Finally, we arrive at our Final Four. Destination Detroit.
Brian: Last year, Jeff got 3 of 4 Final Four teams correct in the boring all chalk Final Four, while I only got 2 of 4 correct. However, I had Kansas in the National title game and winning it all, so for that, I overtook Jeff for the first ever BCI NCAA Tournament Pool title based on rules that were never clearly established at the beginning (small technicality).
This year, the challenge is much more formalized. Take on Jeff and my bracket for ultimate blog bragging rights. And I believe Jeff promised Raj that the winner will get some face time on the blog. Retail price: $2.99.
We'll publish our first round of standings on Sunday after we get to the Sweet 16.
Jeff's Picks
Final Four: Louisville(Wake in my yahoo bracket), Memphis, UNC, Duke
National Championship: UNC, Memphis
National Champion: UNC
Jeff's Parting Shots
I am very pro-ACC in this tourney as I have always seemed to favor the Big East or ACC when it comes to bracket time. This year is especially heavy since my last minute change made it 3 ACC schools in the Final Four. I don't think my bracket is perfect and don't think UNC will win it all. If I could take all the 3, 4, and 5 seeds instead of UNC, I would. Anyone taking that bet?
Brian's Picks
Final Four: Louisville, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Gonzaga
National Championship: Louisville, Pittsburgh
National Champion: Pittsburgh
Brian's Parting Shots
I know, I know. Since the field expanded to 64 teams, Pittsburgh has never advanced beyond the Sweet 16. Call it a hunch. I think they are one of the most complete teams in the country. Laugh all you want at my Gonzaga pick. All chalk finals are boring, so I decided to spice it up a little. I know the odds are in my favor, but I'm willing to bet that we won't see an all #1 seed Final Four again this year.
Enjoy all the hoops action this weekend, and Go Eagles!
Showing posts with label fun with brackets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun with brackets. Show all posts
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Fortune Teller: West Regional Brackets
We preview the upcoming NCAA tournament by taking a look at each of the regional brackets. Last up: the West regional. For a good laugh, take a look at our West Regional preview from a year ago.
Best First-Round Matchup
Brian: I'm going with (6) Marquette vs. (11) Utah State. Utah State was actually in the Top 25 at some point this season, but everyone quickly forgot about the Aggies after they crapped the bed at St. Mary's. They followed up that loss with another disappointing loss on the road at Nevada before finishing the season with four straight wins and the WAC conference title. Utah State has an offense ranked Top 15 nationally, but they apparently don't play defense. Marquette is a dangerous 6 seed, although it all started to unravel for Marquette after their 57-56 loss at South Florida back in early February. I believe we had that one right. Part of me thinks this matchup resembles nothing like a 6 vs. 11 and instead could have been a second round matchup. Location seems to favor Utah State in this one as they have a short four and a half hour trip from Logan, UT to Boise.
Jeff: Is the SEC better than we have thought? Is the SEC tournament champion much better than your average 13 seed in the tournament? Well we'll find out when Mississippi State plays Washington in the 4 vs. 13 matchup. Mississippi St. has a lot it can prove and for the SEC's sake hopefully it will at least be a close game.
Matchup We'd Most Like To See
Jeff: I'd like to see Missouri vs. Purdue in the Elite 8. This would mean both UConn and Memphis are out of the tournament and I would not mind that at all.
Brian: But Jeff, the UConn Huskies are your boys?!
I want to see Connecticut vs. Washington (again) in the Sweet 16. If only because the 1998 matchup between these two teams was legendary, and Nike recently put out a pretty good commercial commemorating the game. The committee must hate the UW Huskies for matching them up against UConn in the Sweet 16. Sounds like something they would have done to BC if they had the opportunity.
Trendy Bandwagon Pick
Brian: The Big XII champion Missouri Tigers. Fresh off their first conference tournament championship, the Tigers are a trendy pick to go far in this regional. A word of caution: while the Tigers won three straight to win their conference title, this is also a team that is coming off a 90-65 drubbing by fellow 3-seed Kansas. Also, with both Oklahoma and Kansas bowing out of the Big XII championship early, it's not like the Tigers faced the stiffest of competition - Texas Tech, Oklahoma St. and Baylor - to win their conference. I expect Missouri to get out of the first round, but they will have a tough, tough second round matchup if the seeds hold and the Tigers get Marquette. Marquette was flirting with the Top 10 for most of the year before they hit the Big East five-headed buzzsaw of Connecticut / Louisville / Pittsburgh / Syracuse / Villanova to end the season. I would argue that Marquette is better than their seed indicates given their extremely backloaded Big East schedule. Just playing Devil's advocate here.
Jeff: I'm not disagreeing with you but I am also hearing a lot of talk about Memphis winning it all so I would say that they are the hot pick in the region. Memphis is definitely not as good as they were last season and did not win it all last year but the teams at the top are not quite as strong this year so Calipari's Tigers can very well make it through the region and win it all.
The Sleeper Pick
Jeff: Northern Iowa! We were the first to introduce you to Northern Iowa when they made it into our top 25 for one whole week.
Brian: (10) Maryland. The Terps have quality wins this season over several high-seeded tournament teams. (1) North Carolina, (2) Michigan State, and (4) Wake Forest ... I guess throw (10) Michigan in there too. If the Maryland that beat Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament shows up, they could give Memphis a scare in the second round. Besides, Memphis hasn't been challenged in some time coasting through their Conference USA sched. If the Maryland that lost to Morgan State back in December ... at home ... shows up, well, this won't be much of a sleeper pick at all.
Watch Out For...
Brian: Keeping in the theme of east coast guys showing the left coast some love, let's go with Washington's freshman guard Isaiah Thomas. (No, not that Isiah Thomas). Thomas and senior guard Justin Dentmon give the Huskies one of the best backcourts in the West regional.
