30 days left until selction Sunday and the basketball pundits are already chiming in on their "thoughts" (and we use that term lightly) on who is "in" and who is "out." We submit that there is NO way anyone can make any determination at this point. So we won't even try. Our plan is to start looking at possible regional rankings and at-large bids on March 4--a week from the final selection. Until then, forget everything you hear. Stick with us and we will guide you through this process. Patience.
19 games tomorrow featuring top-25 teams. Join us as we break them down:
1. Florida: at #18 Kentucky. The Wildcats have not beaten a top-25 team this season. And, they have struggled against teams that are not good (SEE: allowing 12-10 South Carolina to score 61 points in the second half on Wednesday as the Wildcats barely won). Florida, as we have said, does tend to play "comfortable" in the second half of games, allowing opponents to get closer than they should. Kentucky has lost just 2 games at home this season, both by just 5 points, so we know they are tough at home (SEE: Ashley Judd). Florida looked beatable at Georgia earlier this week as they struggled to beat the Bulldogs. Both teams go 7-8 deep. We're going to call an upset here. Kentucky wins.
2. UCLA: at West Virginia. The Mountaineers are coming off a disappointing loss to Pitt, and they just can't seem to get their scoring going, despite some pretty strong offensive weapons. UCLA is riding high after beating USC. The Bruins will win this game, but it may be close.
3. Ohio State: hosts Purdue. Oden will shut down Landry, thus taking out most of the Boilermaker offense. The Buckeyes win again. Atlanta for OSU? We'll see. NBA for Oden? We're saying no. Sorry Celtics.
4. Wisconsin: play host to Iowa. Despite that pesky loss to Indiana, Win-consin is rolling and proving their worth. We see no problem for them with Iowa. Badgers win.
5. UNC: host Weak Forest. Are the Heels worn out from their comeback at Duke? Can the Demon Deacons (what's with all the Satanic mascots in the ACC?) possibly beat this very talented Carolina team at the Dean Dome? Well, it really depends on who wants it more. If UNC comes out thinking they are going to win, then they will lose. We think that will not happen. Weak Forest just has no scorers. That's the bottom line. Heels win.
6. Pitt: hosts Providence. Logic says that despite the fact that Pitt is over-rated, they will win this game. We'll side with logic here.
7. Texas A&M: at Nebraska. High-speed train picking up speed meets small car stalled on the tracks. The Aggies dominate.
8. Kansas: at Missouri. No need to comment. Jayhawks win.
9. Butler: at Wright State. Battle for first place in the Horizon. Butler just has more offense. They will win.
10. Memphis: hosts Tulane. Just no way Tulane can pull out a win here. Memphis is streaking hard.
12. Marquette: at #23 Georgetown. This game begs for some expert analysis. That's why we're here. Both teams have been very impressive the past couple of weeks. Both teams go 8-10 deep. The keys will be rebounding and FG percentage. The team that comes out on top in both of those stats will win the game. This is a very hard call, but we will go with Marquette.
13. Air Force: at New Mexico. Air Force SHOULD beat New Mexico, but we have discovered that the Falcons are inconsistant, especially in games when they really should have no problem. However, we'll give AF another chance and declare them the victors in this game. Realistically, if they can't knock off teams like this (SEE: Utah) then they can't get very far in the NCAA Dance.
14. Washington State: hosts California. We believe in this Cougars team. California is coming off a 5-game losing streak. While the Golden Bears will be hungry for a win, they cannot compete with WSU. Cougars win.
15. Oregon: play host to Arizona. This will be a good game. We wouldn't want to play the Wounded Wildcats right now. They have been humiliated over the past several weeks, and are trying to join the ranks of "teams on the bubble." The Ducks need to win this game to bounce back from some bad losses and close wins (against woeful teams). We pick Zona.
17. Oklahoma State: hosts Texas Tech. Both teams are imploding coming into this game. We think the Cowboys will be so elated to play at home after 2-straight road losses that they should win this game. BUT, if OK State does win, it hands Bobby Knight his 5th loss in a row. Don't you think Knight's players will be so damn scared to lose that they will do anything they can to win, lest they face the whipping post Sunday morning? Yeah, Texas Tech wins.
19. Alabama: at Mississippi. Bama is not all that good, so the Rebels will beat them.
20. Southern Illinois: hosts Creighton. Hey, don't laugh. Both of these teams are atop the Missouri Valley Conference, and both are coming off impressive winning streaks. And, both teams are statistically even in each category. For example: Creighton scores 1.34 points per possession, while S. Illinois scores 1.32. We're kind of mystified here, and we'll have to go with the home team. The Salukis (?????????) win.
24. Indiana: hosts Illinois. While our beloved ESPN team of analyists today were saying "out" for the Illini for the Big Dance, we would have to respectfully disagree. They are better than Indiana, and will prove it as they win this game.
25. Texas: play host to Iowa State. Let's face it, Texas is only in the top-25 because everyone is infatuated with Kevin Durant. Overall, the Longhorns are average. We hope that Rick Barnes enjoys "Life with Kevin" now, because this time next year Durant will be playing for Boston or Golden State with a fat checking account and a pimped-out ride. All that to say. Texas wins this game at home.
Goodnight.
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