awr's March Madness Breakdown: Midwest

Aight, now for the Midwest Region. Even though it's been debated whether overall number was actually given the easiest road to the Championship, this region was less difficult to pick. Let's get to the Midwest Region:

• Midwest Region Finalist: Kansas

Gotta go with Kanas in the Midwest. There might not be another team in the tourney with as good a balance of experience and talent. Sherron Collins has lived up to the expectations and was able to lead his team to the number 1 overall seed. It's been argued that Kanas' road might not be too easy, but they're still only going to have to possibly play Michigan State, Ohio State or Tennessee, that beat them back in January. All do-able games.

• Upset [If You Can Call it That]: Northern Iowa over UNLV

I mean, these teams are 8 and 9 so they're pretty evenly matched but I've seen Northern Iowa play more than UNLV. Plus, my boy Mase used to play there so I'm giving them the benefit of doubt. #sampshrug

• Teams to Watch: Ohio State and Maryland

The main reasons to watch these two teams are their marquee players, Evan Turner and Greivis Vasquez, respectively. Both of them are good enough to take over a game at any time. And they probably will.

Up next, West Region!

Sweet 16 Preview [Part 2]/Wale x UCB Concert @ The Loft

Yesterday's picks didn't really go to well for me.
Duke had no answer for Nova's guards and couldn't make a shot into the ocean. [Seriously.] The Blue Devils
shot fucking horrendous from the field. And even worse, the same three point shooting that got them to this point really let them down as they only shot 5-27 from behind the arch. Nova balled, Duke didn't.

Oh Memphis. Damn. Purdue tho???

I'm still shocked over this one because it felt like an easy pick. The defense for Memphis just didn't show up. They gave up 100 points for the first time in the John Calipari era. The first time...and in a game of this magnitude. Tyreke Evans balled like I thought he would [33 points] but he didn't get much help. Oh well. Hope you don't have them winning it all. Because then you lose.

Now onto the second half of the Sweet 16:

• Game 1: Arizona (12) vs. Louisville (1), 7:07 pm

This one is pretty easy to predict. Louisville is the #1 overall seed for a reason. Terrance Williams balls and he is about to go off tonight. I think if they still had Jerryd Bayless they would have a shot. But they don't. Sorry 'Zona.

Game 2: Syracuse (3) vs. Oklahoma (2), 7:27 pm
I'm gonna have to go with 'Cuse on this one. I have this on my bracket and I'm sticking by it. Jonny Flynn is going to show Willie Warren how to be a premiere college point guard. Ow. Devendorf and Rautins are gonna knock down every shot they see. Blake Griffin's gonna get his insane numbers but I'm not sure his supporting cast will really step up against this tough-minded Syracuse team.

• Game 3: Kansas (3) vs. Michigan State (2), 9:37 pm

I'm going with my man (nh) from back home, Sherron Collins and the returning Champs on this one. Michigan State doesn't have the firepower in my opinion, even though they have some pretty tough defense. Fuggg it.

• Game 4: Gonzaga (4) vs. North Carolina (1)

Another easy one to call. UNC is really about to blow out Gonzaga out with this one. I know Lawson is about to show that his second half against my Tigers was not a fluke. And who, exactly, does Gonzaga think is about to hold Tyler Hansbrough? Danny Green?? Wanye Ellington???? Come on Bulldogs. Carolina by 10+.

I'm thinking that might picks for tonight are more secure than last night's. I'm goin 4-0 tonight. Ow.

Oh yeah, and Wale x UCB Concert tonight at the Loft. Owwwwww.

Too bad I won't be seeing any of these games, or the Wale joint because I'm hitting up with Hawks/Celtics game tonight with Wonderboy and the boys. Watch out.


[Note: And it's so f'ing messed up that Kentucky fired Billy Gillespie after just two years. It's damn near impossible to turn a program around in two years with limited scholarships. That's part of the reason what the Devil Nick Saban did in Alabama so special. You gotta be reasonable.]

And just so you know, don't challenge me in a Bracket. Because:

Wavy.

March Madness Is Upon Us...Finally

A lot happened during my hiatus for Spring Break 09...mostly a lot of boring ass preseason baseball, Kobe/Lebron/D.Wade playing insane basketball, the epic SIX overtime game between Syracuse and UConn  and the launching of March Madness. F'ing right.

I've been waiting since the end of College Football for March Madness and it's finally here. The best thing about this year is that with no team being able to maintain the #1 ranking during the season, there's no real team that's head-and-shoulders better than everyone else. Here's my short version of my bracket, starting with my Agreements, Disagreements, Surprises and Sleepers:

Agreements:

• The #1 Seeds: I had North Carolina, Louisville and UConn in my Final Four since the beginning of the year so I had to agree with them getting the top spots. My fourth team, Oklahoma got the 2-seed in the South so I'm not too mad.
• I was glad to see that my man Jonny Flynn and 'Cuse got rewarded for their heroic performance in the Big East Tourney by being given the 3-seed in the South. They should be  smooth sailing until the third round against Oklahoma...
• Kansas got the smooth 3-seed in the Midwest despite falling to Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament. They should make it all the way to the Elite 8 against Louisville.
• Cornbread? Ain't nutin wrong with that. (1:29)

Disagreements:

• HOW does LSU get the 8-seed and have to play BUTLER?? I thought that our dominance in the SEC would have been enough to get a more manageable 6- or 7-seed but we get the dreaded 8/9 match up. I was watching the Selection Show mad like:
   But hey, at least it's not a 5/12....

• I don't think Arizona should have made it this year. I'm a Jarryd Bayless fan but he's gone and so is Lute. Finishing the year unranked with a 19-13 record doesn't really scream "NCAA Tournament." It seems like they got in off of past seasons' performances and took a spot away from another deserving team. But that happens every year.
  
• How can you leave out St. Mary's?? The lack of a tough conference schedule isn't really their fault. A 20-6 record (with 3 of the L's coming from Gonzaga) should have been enough to get them in the Big Dance. 

Surprises:

• North Dakota State. After their performance, I'm not surprised they were chosen, just surprised they were able to do it. This was their first year of NCAA Tournament eligibility and they were able to grab a spot. Impressive. Especially when a school like Northwestern has never made the Tourney....even in 71 tries.
• And finally, I don't really agree/disagree about Penn State not making the Tournament, I'm just surprised. The Big 10 was shockingly good this year which made success for all of the teams impossible. 

Sleepers:

• VCU: Eric Maynor is a beast and he's done this before, 
• Siena: a fast, running team, comparable to the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, and 
• LSU: Gotta go with the Tigers...even though they would have the Tar Heels in round two. Oh well, the season was fun while it lasted.

Basically, this year's Tourney is wide open and it should be one of the most enjoyable in recent memory. And when your team loses, I don't want to hear anything. Just stfu. S-T-F-U!!