Jeff: Greivis Vasquez. As much as I am not his biggest fan, Vasquez is the player to watch in this region. If he has a bad day, Maryland will not win a single game but if he gets hot the Terps could win several games and maybe ... just maybe even make it out of this region.
Random Fact about the Regional that will do you no good while selecting your bracket:
This wasn't the sort of Midnight Madness we had in mind ... "On the first day of team practice, the University of Maryland (public, founded in 1856) men's basketball team runs laps around the university track at midnight, a tradition dubbed "Midnight Madness" that dates back to 1970."
Jeff's Picks
Second Round: Connecticut, Texas A&M, Purdue, Washington, Marquette, Missouri, Maryland, Memphis
Sweet 16: Connecticut, Purdue, Missouri, Memphis
Elite 8: Purdue, Memphis
Final Four Pick: Memphis
Brian's Picks
Second Round: Connecticut, Texas A&M, Purdue, Washington, Marquette, Missouri, Maryland, Memphis
Sweet 16: Connecticut, Washington, Marquette, Memphis
Elite 8: Connecticut, Memphis
Final Four Pick: Memphis
Best First-Round Matchup
Brian: I'm going with (6) Marquette vs. (11) Utah State. Utah State was actually in the Top 25 at some point this season, but everyone quickly forgot about the Aggies after they crapped the bed at St. Mary's. They followed up that loss with another disappointing loss on the road at Nevada before finishing the season with four straight wins and the WAC conference title. Utah State has an offense ranked Top 15 nationally, but they apparently don't play defense. Marquette is a dangerous 6 seed, although it all started to unravel for Marquette after their 57-56 loss at South Florida back in early February. I believe we had that one right. Part of me thinks this matchup resembles nothing like a 6 vs. 11 and instead could have been a second round matchup. Location seems to favor Utah State in this one as they have a short four and a half hour trip from Logan, UT to Boise.
Jeff: Is the SEC better than we have thought? Is the SEC tournament champion much better than your average 13 seed in the tournament? Well we'll find out when Mississippi State plays Washington in the 4 vs. 13 matchup. Mississippi St. has a lot it can prove and for the SEC's sake hopefully it will at least be a close game.
Matchup We'd Most Like To See
Jeff: I'd like to see Missouri vs. Purdue in the Elite 8. This would mean both UConn and Memphis are out of the tournament and I would not mind that at all.
Brian: But Jeff, the UConn Huskies are your boys?!
I want to see Connecticut vs. Washington (again) in the Sweet 16. If only because the 1998 matchup between these two teams was legendary, and Nike recently put out a pretty good commercial commemorating the game. The committee must hate the UW Huskies for matching them up against UConn in the Sweet 16. Sounds like something they would have done to BC if they had the opportunity.
Trendy Bandwagon Pick
Brian: The Big XII champion Missouri Tigers. Fresh off their first conference tournament championship, the Tigers are a trendy pick to go far in this regional. A word of caution: while the Tigers won three straight to win their conference title, this is also a team that is coming off a 90-65 drubbing by fellow 3-seed Kansas. Also, with both Oklahoma and Kansas bowing out of the Big XII championship early, it's not like the Tigers faced the stiffest of competition - Texas Tech, Oklahoma St. and Baylor - to win their conference. I expect Missouri to get out of the first round, but they will have a tough, tough second round matchup if the seeds hold and the Tigers get Marquette. Marquette was flirting with the Top 10 for most of the year before they hit the Big East five-headed buzzsaw of Connecticut / Louisville / Pittsburgh / Syracuse / Villanova to end the season. I would argue that Marquette is better than their seed indicates given their extremely backloaded Big East schedule. Just playing Devil's advocate here.
Jeff: I'm not disagreeing with you but I am also hearing a lot of talk about Memphis winning it all so I would say that they are the hot pick in the region. Memphis is definitely not as good as they were last season and did not win it all last year but the teams at the top are not quite as strong this year so Calipari's Tigers can very well make it through the region and win it all.
The Sleeper Pick
Jeff: Northern Iowa! We were the first to introduce you to Northern Iowa when they made it into our top 25 for one whole week.
Brian: (10) Maryland. The Terps have quality wins this season over several high-seeded tournament teams. (1) North Carolina, (2) Michigan State, and (4) Wake Forest ... I guess throw (10) Michigan in there too. If the Maryland that beat Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament shows up, they could give Memphis a scare in the second round. Besides, Memphis hasn't been challenged in some time coasting through their Conference USA sched. If the Maryland that lost to Morgan State back in December ... at home ... shows up, well, this won't be much of a sleeper pick at all.
Watch Out For...
Brian: Keeping in the theme of east coast guys showing the left coast some love, let's go with Washington's freshman guard Isaiah Thomas. (No, not that Isiah Thomas). Thomas and senior guard Justin Dentmon give the Huskies one of the best backcourts in the West regional.
Jeff: Greivis Vasquez. As much as I am not his biggest fan, Vasquez is the player to watch in this region. If he has a bad day, Maryland will not win a single game but if he gets hot the Terps could win several games and maybe ... just maybe even make it out of this region.
Random Fact about the Regional that will do you no good while selecting your bracket:
This wasn't the sort of Midnight Madness we had in mind ... "On the first day of team practice, the University of Maryland (public, founded in 1856) men's basketball team runs laps around the university track at midnight, a tradition dubbed "Midnight Madness" that dates back to 1970."
Jeff's Picks
Second Round: Connecticut, Texas A&M, Purdue, Washington, Marquette, Missouri, Maryland, Memphis
Sweet 16: Connecticut, Purdue, Missouri, Memphis
Elite 8: Purdue, Memphis
Final Four Pick: Memphis
Brian's Picks
Second Round: Connecticut, Texas A&M, Purdue, Washington, Marquette, Missouri, Maryland, Memphis
Sweet 16: Connecticut, Washington, Marquette, Memphis
Elite 8: Connecticut, Memphis
Final Four Pick: Memphis
Fortune Teller: Midwest Regional Brackets
We preview the upcoming NCAA tournament by taking a look at each of the regional brackets. Next up: the Midwest regional. For a good laugh, take a look at our Midwest Regional preview from a year ago.
