Madness is in the Air

Every sports fans dreams about this time of year. It’s the time where anything can happen in a field of 65 teams, where the smaller universities bustle with pride in their participation in the NCAA tournament, and when the season really begins for perennial powers like Duke and North Carolina. Appropriately dubbed March Madness, the end of the college basketball season is a real treat.

And the truth is, no sporting experience comes close to this one for the average fan. The Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup all crown teams that you most likely aren’t a fan of. But the NCAA Basketball Tournament appeals to the casual fan. It appeals to anyone who wants to see teenagers and young adults play their heart out. The whole season rides on each game, and that is what attracts millions of people to live and die with a university they have never heard of (who knows where George Mason is anyways?)

The NCAA Basketball Tournament concludes a tumultuous year with a simple solution. Lose and you’re out. Win and you keep playing. If you win 6 games in a row, you’re the national champion.

Before I attempt to predict the outcome of every single game leading up to the championship, I should explain how the tournament and selection process work. Thirty teams have automatic bids by winning their conference tournament; the Ivy League regular-season champion receives an automatic bid because the Ivy League has no conference tournament. Therefore, only 34 teams (the at-large bids) rely on the selection committee to secure them a spot in the tournament. These 34 bids are chosen by a special selection committee. The field of 65 is then determined, with seeds from 1-16 assigned to teams in 4 different regions. The first game of the tournament is the play-in game, in which the two weakest deserving teams must play each other in order to play in the first round of the actual tournament.

Now is where the fun begins. Selection day arrives and the bracket is out. It’s time to predict every single game of the upcoming tournament.

Midwest Region:

This is probably the hardest section of the bracket to fill out. The defending national champions, Florida, are the number 1 seed here, with Wisconsin, Oregon and Maryland rounding out the top four. Florida’s road to the Final Four could be either very easy or very hard, depending on which teams show up. By that I mean whether potential second rounder Arizona and potential Sweet Sixteen opponent (3rd round) can harness their immense potential for a game. 3rd seeded Oregon and 6th seeded Notre Dame set up a potentially juicy second round match up of perimeter shooting teams if Notre Dame can get by 11th seed national media darling Winthrop. Ultimately, I see Florida coming out on top of the Midwest Region.

Regional Final: Florida defeats Notre Dame

Team to Avoid:

8th seeded Arizona

They have one of the most talented starting lineups in the country, but can’t play defense and can’t seem to put it together. They underachieved the whole year. So don’t let their talent fool you while trying to determine their clash with Florida (if they can even get by Purdue).

Sleeper Team:

10th seeded Georgia Tech

Young, tenacious team led by freshman guard Javaris Crittenton. They came on strong late in the season and if inexperience doesn’t play out could handle 7th seed UNLV. That would set up a 2nd round match against 2nd ranked Wisconsin, who is playing without injured starting forward Brian Butch. Georgia Tech could go either way, but look for them to play there way into a Sweet Sixteen birth.

West Region:

Kansas, UCLA, Pittsburgh, and Southern Illinois are the top 4 seeds. Kansas has extremely underachieved the last two years, losing in the first round twice despite high seeds. UCLA looks to return to the Final Four, and should have a relatively easy path there. Pittsburgh and Duke are reeling so don’t expect much out of them. In the end, I think Kansas could win the National Championship, but along the way their dreams crash against Virginia Tech (5th seed).

Team to avoid:

6th ranked Duke:

Hard to believe, but Duke lacks offensive firepower and is inconsistent. Their first round match up against Virginia Commonwealth University is a tough one, as VCU pressures the perimeter and Duke starting guard Greg Paulus is turnover prone.

Sleeper Team:

I have VCU beating Duke and Pittsburgh, which would be a real Cinderella story, but I really like Virginia Tech. They are seeded fifth and need to go through Southern Illinois as well as Kansas. But they are led by a great guard tandem in Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon, as well as a freak athlete at forward in Deron Washington. They have a chance to go far. And besides, how can you root against a guy named Zabian?

Regional Final: UCLA’s experience and point guard Darren Collison prevail over Virginia Tech.

East Region:

North Carolina, Georgetown, Washington State and Texas are the first four seeds. North Carolina has young talent and veteran leadership along with one of the best forwards in the nation, Tyler Hansbrough. They shouldn’t have trouble until the Sweet Sixteen, where a potential battle against 4th seeded Texas looms. Texas is the strongest 4th seed, led by freshman point guard DJ Augustin, and of course their fabulous freshman, National Player of the Year, Kevin Durant. Durant scores from anywhere on the floor, rebounds the ball, and at 6’9 is a great shot blocker. Comparisons reach the level of Kevin Garnett. The question is whether he can withstand the pressure and lead Texas to the Final Four and National Championship, a la Carmelo Anthony as a freshman at Syracuse. Georgetown is the hottest team in the nation, winning 16 of their last 17 including the Big East tournament. I see North Carolina prevailing over Texas and subsequently Georgetown.

