Sweet

So, what do you think? After having a couple of days to go over the match-ups, and hashing it out with your peers at work, who is the team that will rise above all of this? Of course, the word "rise" is used here tongue-and-cheek, because all of the teams left to vie for the National Championship are already there. No less than a number seven seed playing now. Still exciting, but not as. Don't even bet on Butler.

Are there any upsets left, you ask? Will the Final Four be all number one seeded teams?

Fear not, for lurking out there are a couple of teams that can pull off what only 10 out of 64 teams have done in the past week--an upset.

Pitt: while we have touted them as too highly-rated all season, we have said the same about UCLA. Pitt has the edge in this sweet sixteen game, both in height and the ability to be able to transition turnovers into points. UCLA lacks height and they don't defend the break extremely well. If Pitt can prevent UCLA from running the half-court, and if Aaron Gray can score, then they will win.

USC: if you are a Carolina fan, you live with inconsistency. This Heels team can go onto Lute Olsen's home court and blow out his team like no other team has done, and then let a pansy-like Eastern Kentucky get within 4 points (after being down by 26). Maddening. USC is not a particularly good team, but they can play defense well, and they are almost as athletic as North Carolina. If the Trojans were facing any opponent other than the Tar Heels in the sweet sixteen we would not give them a chance. But, because Roy Williams' squad has the tendency to drift we have to say that this could be an upset.

Tennessee: no one is giving the Vols a chance in this game. Everyone expects Greg Oden to dominate on his way to the NBA. But we see a different story line. We see a player like Chris Lofton. This guy is one of those rare athletes who can "will" his team to win. He dominates. Not like "Caveman" Oden dominates with his size and Tonka-sized hands--we're talking about a player, like a Jordan, who just wants to win so bad that he can literally take over a game and push his team to a victory. Oden is, just by genetics alone, a force to be reckoned with. But, witness his game against Xavier, and the frustration he showed. Lofton doesn't get rattled, and he seems to thrive on being able to carry his team up and over a deficit. Sure, if you are a Buckeyes fan you quickly point out the Lewis/Conley effort in OT against Xavier, but, let's face it, if you add up those two players' cumulative scoring average for the year (22.8) it is just a squirt better than Lofton's (20.6). So, what do we think? Unless Oden shows us more than just catch and shoot (dunk), and if he gets in early foul trouble and starts shoving opposing players around (SEE: no-call technical/intentional foul in Xavier game), the Vols win. Hell, UT may win anyway if Chris Lofton has anything to say about it.

Catch up with us tomorrow and we will lay out the Thursday/Friday games for you.

È un e fatto adesso.