Best First-Round Matchup
Brian: (5) Utah vs. (12) Arizona. Zona just barely made the field of 65 but have a potent offense with Jordan Hill (18.5 ppg), Chase Budinger (17.9) and Nick Wise (15.1 ppg) leading the way. The Wildcats defense? Meh. Quietly, Utah won the Mountain West conference and have quality wins over the Zags, LSU, BYU and San Diego State. This one certainly doesn't feel like your typical 5 vs. 12 matchup.
Jeff: Boston College vs. USC. This is a game a lot of people outside of our bubbles of BC and ACC basketball are actually talking about after USC's Pac-10 run and BC's marquee wins this year capped with that near miss against Duke in the conference tournament..
Matchup We'd Most Like To See
Jeff: This is a no-brainer but Boston College vs. Louisville. If BC is still playing 10 days from now I'll have nothing to complain about.
Brian: Homer picks to follow:
1) Boston College vs. Michigan State, so that Josh Southern can get what he wants, and
2) Boston College vs. West Virginia. That would be the third time in three tries that the Eagles have faced a former Big East foe in the NCAAs since jumping ship for the ACC. Current record against Big East teams post ACC expansion? 0 and 2.
Trendy Bandwagon Pick
Brian: Michigan State. Some think that Sparty deserved a No. 1 seed, and MSU will be on a mission to get back to Detroit for the Final Four. The Spartans own the offensive glass, and are one of the top 10 best defensive teams in the country. If the seeds hold through to the 8s, Louisville vs. UCLA will be a great matchup.
Jeff: Arizona. A lot of people are looking at Arizona playing a Mountain West Conference team and are throwing out the fact that Arizona is a 12 seed. Right now the Wildcats are a pick 'em against the Utes. For comparison, all the other 5 seeds are favored in their matchups.
The Sleeper Pick
Jeff: Dayton is a good pick that not many people are going to be taking. After getting by West Virginia, beating Kansas is also possible.
Brian: E-A-G-L-E-S. Eagles, Eagles, Eagles. BC will need a complete 40 minutes to beat Sparty, but if Rice, Sanders and Trapani all catch fire, I think they can pull off the upset and get back to the Sweet 16.
Watch Out For...
Brian: USC's star freshman forward DeMar DeRozan. 13.6 points per game, 5.7 boards. DeRozan and Taj Gibson will create some tough matchups for the Eagles.
Jeff: Josh Southern against Michigan State
Random Fact about the Regional that will do you no good while selecting your bracket:
This will be the 25th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance for the (12) Arizona Wildcats. Since 1985, Arizona has gone 39-23 in the tournament including the 1997 National title. Before 1985, the Cats only made the NCAAs three times (1951, 1976, 1977), never advancing past the Sweet 16. Over the past two seasons, though, Arizona has failed to get out of the first round.
Jeff's Picks
Second Round: Louisville, Siena, Utah, Wake Forest, Dayton, Kansas, Boston College, Michigan St.
Sweet 16: Louisville, Wake Forest, Kansas, Boston College
Elite 8: Louisville, Kansas
Final Four Pick: Louisville
Brian's Picks
Second Round: Louisville, Ohio State, Arizona, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Kansas, Boston College, Michigan St.
Sweet 16: Louisville, Arizona, West Virginia, Boston College
Elite 8: Louisville, West Virginia
Final Four Pick: Louisville
Best First-Round Matchup
Brian: (5) Utah vs. (12) Arizona. Zona just barely made the field of 65 but have a potent offense with Jordan Hill (18.5 ppg), Chase Budinger (17.9) and Nick Wise (15.1 ppg) leading the way. The Wildcats defense? Meh. Quietly, Utah won the Mountain West conference and have quality wins over the Zags, LSU, BYU and San Diego State. This one certainly doesn't feel like your typical 5 vs. 12 matchup.
Jeff: Boston College vs. USC. This is a game a lot of people outside of our bubbles of BC and ACC basketball are actually talking about after USC's Pac-10 run and BC's marquee wins this year capped with that near miss against Duke in the conference tournament..
Matchup We'd Most Like To See
Jeff: This is a no-brainer but Boston College vs. Louisville. If BC is still playing 10 days from now I'll have nothing to complain about.
Brian: Homer picks to follow:
1) Boston College vs. Michigan State, so that Josh Southern can get what he wants, and
2) Boston College vs. West Virginia. That would be the third time in three tries that the Eagles have faced a former Big East foe in the NCAAs since jumping ship for the ACC. Current record against Big East teams post ACC expansion? 0 and 2.
Trendy Bandwagon Pick
Brian: Michigan State. Some think that Sparty deserved a No. 1 seed, and MSU will be on a mission to get back to Detroit for the Final Four. The Spartans own the offensive glass, and are one of the top 10 best defensive teams in the country. If the seeds hold through to the 8s, Louisville vs. UCLA will be a great matchup.
Jeff: Arizona. A lot of people are looking at Arizona playing a Mountain West Conference team and are throwing out the fact that Arizona is a 12 seed. Right now the Wildcats are a pick 'em against the Utes. For comparison, all the other 5 seeds are favored in their matchups.
The Sleeper Pick
Jeff: Dayton is a good pick that not many people are going to be taking. After getting by West Virginia, beating Kansas is also possible.
Brian: E-A-G-L-E-S. Eagles, Eagles, Eagles. BC will need a complete 40 minutes to beat Sparty, but if Rice, Sanders and Trapani all catch fire, I think they can pull off the upset and get back to the Sweet 16.
Watch Out For...
Brian: USC's star freshman forward DeMar DeRozan. 13.6 points per game, 5.7 boards. DeRozan and Taj Gibson will create some tough matchups for the Eagles.
