Xavier-Georgia in the first round was one of those games that I left blank on my first pass through the bracket. Some picks are obvious and you just fill them in on auto-pilot - you pick the #1 seeds and almost always the #2 seeds, and picking teams like Indiana, Purdue and Stanford to go out in round one are usually safe choices, as well.
Then there are the ones you chew on for awhile, although they aren't usually 3-14 matchups. The fun ones are the 5-12 and 7-10 games. One of the guys I work with had Temple (12) over Michigan State (5), and I'll bet he wasn't the only one. I took two 12's myself - George Mason and Villanova. Villanova might be the best 12 ever and probably would have been higher if the Big East had sent fewer teams.
I looked hard at Georgia - even though they were sub-.500 going into the conference tournament (which they won), were the lowest-scoring team in the SEC, and tied for the worst regular season record in conference. Other than running the table in the SEC tourney, there's not much to remark them. But they gave the Musketeers a run for their money, leading by 9 at the break and holding the lead for part of the second half.
I don't have my past brackets in front of me and so can't tell you off the top of my head how many times in the last 14 years a 3 has gone out in the first round - but it's probably not many. I even wrote down Georgia on my second pass through the bracket. But then I was looking at a Georgia vs. Purdue-Baylor winner in the second round - the guys in Durham must have been giddy at the Georgia-Xavier halftime score - and changed my mind. I've got Xavier in the Great Eight in both brackets.
Oddly, though, I didn't stop to think about Michigan State-Temple at all, even though it was a 5-12 and Michigan State has not played great ball down the stretch. People say the Big Ten is soft, but Tom Izzo might be the best coach in the country when it comes to preparing his team for the tournament (and if he's not the best, then he's second behind Jim Calhoun). Also, the A-10, other than Xavier, is even softer than the Big Ten. There's a sharp drop-off after Xavier - so much so that Temple's bubble probably would have burst had it not won the conference tournament.
Michigan State didn't seem to have much trouble with Temple - which I hope portends good things for the Big Ten this weekend. I only have one Big Ten team (Wisconsin) winning past Sunday in my serious bracket (The Usual Suspects) - but I have Indiana in the title game in my goofy bracket (No Country For Old Men).
2 comments:
That is a fucking goofy bracket, I have IU bowing out in the first round. I have a good feeling with Wisconsin, they did rip through the Big 11 really well (except for Purdue), and they did ok against North Carolina at Dick Vitale Stadium errrr at North Carolina. I have Memphis winning it all.
I completely agree with your Eric Gordon comment. While he's ranked something like #4 on the NBA Draft scouting, I DO NOT see it. I am not comfortable with him, when he has the ball. I think he shoots well, but does not show a confidence you want from your big playmaker. He's no LeBron. When LeBron touches the ball, you've got a feeling he's going to make something happen. When Gordon touches the ball, I expect a pass in 3 to 5 seconds. He just doesn't look like an NBA Player to me yet. I hope he sticks around another year, but why would he? He's been on the Sampson/Dakich Roller Coaster, and then would have to learn another new system, before going pro? I sadly think he will enter the draft.
I also agree with your thoughts on Indiana University and their announcement of their Selection Committee, right before the Tourney. Seriously, what happened is Dakich got the team to the Final Four, or the Finals? I'd believe that he'd earn the right to try the whole season next year. Instead, the tell the world - including Dakich and the Team - that they are already giving up on them this season, and starting early to look for a new coach next year. I'm not saying Dakich is their best option, or that I think he is the best choice, but I have kinda grown fond of him after listening to him on the radio. And I think what IU did was wrong. Make the announcement AFTER you see how the team does in the Tourney. Don't add more distractions to them before they even play.
At first, I had Memphis winning it all too. But, I now have PITT pulling the 4 over 1 upset. I'm riding Kansas to cut down the net.
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