely good team that should easily handle Bradley.

#2 UCLA vs. #3 Gonzaga: Gonzaga's been playing a lot of close games lately, but they've been winning, which trumps all. Adam Morrison is the best player in college basketball, and is an absolute nutcase. The 'Zags dont playmuch defense, allowing 77.5 ppg in the tournament so far. UCLA kinda flew under the radar all year, but has played well in the tournament thus far, albeit against a weak Belmont team and a 10 seed in Alabama. They've allowed only 51.5 ppg in the tournament thus far. IF they can find a way to stop Adam Morrison, they've got a great show. Still, I'll take Gonzaga in a mild upset.

#1 UConn vs. #5 Washington: Ironically, both teams are nicknamed "Huskies". UConn has played ridiculously inconsistently, almost becoming the first #1 seed to lose in the first round, and then almost losing to a Kentucky team that played below expectations all year. Still, UConn has way too much talent for me to pick them to lose. i think UConn will take this game, but Washington, a 1 seed last year, will give them a run for thier money. should note that Washington starts 3 seniors, who give them a great deal of experience, including 20-point-per-game scorer Brandon Roy.

#7 Wichita St. vs. #11 George Mason: The "Cinderella Bowl". It's a shame that these two teams from mid-major conferences have to play each other and knock one of them out. Wichita St. has piled on the points, averaging 83 points per game in the tournament. Both teams have legitimate big men, with Paul Miller manning the middle for WSU, and Jai Lewis serving as GMU's lead scorer. Should be a fun game. I'll take George Mason, just because they're named after a character from 24.

#1 Villanova vs. #4 Boston College: This should be a GREAT game. BC is a popular pick, because of their two talented and experienced big mean, Craig Smith and Jared dudley. Villanova is a little undersized, starting 4 guards, but they are ridiculously quick and can drain it from outside. Still, I think BC's big men will be too much for 'Nova to handle, and BC will be the first team to knock off a #1 team this year.

#3 Florida vs. #7 Goergetown: Florida has played better than any other team in the tournament, winning their two games by an average of 24 points. They are balanced, with all 5 starters averaging double digit points. Joakim Noah has played very well so far. Georgetown is a tough team (as evidenced by defeating Duke earlier this season), but I think Florida is just too good.

So, for the Elite 8, I have Duke vs. West Virginia, Memphis vs. Gonzaga, UConn vs. George Mason, and BC vs. Florida.

My Final 4 will be Duke, Gonzaga, UConn, and BC, with UConn over Duke in the final

Dakstang

MMA Moderator

I have said West Virginia to win it all from the beginning. I am sticking with that. They are due for a National Championship.

Stop talkin' bout stayin' the course
You keep on beatin' that old dead horse
You know they lied about why we went to War
I can't take it no more

Dr. Giganto

Sports Moderator

Here are the favorites/odds for this weekend's games, in case anyone is interested:

Duke (-7)
Memphis (-6.5)
Texas (-5.5)
UCLA (-4)
Villanova (-2.5)
Florida (-3)
UConn (-6.5)
George Mason (-1)

Blitzkrieg

Administrator

Duke
West Virginia
Memphis
UCLA
UCONN
Wichita St.
Villanova
Florida


As many upsets and surprises as there have been in the tourney, I love all the #1 seeds to move on to the Elite 8. I just love all the matchups they have and don't think for a second that the other teams can handle them. The only question mark to me would be Villanova but I think the 4 guards are just as much of a problem for BC to handle as Dudley and Smith will be for Nova to handle. I've loved Nova's hard nosed play all year and expect them to get through at least one more round.

I think the time has come for Gonzaga. Morrison will play well but UCLA has too much defense IMO and will win fairly comfortably. The other team I love right now is West Virginia and I've loved them all year even when they were struggling. They have the talent and the experience, and I expect them to play huge this week. I'll go as far to say they could win it all if the chips fall right.

DMW

I'm loving my Bruins right now. The team was devastated with injuries all the way up until the last couple weeks, and since then they haven't given up more than 60 points in a game. Gonzaga has been proven to be a one trick pony and if you stop Morrison, they don't really have a plan B.

I picked BC to go to the final four, but they have been lucky to make it this far. I think their game with Villanova will be a toss up between two teams that are both playing below their capabilities.

Dr. Giganto

Sports Moderator

Brandon, as far as the 'Nova-BC game is concerned, I understand your point about the 4 guards being a disadvantage to BC as well, but I think it's easier to adjust if you've got big men.

For one thing, BC can negate Nova's quickness by playing a zone, whereas there's little that Nova can do to stop Smith and Dudley if they get the ball down low. BC should also dominate on the boards.

Basically, Nova needs to hope their threes are dropping, or else I don't see them winning this game.

As for UCLA, they've played much better than I thought they would, but I absolutely love what I've seen from Morrison. It should be a close game, but I think the Zags will pull it off.

Blitzkrieg

Administrator

I don't like the Zags because it seems like they are putting the game too much into Morrison's hands. If he ever gets held in check, which with UCLA, is possible.. the Zags are done. Batista isn't being aggressive enough.

Also, with BC-Nova. I think the threes will be dropping. Maybe it's hard to bank on that, but I think that's the way it'll play out. If BC plays zone it could lead to more wide open shots and when Nova has it going, they are deadly. They remind me of that Duke team with Jason Williams a few years back who can just stroke it time after time.

Did I mention how much I love West Virginia in this tourney? I love experience in March and they have a ton of it.

Dr. Giganto

Sports Moderator

shit...i was telling people the last two days that Duke would lose. I shoulda said that here...

Blitzkrieg

Administrator

You should have lol I was just hoping they'd lose but didn't have the guts to pick LSU. I realized how much talent and athleticism LSU has, I just didn't think they'd put it all together in a big spot. I was wrong.

Mr. WikipediaSpamBot

This happens every year. I hear so many people say Duke will win it all and they always end up falling short.