Jeff: Josh Southern against Michigan State
Random Fact about the Regional that will do you no good while selecting your bracket:
This will be the 25th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance for the (12) Arizona Wildcats. Since 1985, Arizona has gone 39-23 in the tournament including the 1997 National title. Before 1985, the Cats only made the NCAAs three times (1951, 1976, 1977), never advancing past the Sweet 16. Over the past two seasons, though, Arizona has failed to get out of the first round.
Jeff's Picks
Second Round: Louisville, Siena, Utah, Wake Forest, Dayton, Kansas, Boston College, Michigan St.
Sweet 16: Louisville, Wake Forest, Kansas, Boston College
Elite 8: Louisville, Kansas
Final Four Pick: Louisville
Brian's Picks
Second Round: Louisville, Ohio State, Arizona, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Kansas, Boston College, Michigan St.
Sweet 16: Louisville, Arizona, West Virginia, Boston College
Elite 8: Louisville, West Virginia
Final Four Pick: Louisville
Fortune Teller: South Regional Brackets
We preview the upcoming NCAA tournament by taking a look at each of the regional brackets. Next up: the South regional. For a good laugh, take a look at our South Regional preview from a year ago.
Best First-Round Matchup
Brian: For me, it is a toss up between the 8 v. 9 matchup (LSU vs. Butler) and the 7 v. 10 matchup (Clemson vs. Michigan). Louisiana State has something to prove after losing 3 of their last 4 games to particularly 'meh' SEC opponents. Butler started the season 22-2 and has been ranked for most of the season, but finished the season 4-3, including WTF losses to Loyola Chicago, Wisconsin Milwaukee and Cleveland St. in the Horizon league tournament. The way I see it, that game is a toss up.
Clemson vs. Michigan is another intriguing matchup - yet another chapter in the ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge. Clemson was ranked in the Top 10 for a good portion of the season but slid all the way to a 7 seed after going 4-6 in their last ten and losing to ACC teams they should have absolutely buried - Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech. Michigan is one of 25 so-so Big Ten teams to make the tournament this year. They have some impressive victories including wins over UCLA, Duke, Purdue and Illinois, but the Wolverines also didn't finish very strong down the stretch ... 5-5 in their last 10 and a stretch of 7 losses in 9 games from January 14-February 10.
Jeff: Illinois vs. Western Kentucky is the best first round game in this region. Illinois's ranking and seeding seems to solely be a result of beating Missouri before conference play began and having a good recent history of basketball success. Meanwhile, Western Kentucky is looking to make another run in the NCAA.
Matchup We'd Most Like To See
Jeff: I'd like to see regular season ACC Champ North Carolina play SEC regular season Champ LSU in the second round and I'd love for the Heels to win by 30+.
Brian: Not many great, great potential matchups in this bracket for me. If I have to choose, I'd like to see North Carolina play Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. This is one of the best Gonzaga teams in the Dance in a long time. The Zags only have 5 losses this season - all to tournament teams - and have quality wins over Washington St., Tennessee, Tennessee, Oklahoma St., and Maryland (and oh, by the way, also pushed Connecticut to overtime). Despite Lawson still being questionable for the Heels opening round matchup, a lot of people are still picking North Carolina to win it all.
Trendy Bandwagon Pick
Brian: Syracuse. Everyone is high from sniffing Syracuse all week and the tournament selection committee is no exception. The Orange rode their success in the Big East tournament all the way to a No. 3 seed. No way they lose their first round matchup (the BCI kiss of death was just given to Syracuse), but after that, will they have any gas left in the tank to beat the Arizona State/Temple winner in the Round of 32?
Jeff: You are absolutely right, Brian. It is Syracuse.
The Sleeper Pick
Jeff: Western Kentucky. Are you surprised that is my pick?
Brian: Nope, not surprised in your WKU pick, but think it might be a year too late. Personally don't see many first round upsets in this bracket. I am liking Arizona State to get through the first weekend, so I'll go with the Sun Devils in this category. This would be a serious kick in the nuts for the NC State Wolfpack nation seeing Herb Sendek get his team back to the Sweet 16. I just don't think Syracuse has anything left in the tank.
Da Belle O' Da Ball
Brian: Blake Griffin, the presumptive National Player of the Year.
Jeff: I have not had the opportunity to watch much Big 12 basketball this season for whatever reason so I am looking forward to watching Griffin play.
Random Fact about the Regional that will do you no good while selecting your bracket:
Morgan State University is the fastest growing university in the state of Maryland. (Full disclosure: had no idea Morgan State was located in Maryland). Morgan State is making their first ever NCAA tournament appearance after winning the MEAC tournament title for the first time since 1977.
Jeff's Picks
Second Round: North Carolina, Butler, W Kentucky, Gonzaga, Arizona St, Syracuse, Clemson, Oklahoma
Sweet 16: North Carolina, Western Kentucky, Syracuse, Oklahoma
Elite 8: North Carolina, Oklahoma
Final Four Pick: North Carolina
Brian's Picks
Second Round: North Carolina, LSU, Illinois, Gonzaga, Arizona St., Syracuse, Clemson, Oklahoma
Sweet 16: North Carolina, Gonzaga, Arizona St., Oklahoma
Elite 8: Gonzaga, Arizona St.
Final Four Pick: Gonzaga
Best First-Round Matchup
Brian: For me, it is a toss up between the 8 v. 9 matchup (LSU vs. Butler) and the 7 v. 10 matchup (Clemson vs. Michigan). Louisiana State has something to prove after losing 3 of their last 4 games to particularly 'meh' SEC opponents. Butler started the season 22-2 and has been ranked for most of the season, but finished the season 4-3, including WTF losses to Loyola Chicago, Wisconsin Milwaukee and Cleveland St. in the Horizon league tournament. The way I see it, that game is a toss up.
