Well, the first weekend of the tournament is over, and it was filled with its share of controversy. That controversy all stemmed from what else but the officiating. There were some very controversial calls at the very end of the Butler/Pitt game which allowed Pitt to tie and then for Butler to win it. Then, in the Texas/Arizona game, it seemed as if the entire momentum of the game shifted when the Texas inbounder was not given the complete five seconds to inbound the ball, and he was not granted a timeout he requested. Finally, in the Marquette/Syracuse game, it appears as if Syracuse did not make a back court violation, but the officiating got it wrong, and the committee recognized that. But, that was the three most flagrant of these out of many other calls that the refs got right. I'm not going to quibble over these small differences in light of the microscope put on these officials because it is the NCAA tournament.
There are some other first weekend thoughts I'd like to share. The Big East conference is still strong, but not as strong as one may have once thought. It is still filled with some very good teams. There is no way it should have gotten 11 out of its 16 teams into the tournament. Virginia Commonwealth is showing the nation how much they deserved to be in the tournament after crushing Southern Cal in a "First Four" game, then following that up with drubbings of Big East member Georgetown and Big Ten member Purdue both by 18 points. Everyone thought that the Southeast bracket would be the "upset" bracket, but that honor has gone to the Southwest bracket, where my national champion pick Kansas is still in against three teams with double digit seeds. Kansas has the easiest road to the final four right now. Finally, I'd like to give myself a pat on the back because all four Pennsylvania teams are now gone, as I said. Villanova imploded once agains against George Mason. Temple knocked out Penn State, and then got subsequently knocked out by San Diego State. Finally, Pitt, an undeserving number one seed got knocked out by Butler in a thrilling third round game. But, now it is time for the sweet 16 preview. I will be ranking each game in my opinion of least enticing to most enticing game, and give a little preview and pick for each game.
Kansas vs. Richmond, Southwest region, Friday at 7:27 p.m., TBS
This is the least enticing game simply because I'm expect Kansas to overwhelm the Atlantic 10 tournament champions, who beat a suspect Vandy team and got lucky by facing a 13 seed who needed every amount of energy to beat Louisville.
Pick: Kansas
Duke vs. Arizona, West region, Thursday 9:45 p.m., CBS
Duke has its outstanding freshman Kyrie Erving back, and there are some out there who believe that if Erving was healthy the entire season, Duke would be the overall number one seed right now. Arizona is in the swing of what seems like a miracle season, as most preseason magazines picked the Wildcats to be in the bottom half of the Pac 10 conference. Since Erving is back, I'll go with the hated Blue Devils.
Pick: Duke
Marquette vs. North Carolina, East region, Friday 7:15 p.m., CBS
This is a game with a mediocre Big East team against an ACC powerhouse. North Carolina came into the season with a ton of expectations, including some preseason magazines picking them to win the entire tournament. Harrison Barnes will continue to lead the Tar Heels into the elite eight.
Pick: North Carolina
Virginia Commonwealth vs. Florida State, Southwest region, Friday 9:57 p.m., TBS
A game with two double digit teams may not seem intriguing, but it is to me because it is two double digit seeds. VCU is riding momentum after their performances against Georgetown and Purdue. Florida State is also riding momentum after knocking out an overseeded perhaps Notre Dame team. I like underdogs, and it will be good to see another 11 seed make an elite eight.
Pick: Virginia Commonwealth
Butler vs. Wisconsin, Southeast region, Thursday 9:57 p.m., TBS
Wisconsin put up some bulletin board material earlier in the week for Butler, as they told Butler they were not the underdogs anymore, after going to the national title game last season. Butler is still considered an underdog though, as their seeding dictates they still are, and Vegas says so as well, as Wisconsin is favored by five. Wisconsin is always a team which seems to make it to the tournament, then lose once they get in, hence why I'm going with Butler.
Pick: Butler
Connecticut vs. San Diego State, West region, Thursday, 7:15 p.m., CBS
San Diego State is coming into the tournament with its best season ever. They have never gotten past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. Their coach, Steve Fisher has though, with Michigan and the "Fab Five" back in the early 1990s. Connecticut also has a very experienced coach, and a superstar guard with Kemba Walker, his leadership ability allows me to think they can go to the national championship game. Connecticut is essentially playing a road game though, with Anaheim only located about 90 minutes north of San Diego State's campus. With that though, go with the Huskies.
Pick: Connecticut
Ohio State vs. Kentucky, East region, Friday, 9:45 p.m., CBS
Two traditional powerhouses going at it in this game, along with two superstars in Jared Sullinger versus Brandon Knight with Kentucky. Both players can deliver, but in different ways. Sullinger is the low-post go to guy for the Buckeyes, while Knight is your prototype point guard for the Wildcats, who can shoot or make spectacular assists. This game is essentially a coin flip in my mind, so go with Kentucky in the upset.
Pick: Kenutcky
BYU vs. Florida, Southeast region, Thursday 7:27 p.m., TBS
BYU and Florida are in a rematch of last year's first round game, where BYU won 99-92 in double overtime. Florida is out for revenge, and could be considered a home team, as they are playing just west in New Orleans. BYU lost their leading rebounder and third leading scorer Brandon Davies for the season after violating BYU's honor code late in the season. The Courgars have seem to rebounded from that and have truly come together as a team, knocking off Wofford and Gonzaga in impressive fashion. I expect a similar result to last season's first round game, a close one, but another W for BYU.
Pick: BYU
Coming soon, previews and predictions for the NL West and the American League divisions.
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