Sweet 16 picks
(1) Ohio State vs. (4) Kentucky – Kentucky is your typical Coach Cal team. They have the young talent to beat anybody, but they are undisciplined enough to be beat by anybody, as Princeton almost proved. I still like Ohio State to beat them, but Kentucky has the horses to make the game interesting. This game worries me for my Buckeyes National Championship pick, but I trust Lighty and Diebler to play like they did against George Mason. Pick - Ohio State
(2) North Carolina vs. (11) Marquette –
Marquette has looked tough so far. It seems like they have been more fired up during these games than some of the mid-major teams. There is just a lot of energy coming from that bench. They completely shut down Tu Holloway, and got the stops when they needed against Syracuse. Can they do it against Carolina, who has seemingly been scoring at will, is the question. Carolina’s offense has looked awfully good, but let’s not forget they played two absolutely terrible defensive teams in Long Island and Washington. Also, if Washington had not played like 6th graders the final 30 seconds, we may be seeing a #11 vs. #7 matchup here. Pick - North Carolina
(1) Duke vs. (5) Arizona –
The Wildcats have won a couple wild games so far. Beating Memphis in the last seconds thanks to a Derrick Williams block wasn’t all that impressive, but the win over Texas was impressive. Texas is a very good team and the Wildcats took them out of their game. With that being said, if Texas, led by none other than Rick Barnes, did not manage the game like idiots for the last 15 seconds, they would have won. Texas and Washington both should have won, but both deserved to lose. Duke didn’t look much better. They just got by Michigan. Michigan isn’t a bad team, but they are not good enough for the Blue Devils to only be beating them by two. I would like to see Aizona score the upset here, but I think with Kyrie Irving back, the Blue Devils will have too much firepower in the backcourt for Arizona to hang. Pick – Duke
(2) San Diego State vs. (3) Uconn –
Man, did Kemba Walker put this team on his shoulders against Cincinnati. He was obviously in pain, and went on 7-0 and 8-0 runs all by himself. The Huskies have looked every bit the part of Big East Champions. While we are on the subject of the Big East Tournament, will everybody please put to rest the idea that Uconn will be tired from the five games in five days? They are a very young team. They are made up of people ages 18-21. THEY ARE FINE. If they lose to SDSU, or to Duke in the ensuing round, please just accept that they got beat, not that they have tired legs. This isn’t the Celtics or the Lakers. They are not old and creaky. They are young Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors in college. They are quite alright. Don’t forget, they probably work as hard, or harder, conditioning-wise, in practice than in games. So maybe the five games in five days saved them some grueling practices.
With that being said, I think Uconn wins this game. My original pick was San Diego State, but I have since changed my mind. The Aztecs have not impressed me in the least. They certainly have the athletes to beat anybody, but Leonard has been unimpressive and their offense looked stagnant when it shouldn’t have been against Temple. The Aztecs could pull this off, but I think my Huskies move on to another round. Pick – Uconn
(1) Kansas vs. (12) Richmond –
Was anybody a bigger winner last weekend than the Jayhawks? They are sitting in their region with the #10 seed Florida State, the #11 seed VCU, and the #12 seed Richmond. See ya later Louisville, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Georgetown and Notre Dame. It will be a colossal upset if Kansas doesn’t make the Final Four. As for Richmond…good run. It is over. Pick – Kansas
(10) Florida State vs. (11) VCU –
Nobody saw VCU coming. This was the team that was supposed to be like a #3 seed… in the NIT! They beat USC, who people really liked. Beat Georgetown, with Chris Wright back, and then beat Purdue in Chicago. The strange thing is how impressive they have been doing it. They have manhandled all three teams. Florida State has been impressive also. I guess Texas A&M made a run at them, kind of. Florida State has been in control for pretty much all 80 minutes they have played. All of this has been done without the services of Chris Singleton for the most part. He should be able to see more playing time against VCU. Their defense has been stifling, and Leonard Hamilton looks like Bunny Colvin from the Wire, which is just awesome. It is strange to think one of these two teams will be playing for a Final Four berth, but both have earned it. Should be a good game. Pick – Florida State
(4) Wisconsin vs. (8) Butler - My girlfriend picked Wisconsin to win the championship. I told her it was stupid. I still think it is a long shot, but it sure seems a lot smarter now than it did a week ago. Wisconsin is a fantastic defensive team, but so is Butler. I don’t think this will be another 36-33 game, like Wisconsin vs. Penn State, but I will be amazed if either team scores 70. I would like to pick Wisconsin to support the Big 10, but I just can’t pick against Brad Stevens and Butler. They just keep on winning. Butler is good for college basketball. I need to go to a game at Hinkle Fieldhouse next year. Pick – Butler
(2) Florida vs. (3) BYU – Florida has looked better than I have them credit for. I admit, they have looked like a #2 seed. BYU has also looked better than they did in the MWC Tournament. This is a real toss-up game. Obviously, if BYU wants to win, Jimmer will have to score at least 30. I think he will get 30, but ultimately the Mormons will go down. Pick – Florida
Elite Eight
(1) Ohio State vs. (2) North Carolina –
This was the dream matchup I picked for this region. I think it could be a great game with a lot of future draft picks lighting it up. Ultimately, I think Sullinger and Lauderdale and control Henson and Zeller on the boards, which has been a big advantage of Carolina, and the Buckeyes can go to Houston. Pick – Ohio State
(1) Duke vs. (3) Uconn – This was also the dream matchup I picked. Things are working out for CBS’s ratings. I love the Huskies, but I don’t think the young pups can keep up with Duke. Too much depth and options for Duke, and too little depth for the Huskies. See you later Kemba. Thanks for the memories. Pick – Duke
(1) Kansas vs. (10) Florida State –
Really? Florida State? Florida fucking State? Their shorts are sweet looking. That’s about it. Kansas wins. Pick – Kansas
(8) Butler vs. (2) Florida – Florida is the better team. Florida has more talent and plays better competition all year. On paper, Florida wins by double digits. But, Butler is Butler. Even if I wanted to pick Florida, which I do, I can’t pick against Butler. Or can I? maybe if I do, they will continue to prove me wrong and I can enjoy another Final Four with the Bulldogs. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. Pick - Florida
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