Clemson vs. Michigan is another intriguing matchup - yet another chapter in the ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge. Clemson was ranked in the Top 10 for a good portion of the season but slid all the way to a 7 seed after going 4-6 in their last ten and losing to ACC teams they should have absolutely buried - Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech. Michigan is one of 25 so-so Big Ten teams to make the tournament this year. They have some impressive victories including wins over UCLA, Duke, Purdue and Illinois, but the Wolverines also didn't finish very strong down the stretch ... 5-5 in their last 10 and a stretch of 7 losses in 9 games from January 14-February 10.
Jeff: Illinois vs. Western Kentucky is the best first round game in this region. Illinois's ranking and seeding seems to solely be a result of beating Missouri before conference play began and having a good recent history of basketball success. Meanwhile, Western Kentucky is looking to make another run in the NCAA.
Matchup We'd Most Like To See
Jeff: I'd like to see regular season ACC Champ North Carolina play SEC regular season Champ LSU in the second round and I'd love for the Heels to win by 30+.
Brian: Not many great, great potential matchups in this bracket for me. If I have to choose, I'd like to see North Carolina play Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. This is one of the best Gonzaga teams in the Dance in a long time. The Zags only have 5 losses this season - all to tournament teams - and have quality wins over Washington St., Tennessee, Tennessee, Oklahoma St., and Maryland (and oh, by the way, also pushed Connecticut to overtime). Despite Lawson still being questionable for the Heels opening round matchup, a lot of people are still picking North Carolina to win it all.
Trendy Bandwagon Pick
Brian: Syracuse. Everyone is high from sniffing Syracuse all week and the tournament selection committee is no exception. The Orange rode their success in the Big East tournament all the way to a No. 3 seed. No way they lose their first round matchup (the BCI kiss of death was just given to Syracuse), but after that, will they have any gas left in the tank to beat the Arizona State/Temple winner in the Round of 32?
Jeff: You are absolutely right, Brian. It is Syracuse.
The Sleeper Pick
Jeff: Western Kentucky. Are you surprised that is my pick?
Brian: Nope, not surprised in your WKU pick, but think it might be a year too late. Personally don't see many first round upsets in this bracket. I am liking Arizona State to get through the first weekend, so I'll go with the Sun Devils in this category. This would be a serious kick in the nuts for the NC State Wolfpack nation seeing Herb Sendek get his team back to the Sweet 16. I just don't think Syracuse has anything left in the tank.
Da Belle O' Da Ball
Brian: Blake Griffin, the presumptive National Player of the Year.
Jeff: I have not had the opportunity to watch much Big 12 basketball this season for whatever reason so I am looking forward to watching Griffin play.
Random Fact about the Regional that will do you no good while selecting your bracket:
Morgan State University is the fastest growing university in the state of Maryland. (Full disclosure: had no idea Morgan State was located in Maryland). Morgan State is making their first ever NCAA tournament appearance after winning the MEAC tournament title for the first time since 1977.
Jeff's Picks
Second Round: North Carolina, Butler, W Kentucky, Gonzaga, Arizona St, Syracuse, Clemson, Oklahoma
Sweet 16: North Carolina, Western Kentucky, Syracuse, Oklahoma
Elite 8: North Carolina, Oklahoma
Final Four Pick: North Carolina
Brian's Picks
Second Round: North Carolina, LSU, Illinois, Gonzaga, Arizona St., Syracuse, Clemson, Oklahoma
Sweet 16: North Carolina, Gonzaga, Arizona St., Oklahoma
Elite 8: Gonzaga, Arizona St.
Final Four Pick: Gonzaga
Fortune Teller: East Regional Brackets
We preview the upcoming NCAA tournament by taking a look at each of the regional brackets. We start by profiling the East regional. For a good laugh, take a look at our East Regional preview from a year ago.
Best First-Round Matchup
Brian: I'm going with the Champs Sports Bowl rematch between the 5 seed Florida State vs. the 12 seed Wisconsin. Wisconsin just barely made the tournament field and has something to prove. Florida State is a very good team when they play teams not named Duke (0-3), but the Noles have no recent tournament experience whatsoever (they were last dancing when I was 16). Location advantage? Nah, the game is in freaking Boise, probably on smurf-colored hardwood.
Jeff: The best first round matchup here is clearly the 8-9 game between Oklahoma State and Tennessee. Tennessee is a team that underperformed this year but was in a weak conference so was still able to win their division. Oklahoma State meanwhile played in a better conference but had a nice run in their conference tourney making them one of those teams you want to keep you eye on.
Matchup We'd Most Like To See
Jeff: As an ACC guy, I am hoping to see Florida State play Pittsburgh. Florida State is the 4th team out of the ACC based both on reg season standings and on NCAA tourney seedings and if they can knock out the Panthers it will say a lot about which conference is the best this season.
Brian: A Pittsburgh-UCLA regional final has some appeal with the Ben Howland connection, but I'm going with Duke vs. Florida State in the regional final as the matchup I'd most want to see. Largely because I want to see if a team - Duke - can beat a team four times in the same season. That, and it would be really good for the conference to have two ACC teams playing in the East regional final. Instead of, say, Pittsburgh vs. Villanova.
Trendy Bandwagon Pick
Brian: "It's that damn Villanova! They're so hot right now!" ... they play their first two games in Philadelphia ... Duke is vulnerable ... already beat Pittsburgh by ten points at home back in January ... blah blah blah. Remember, the last time Nova was a 3 seed in the East, they were upset 89-81 in triple OT to 14th seeded Old Dominion.
Jeff: This bracket seems to lack any trendy pick but my guess would be its actually Florida State after their little run in the ACC Tournament.
The Sleeper Pick
Jeff: Watch out for Tennessee. I know they failed to win the SEC tournament which was theirs for the taking but they have the talent to make noise in the tournament.
Brian: I'm going to go with Portland State as the 13 seed. Not going to bet my bracket on it, but the Big Sky champs are making only their second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, knocked off a very good Gonzaga team earlier this year, and are winners of six straight (albeit against unmemorable Big Sky opponents). This regional's four seed - Xavier - is on the opposite side of the same coin, going 5-5 in their last 10, including losses to Duquense, Dayton, Charlotte, Richmond and Temple. Any idea where the once 20-2 Xavier team went?