Team to avoid:

3rd ranked Washington State:

They have a deservedly high seed after coming second in one of the best conferences in the nation, the Pacific 10. But they lack offense, plain and simple. Oral Roberts might scare them in the first round, but they won’t get farther than round two unless they can hit big shots in close games.

Sleeper Team:

My only real surprise in this bracket is 6th ranked Vanderbilt. Senior guard Derrick Byars can take over games when he needs to, and that should be enough against George Washington and Washington State in the second round. Georgetown should take care of them in the Sweet Sixteen, though.

Regional Final: North Carolina too talented for Jeff Green and Georgetown.

South Region:

Ohio State, Memphis, Texas A&M and Virginia are the top four seeds. Ohio State is the second hottest team in the nation, and reached the 30-win mark this year, a great milestone. They are led by the best center in the nation, freshman Greg Oden. Memphis plays its first two games close to home, so they should be able to advance to a Sweet Sixteen match up against Texas A&M. Most high seeds advance, but Texas A&M, led by the clutchest basketball player on earth, Acie Law IV, will come out of this region.

Team to avoid:

4th seed Virginia

Virginia has one of the best backcourts in the nation, with Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds both scoring 18 points per game. But something about them irritates me. Or maybe it’s the fact that I’m high on Tennessee, their potential second-round match up.

Sleeper Team:

5th ranked Tennessee

Tennessee will have a scare in the first round against the high scoring 12th seed in Long Beach State, but systems should be go from there. They are led by one of the most prolific scorers in the nation, guard Chris Lofton, who is money from anywhere on the court. They also have good leadership and play with passion, which is adapted from eccentric coach Bruce Pearl. They could meet Ohio St in the Sweet 16, and match up well with them (lost 68-66 earlier in the season).

Regional Final: Acie Law IV shines in a great guard battle with Chris Lofton. Texas A&M moves on.

Final Four:

My bracket pits Florida against UCLA (last season’s title game) on one side, facing the winner of North Carolina and Texas A&M on the other. Florida should be able to handle the UCLA Bruins again in a close one, while Texas A&M continues its streak.

National Championship:

I have been a Texas A&M pollyanna for a good amount of time now, and I might as well ride them all the way to the national championship. There is no one quite like Acie Law IV. If you were to extrapolate his numbers over the last 4 minutes of a game over a full 40 minutes, he would average 63 points a game. He just flat out steps up when it matters most. His supporting cast is very talented as well, and Texas A&M has all the key ingredients in a championship team.

Disclosure: It is very possible that I am completely wrong on everything I just said, and that my bracket makes me look like a fool.

13 Responses

1. 1:20 PM on March 13th, 2007Anonymous:

   u trippin this college football crap is not bigger than super bowl or close as the world cup.

2. 4:32 PM on March 13th, 2007anonymous:

   its college basketball retard…

3. 5:17 PM on March 13th, 2007Anonymous:

   da point was dat any fan can get excited about da tourny, they don’t have to be a fan of any of da teams in da tourny.

4. 6:54 PM on March 13th, 2007ohad:

   can grab rim?

5. 6:56 PM on March 13th, 2007UNC:

   will not make it to the final four because kevin durant is about to put up 50 on them

6. 7:17 PM on March 13th, 2007sophmore:

   great article

7. 6:42 AM on March 14th, 2007Alex Assia:

   tennesse is not a sleeper team then flat out suck. aand vcu aint gonna beat duke u crazy. JEW!! hahahaha

8. 7:54 AM on March 14th, 2007talissa:

   ohad your face is priceless.

9. 11:43 AM on March 14th, 20079:

   im goona win

10. 11:47 AM on March 14th, 2007harro:

    kevin durant is about to put up AT LEAST 50 on UNC.. and Texas A&M goin all the way?… umm.. ohio st. baby!!

11. 11:25 AM on March 15th, 2007Anon.:

    Alex Assia is a bigot.

12. 11:25 AM on March 19th, 2007kenny:

    TAMU won’t make it past memphis

13. 6:40 AM on March 21st, 2007alex:

    btw the jew thing is an inside joke with me and ohad so “anon” can suck it

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