BY CHARLES COSTELLO
This is March Madness.
Thirty two games over the next two days. Sixteen games on tap for Saturday and Sunday. Eight sites, four regions, and 64 teams dreaming that this year could be their “One Shining Moment.”
It all concludes 18 days from now on April 6 in Detroit when a new champion will cut down the nets. Sixty three games will be played with only one team winning its last game of the year. And, oh yeah, a whole lot of bracketology.
It’s the most exciting three weeks in sports, and it all starts today, in a matter of hours.
So here are my picks for this year’s Final Four and NCAA Champion:
East Region: PITTSBURGH. This was a tough one because I’ve always been a fan of Villanova and the Panthers loss in their first game of the Big East tournament concerns me, but they’re big and they’ve been consistently good all year. Beating UConn twice and surviving the Big East schedule en route to a 28-win season is impressive. The pick is Pittsburgh over Villanova in an Elite 8 classic.
South Region: SYRACUSE. As far as I’m concerned, Syracuse was the most impressive team to emerge from any of the conference tournaments. The Orange had an epic six-overtime win over Connecticut, an overtime win the following night over West Virginia, and then a gutsy performance in the championship game against Louisville. Syracuse always scares me come tournament time. They’re well coached and they’re peaking at just the right time. Syracuse over North Carolina in the Elite 8.
Midwest Region: LOUISVILLE. Big East Champions. Nothing more needs to be said. Sixteen conference wins and they’ve won 10 in a row. This is the best conference in college basketball and Louisville knocked off Providence, Villanova, and Syracuse to win it. I see a matchup with conference rival West Virginia in the Elite 8 game, with the Cardinals advancing to the Final Four.
West Region: CONNECTICUT. This isn’t because I’m from Connecticut, it’s because UConn has an easy draw until the Elite 8 when they will get quite a challenge from Memphis. If Jerome Dyson didn’t get hurt UConn would be considered the best team in the nation. Still, Memphis may not be as good as last year and the Huskies played a much more grueling schedule in the Big East, winning 15 conference games. UConn and Memphis should be a classic matchup, but UConn prevails.
Final Four: CONNECTICUT over Louisville and PITTSBURGH over Syracuse.
NCAA Champion: CONNECTICUT. Pittsburgh beat UConn twice this year. The Panthers were impressive in both wins. And I have a lot of respect for Pitt’s size, grit, and ability. UConn is not the best team in the country, but then again, who is? The tournament seems to be wide open this year. And this is an experienced team that has big-game players. Hasheem Thabeet is the key in that championship game. He’s struggled against Pitt this year. April 6 is his chance, and UConn’s chance, for redemption. Jim Calhoun and the Huskies win it all.
For those of you keeping score at home, that’s four Big East teams in the Final Four. Hey, it’s the best conference in college basketball. And I know I picked three number one seeds, but the only other team I considered was three-seed Villanova. I also have six of the Elite 8 teams coming from the Big East.
Atlantic 10 predictions: Temple falls to Arizona State and Dayton loses to West Virginia in opening round games tomorrow, while Xavier beats Portland State tomorrow and advances to the Sweet 16 with a win over Florida State on Sunday. The Muskateers will fall to Pittsburgh next Thursday.
Enjoy the games and good luck with your pools.
Sienna, Dayton, Arizona Highlight Madness of Tournament’s First Two Rounds
Posted by Fordham SportsNet on March 23, 2009
BY CHARLES COSTELLO
As always, the NCAA Tournament produced some memorable moments over the past four days, as 48 teams were bounced from the Dance, with 16 schools still dreaming of a national title.
The Sweet 16 gets started Thursday, and by Sunday night we’ll know the Final Four. But first, let’s take a look back at the first two rounds of the tournament:
Biggest Winners: Though they didn’t make it past the second round, the Sienna Saints played 80 minutes of quality basketball this weekend. After beating Ohio State in a double-overtime thriller Friday night, the Saints lost to No. 1 seed Louisville by just seven on Sunday. Sienna even had a four-point lead with 7:45 to play in the game. The little-school-that-could out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference had their shining moment. Along the same lines, how about those bracket-buster Flyers? An upset over No. 6 West Virginia propelled 11th ranked Dayton to the second round where they lost to Kansas. Nonetheless, Dayton proved worthy of the at-large bid they received. Of course, credit also has to be given to the Arizona Cardinals, a No. 12 seed who knocked off Utah and Cleveland State. Sure, it was doubtful they would have beaten Wake Forest if the Deamon Deacons advanced past Cleveland State like they should have, but nonetheless, seeing a 12-seed advance to the Sweet 16 when many, including myself, thought they’d be one and done is a nice story. The rest of the field was quite predictable, but I should note that I’m happy to see Xavier advance, though their wins came against Portland State (No. 13) and Wisconsin (No. 12).
Biggest Losers: West Virginia tops my list, though Wake Forest, Illinois, and Florida State have nothing to smile about. I thought West Virginia was an Elite 8 team. With 23 wins, 10 coming in the ultra-tough Big East, the Mountaineers should have taken care of Dayton. Instead, Dayton came with more heart, effort, and desire. I’ll take that combination any day. Wake Forest was a four-seed but the Wildcats proved that they belong in this tournament. Illinois and Florida State were very beatable five-seeds. And they got beat.
Atlantic 10 Watch: I covered Dayton and Xavier already, but let me add that both schools, receiving at-large bids, represented the A-10 very well. These were the two best teams in the conference from start to finish this year, and their performances as at-large teams should help the reputation of the league. Meanwhile Temple’s first round loss to Arizona State was expected. Temple, seeded eleventh and winners of the Atlantic 10 tournament, deserves credit for their postseason run in Atlantic City. All bets were off once they hit Miami.
Looking Ahead: We’re still headed for a UConn-Memphis showdown in the West and Pittsburgh-Villanova battling it out in the East Region. Save for the championship game, these could be the two best matchups of the tournament. Meanwhile, North Carolina should beat Gonzaga in the South, but Syracuse or Oklahoma could end the Tar Heels run two days later. And finally, Louisville should get by Arizona and they’re more talented than either Michigan State or Kansas. But hey, that’s why they call it March Madness.
For the record, seven of my Elite 8 teams are still alive and my Final Four is in tact. My one bracket regret, and I knew this as soon as I posted my column last Thursday, I should have taken Villanova over Pittsburgh. No offense to the Panthers, they dominated UConn twice this year. But how great would a Villanova-UConn final be?
I’ll be back Thursday with my Sweet 16 predictions.
Posted in Football Commentary, Men's Basketball | Leave a Comment »