The Meast of the East
Can anyone stop Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair (15.6 points per, 12.4 boards)?
Random Fact about the Regional that will do you no good while selecting your bracket:
The teams within the East regional have a combined 18 National Championships among them - UCLA (11), Duke (3), Oklahoma State (2), Villanova (1), Wisconsin (1). This blows away the National Championship tally of the other three regions - Midwest has 10 titles, South has 6 titles, and the West has 5.
Jeff's Picks
Second Round: Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Florida State, Xavier, UCLA, Villanova, Texas, Duke
Sweet 16: Pittsburgh, Florida State, Villanova, Duke
Elite 8: Florida State, Duke
Final Four Pick: Duke
Brian's Picks
Second Round: Pittsburgh, Oklahoma St., Wisconsin, Portland St., UCLA, Villanova, Minnesota, Duke
Sweet 16: Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Villanova, Duke
Elite 8: Pittsburgh, Villanova
Final Four Pick: Pittsburgh
Best First-Round Matchup
Brian: I'm going with the Champs Sports Bowl rematch between the 5 seed Florida State vs. the 12 seed Wisconsin. Wisconsin just barely made the tournament field and has something to prove. Florida State is a very good team when they play teams not named Duke (0-3), but the Noles have no recent tournament experience whatsoever (they were last dancing when I was 16). Location advantage? Nah, the game is in freaking Boise, probably on smurf-colored hardwood.
Jeff: The best first round matchup here is clearly the 8-9 game between Oklahoma State and Tennessee. Tennessee is a team that underperformed this year but was in a weak conference so was still able to win their division. Oklahoma State meanwhile played in a better conference but had a nice run in their conference tourney making them one of those teams you want to keep you eye on.
Matchup We'd Most Like To See
Jeff: As an ACC guy, I am hoping to see Florida State play Pittsburgh. Florida State is the 4th team out of the ACC based both on reg season standings and on NCAA tourney seedings and if they can knock out the Panthers it will say a lot about which conference is the best this season.
Brian: A Pittsburgh-UCLA regional final has some appeal with the Ben Howland connection, but I'm going with Duke vs. Florida State in the regional final as the matchup I'd most want to see. Largely because I want to see if a team - Duke - can beat a team four times in the same season. That, and it would be really good for the conference to have two ACC teams playing in the East regional final. Instead of, say, Pittsburgh vs. Villanova.
Trendy Bandwagon Pick
Brian: "It's that damn Villanova! They're so hot right now!" ... they play their first two games in Philadelphia ... Duke is vulnerable ... already beat Pittsburgh by ten points at home back in January ... blah blah blah. Remember, the last time Nova was a 3 seed in the East, they were upset 89-81 in triple OT to 14th seeded Old Dominion.
Jeff: This bracket seems to lack any trendy pick but my guess would be its actually Florida State after their little run in the ACC Tournament.
The Sleeper Pick
Jeff: Watch out for Tennessee. I know they failed to win the SEC tournament which was theirs for the taking but they have the talent to make noise in the tournament.
Brian: I'm going to go with Portland State as the 13 seed. Not going to bet my bracket on it, but the Big Sky champs are making only their second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, knocked off a very good Gonzaga team earlier this year, and are winners of six straight (albeit against unmemorable Big Sky opponents). This regional's four seed - Xavier - is on the opposite side of the same coin, going 5-5 in their last 10, including losses to Duquense, Dayton, Charlotte, Richmond and Temple. Any idea where the once 20-2 Xavier team went?
The Meast of the East
Can anyone stop Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair (15.6 points per, 12.4 boards)?
Random Fact about the Regional that will do you no good while selecting your bracket:
The teams within the East regional have a combined 18 National Championships among them - UCLA (11), Duke (3), Oklahoma State (2), Villanova (1), Wisconsin (1). This blows away the National Championship tally of the other three regions - Midwest has 10 titles, South has 6 titles, and the West has 5.
Jeff's Picks
Second Round: Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Florida State, Xavier, UCLA, Villanova, Texas, Duke
Sweet 16: Pittsburgh, Florida State, Villanova, Duke
Elite 8: Florida State, Duke
Final Four Pick: Duke
Brian's Picks
Second Round: Pittsburgh, Oklahoma St., Wisconsin, Portland St., UCLA, Villanova, Minnesota, Duke
Sweet 16: Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Villanova, Duke
Elite 8: Pittsburgh, Villanova
Final Four Pick: Pittsburgh
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The NCAA Tournament Matrix
Trinity: I know why you're here, Brian. I know what you've been doing... why you hardly sleep and why night after night, you sit by your computer. You're looking for it. I know because I was once looking for the same thing. I was looking for an answer. It's the question that drives us, Brian. It's the question that brought you here. You know the question, just as I did.
Brian: What seed will the Boston College Eagles get in the NCAAs?
Trinity: The answer is out there, Brian, and it's looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to.
Brian: While reading the Michigan blog mgoblog, I noticed this link to what he called the Bracket Matrix. I had never heard of such a thing and was generally curious. When I checked out this site, I was pretty impressed. The website aggregates 60 of the web's NCAA tournament bracket projections and produce a best-guess aggregation of the field of 65.
Be sure to check it out. "Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself."
Here are some of the BC highlights:
- 59 of 60 brackets have Boston College in the Field of 65. If you must, send your hate mail to this guy's tournament projection.
- These individual projections average out to BC receiving the last #8 seed.
- #7 seed - 6 sites - overly generous unless they are anticipating a strong run in the ACC Tournament
- #8 seed - 23 sites - sounds about right
- #9 seed - 19 sites
- #10 seed - 11 sites - I checked the site yesterday before the loss to NC State and I think there were no sites seeding us #10 or below, so the Matrix is updated quite frequently.
First four out include both Virginia Tech and Miami (FL).
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Fortune Teller: Bracket Challenge
Brian: Now with the NCAA hoops tournament over, and (my pick) the Kansas Jayhawks pulling off the miracle in overtime, let's take a look at how we did ... brackets are here, here, here, here and ... here.
Jeff would have you believe he gave me a good beat down this year. Let's take a look at the tape. NOTE: point totals for each round are 1-2-4-6-8-10, and no bullshit bonus points for anything ...
Yep, that's right. Take away bonus points, bonus questions and the like, and I edged out Jeff's bracket. Thus proving that it's not how you start, but how you finish. Add to this my brilliant analysis, "Missed free-throws will finally catch up to Calipari's cats," picking the right team out of the field of 65, and the severe beating I gave you in this year's college football bowl picks, and I'm feeling prett-ay good about this. Jeff, your thoughts?
Jeff: Fortunately for me that point system was never established and I had 44 correct out of a possible 63 while you had a mere 37 of 63. I WIN! And I'll get you next year in the bowl challenge ...
Brian: Well, based on your point system, picking Kansas to win it all was no more important than picking Miami in round 1. Makes a whole lot of sense. Plus that's the same scoring system used by Christian's dad's pool, a pool you took 2nd place in! You don't like the scoring system, then you should feel free to give back all the basketballs you won ... or use those winnings on booking a flight to Denver tomorrow morning. Go BC!
Jeff would have you believe he gave me a good beat down this year. Let's take a look at the tape. NOTE: point totals for each round are 1-2-4-6-8-10, and no bullshit bonus points for anything ...
Jeff: 24 - 26 - 16 - 18 - 0 - 0 - 84
Brian: 18 - 22 - 16 - 12 - 8 - 10 - 86
Brian: 18 - 22 - 16 - 12 - 8 - 10 - 86
Yep, that's right. Take away bonus points, bonus questions and the like, and I edged out Jeff's bracket. Thus proving that it's not how you start, but how you finish. Add to this my brilliant analysis, "Missed free-throws will finally catch up to Calipari's cats," picking the right team out of the field of 65, and the severe beating I gave you in this year's college football bowl picks, and I'm feeling prett-ay good about this. Jeff, your thoughts?
Jeff: Fortunately for me that point system was never established and I had 44 correct out of a possible 63 while you had a mere 37 of 63. I WIN! And I'll get you next year in the bowl challenge ...
Brian: Well, based on your point system, picking Kansas to win it all was no more important than picking Miami in round 1. Makes a whole lot of sense. Plus that's the same scoring system used by Christian's dad's pool, a pool you took 2nd place in! You don't like the scoring system, then you should feel free to give back all the basketballs you won ... or use those winnings on booking a flight to Denver tomorrow morning. Go BC!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Fortune Teller: Final Four Bracket
These teams best not forget the Alamo. On to the Final Four! These are the teams Jeff and I think will prove to be the best four in all the land and make the trip to San Antonio. No disclaimer this time. If you've actually used this information to fill out your bracket, you officially have no hope of winning that office pool this year.
Let us know we are certifiably crazy in the comments section.
Jeff's Picks
Final Four: North Carolina, Clemson, Memphis, UCLA
National Championship: Clemson, UCLA
National Champion: UCLA
Brian's Picks
Final Four: Tennessee, Kansas, Texas, UCLA
National Championship: Kansas, UCLA
National Champion: Kansas
Brian's "wisdom"
There is no doubt in Jeff's mind that the ACC is the best conference around this year. He has both the Tigers and the Tar Heels making the Final Four in a rematch of the ACC Championship (which he saw in person). I was impressed by what I saw in the Big XII final, and see both Texas and Kansas making the 4. We both agree on UCLA making the championship game. I see the West as the easiest road to the Final Four. Finally, I'm pulling for BC's own Bruce Pearl and his Volunteers to pull the upset in the Round of 8 and send Carolina packing.
Enjoy the games tomorrow, and go BC!
Let us know we are certifiably crazy in the comments section.
Jeff's Picks
Final Four: North Carolina, Clemson, Memphis, UCLA
National Championship: Clemson, UCLA
National Champion: UCLA
Brian's Picks
Final Four: Tennessee, Kansas, Texas, UCLA
National Championship: Kansas, UCLA
National Champion: Kansas
Brian's "wisdom"
There is no doubt in Jeff's mind that the ACC is the best conference around this year. He has both the Tigers and the Tar Heels making the Final Four in a rematch of the ACC Championship (which he saw in person). I was impressed by what I saw in the Big XII final, and see both Texas and Kansas making the 4. We both agree on UCLA making the championship game. I see the West as the easiest road to the Final Four. Finally, I'm pulling for BC's own Bruce Pearl and his Volunteers to pull the upset in the Round of 8 and send Carolina packing.
Enjoy the games tomorrow, and go BC!
Fortune Teller: West Regional Brackets
Required stop on any West coast tripLast up on our tour of the NCAA brackets is the West regional. The #1 here is formidable Pac-10 conference champion UCLA, winners of their last 10 games. The ACC representative? #2 Duke faces #15 Belmont.
One final DISCLAIMER! Read on at your own bracket's peril, and as always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Jeff's Picks
First Round: UCLA, BYU, Western Kentucky, San Diego, Purdue, Xavier, Arizona, Duke
Second Round: UCLA, Western Kentucky, Xavier, Duke
Sweet 16: UCLA, Duke
Final Four Pick: UCLA
Brian's Picks
First Round: UCLA, BYU, Drake, Connecticut, Baylor, Xavier, West Virginia, Duke
Second Round: UCLA, Drake, Xavier, West Virginia
Sweet 16: UCLA, Xavier
Final Four Pick: UCLA
Brian's "wisdom"
I do not see many upsets here. Although being on the east coast clouds my psychic abilities, hearing that UCLA has quietly won their last 10 games in a tough Pac-10 conference tells me they are built for the long haul. ACC representative Duke is very overrated in my opinion as a #2. They could easily make an early exit the first weekend, falling to #7 West Virginia. Our buddy Christian is high on Drake, and this bracket is particularly heavy on the mid-major - Xavier, BYU, Western Kentucky, and WCC champion San Diego.
One final DISCLAIMER! Read on at your own bracket's peril, and as always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Jeff's Picks
First Round: UCLA, BYU, Western Kentucky, San Diego, Purdue, Xavier, Arizona, Duke
Second Round: UCLA, Western Kentucky, Xavier, Duke
Sweet 16: UCLA, Duke
Final Four Pick: UCLA
Brian's Picks
First Round: UCLA, BYU, Drake, Connecticut, Baylor, Xavier, West Virginia, Duke
Second Round: UCLA, Drake, Xavier, West Virginia
Sweet 16: UCLA, Xavier
Final Four Pick: UCLA
Brian's "wisdom"
I do not see many upsets here. Although being on the east coast clouds my psychic abilities, hearing that UCLA has quietly won their last 10 games in a tough Pac-10 conference tells me they are built for the long haul. ACC representative Duke is very overrated in my opinion as a #2. They could easily make an early exit the first weekend, falling to #7 West Virginia. Our buddy Christian is high on Drake, and this bracket is particularly heavy on the mid-major - Xavier, BYU, Western Kentucky, and WCC champion San Diego.
Fortune Teller: Midwest Regional Brackets
The Midwest's "amber fields of grain ..."
Our journey from coast to coast next takes us to the Midwest regional. A lot of people, me included, like #1 Kansas, the Big XII champion. Could this be the year that Kansas finally doesn't bust my bracket? Jeff lets his tiger stripes show and is picking the sole ACC representative, #5 Clemson, to go to San Antonio.
DISCLAIMER! Read on at your own bracket's peril, and as always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Jeff's Picks
First Round: Kansas, UNLV, Clemson, Vanderbilt, USC, Wisconsin, Davidson, Georgetown
Second Round: Kansas, Clemson, Wisconsin, Georgetown
Sweet 16: Clemson, Georgetown
Final Four Pick: Clemson
Brian's Picks
First Round: Kansas, Kent State, Clemson, Vanderbilt, USC, Wisconsin, Davidson, Georgetown
Second Round: Kansas, Clemson, USC, Georgetown
Sweet 16: Kansas, USC
Final Four Pick: Kansas
Jeff's "wisdom"
If we were playing "Buy or Sell" and the choices were certain conferences in the tournament I'd be buying the ACC because the top 3 teams, UNC, Duke and Clemson, can flat out play. And I'd be selling the Big 12 and Big Ten. Remember the ACC/Big Ten challenge this year? ACC won 8 of 11 and both games that included two teams now in the tournament. One of those was a 24 point win by Duke over Wisconsin.
Fortune Teller: South Regional Brackets
My favorite destination in the South, a close second being visiting Jeff in SCNext up, the dirty dirty. The South Regional features C-USA champion #1 Memphis and Big XII runner-up #2 Texas. From the ACC, Miami (FL) is the #7 seed, who has a tall order against #10 St. Mary's.
Again, a disclaimer. Read on at your own bracket's peril, and as always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Jeff's Picks
First Round: Memphis, Mississippi State, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Stanford, Miami, Texas
Second Round: Memphis, Michigan State, Stanford, Texas
Sweet 16: Memphis, Texas
Final Four Pick: Memphis
Brian's Picks
First Round: Memphis, Oregon, Temple, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Stanford, St. Mary's, Texas
Second Round: Memphis, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Texas
Sweet 16: Pittsburgh, Texas
Final Four Pick: Texas
Brian's "wisdom"
Jeff would have you believe that Texas won't get past Memphis in the Elite 8s, since they didn't win either the regular season or conference title in the Big XII. If you follow my advice though, Memphis isn't going to get past Big East champion Pittsburgh. Missed free-throws will finally catch up to Calipari's cats. The road for the C-USA champs was all too easy (#27 SOS) and Pittsburgh is playing great basketball, having knocked off G'Town in the Big East final. I see #2 Texas emerging from this bracket. They played great basketball in the Big XII title but still fell short to Kansas.
Fortune Teller: East Regional Brackets
Brian: So the Big Dance moves on without BC. Because this fact saddens me greatly, I need to pique my interest in March Madness by beating down on Jeff with meaningless blog competitions. If you’ll remember, I cleaned up on our bowl predictions back in December. Expect more of the same. Disclaimer: Even though Jeff would argue otherwise, we are not college basketball experts. We accept no responsibility for completely taking your office pool's bracket and roundhouse-kicking it in the face. Read on at your own bracket's peril. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
First up, here’s a look at the East bracket, with the #1 overall seed from our very own Atlantic Coast Conference, North Carolina.
Ahh, the East: Don't be fooled though, the weather isn't that nice.
Jeff’s Picks
First Round: North Carolina, Indiana, George Mason, Washington State, Saint Joseph's, Louisville, Butler, Tennessee
Second Round: North Carolina, Washington State, Louisville, Tennessee
Sweet 16: North Carolina, Tennessee
Final Four Pick: North Carolina
Brian’s Picks
First Round: North Carolina, Indiana, Notre Dame, Washington State, Saint Joseph's, Louisville, South Alabama, Tennessee
Second Round: North Carolina, Washington State, Louisville, Tennessee
Sweet 16: North Carolina, Tennessee
Final Four Pick: Tennessee
Jeff's "wisdom"
UNC is rightfully so the #1 seed in the tournament and therefore an easy pick to make it to the final four out of this bracket. Tennessee is a solid team but remember the SEC had a down year and they were unable to do well in their conference tournament. George Mason over Notre Dame in the first round is partially attributable to my hatred for ND and also because I believe the Big East is a little weaker than most do. Still a great conference, but I expect ND to lose or at least struggle to get past the first round.
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