NCAA Tournament Preview

Here we are folks; the big one has finally arrived.  As a Duke fan this is all I have cared about all year for Duke, getting to the tournament relatively healthy (Kyrie c’mon back now ya hear!), playing well and obtaining a #1 seed.  Almost all of these goals were achieved by Duke, and as previously mentioned it is very possible with Kyrie Irving talking about coming back that Duke will have achieved all the goals completely.  Now let’s look at the NCAA Tournament.  We’ll go through each region, talk about 1 seeds, possible sleepers, teams with championship potential and players to watch.

East Region:

In my mind this is the toughest region of them all.  You have the number 1 overall seed in Ohio State.  UNC could’ve been a 1 seed had they beat Duke in the finals of the ACC Tournament.  Syracuse was ranked in the top 5 half of the year.  Villanova was a top 10 team earlier this year.  Kentucky, although young, has as much talent as any team in the country.  Outside of the top tier teams in the region, there is a lot of solid depth throughout.

The 1 Seed:

Ohio State has all it takes to win a title this year and is the odds on favorite in Vegas to do just that.  Post play with Sullinger, outside shooting with Diebler and Buford, veteran leadership in Lighty, and a great coach in Thad Matta.   The thing I think OSU lacks the most is point guard play, they do have Aaron Craft but the speedy freshman although talented isn’t tested.  I think the downfall that could trip up Ohio State is the point guard, but it won’t be easy to keep this 1 seed from the Final Four.

Sleeper:

Marquette is an 11 seed that I think can make it to the Elite 8.  The Golden Eagles are the type of team that makes this region so tough.  I see Marquette beating Xavier with their athleticism and Big East experience.  A meeting with Syracuse could be a tough matchup in the second round but there is one thing that Syracuse isn’t, and that is consistent.  In the Sweet 16 Marquette could run into either Washington or UNC, both would be tough but both are beatable.  I think Marquette’s run would end at the elite 8 but if you think there is no chance they make the Final Four, think again.  A few things fall their way they could get there.

Championship Potential:

I see three teams; Ohio State, North Carolina and Kentucky.  I don’t think Syracuse is consistent enough to make the run all the way to the title.

Player to Watch:

Isaiah Thomas from Washington I think could single handedly ruin a lot of people’s brackets.  Thomas has the talent to lead his Huskies over the Tar Heels in the second round of this tournament.  Once in the Sweet 16 there is a good chance for Washington to then make it to the Elite 8 and beyond.

Southwest Region:

This is in my mind the 2^nd weakest region, coming in a close second to the very weak Southeast.  I know Kansas is a very popular pick to make it all the way right now but I know what Kansas has done lately in the tournament and I don’t trust them.  I see a sweet 16 run for Kansas.  Notre Dame, even though they have played well I don’t think they are the strongest of the 2 seeds and the middle seeds of this region is very mediocre.

The 1 Seed:

Kansas is talented and led by the Morris twins.  Again much like with Ohio State they have all the right ingredients for a title but I think they lack consistent point guard play as well.  Taylor and Selby are very talented players, but both are very inconsistent.  Louisville’s swarming defense in a possible Sweet 16 matchup could be the Jayhawk’s downfall.

Sleeper:

Florida State…I know shocking I pick an ACC team.  FSU it looks like will have Chris Singleton back for the NCAA’s as he was available in the Virginia Tech game last Friday in the ACC Tournament but ended up not playing.  With the type of defense that FSU plays they can beat A&M and Notre Dame this weekend and make a run as deep as the Final Four in my mind.

Championship Potential:

Kansas…that’s all I got from this region.  I could make an argument for Notre Dame but won’t because I don’t think they can do it.

Player to Watch:

As mentioned before, Chris Singleton.  Will be a 1^st round draft pick this summer, but is coming off having a broken bone in his foot.  If he plays close to 100% FSU could go far led by Singleton.  If Singleton is still a bit hobbled, A&M could end FSU’s run round 1.

Southeast Region:

By far to me this is the toughest region to pick a team to get to the Final Four, because there isn’t much to pick from.  Pitt is a habitual underachiever, Florida is an overrated 2 seed, BYU isn’t the same team without Brandon Davies, Wisconsin was held to 33 points over the weekend in a loss to Penn State….33 points and finally Kansas State has underachieved all year.  Good luck with this region.

The 1 Seed:

The Pitt Panthers are a tough team that plays a solid defensive style of basketball.  If you just renamed them to the Patt Pinthers, so I didn’t connect them with their past, I might pick them to go to the Final Four.  Since you can’t do that I don’t see Pitt coming out of this region due to their utter failure in previous tournaments to match expectations. 

Sleeper:

Utah State, personally I don’t have them getting out of the first round against Kansas State.  If they do though, which is very possible since Kansas State tends to randomly not show up, they could make a serious run to the Sweet 16 or Elite 8. 

Championship Potential:

Pittsburgh, if they stay out of foul trouble with their bruising play, it’s possible.

Player to Watch:

Jacob Pullen is the player in this region whose team most benefits if he plays well and suffers if he does not.  He can win a game by himself, but if he is not on his game Kansas State will lose first round to Utah State.

West Region:

The top half of this region is very tough to pick.  You could make a Final Four argument for 3 of the teams in the top half; Duke, Texas and Arizona.  The bottom half is just the opposite, UConn is really the only team I see that has Final Four potential.

The 1 Seed:

Hey! We know these guys!  Duke is the 1 seed here and is (surprise I know) my pick to win it all.  If you don’t know much about Duke and are reading this blog for the first time, please read some of the past posts and you’ll know all you need.

Sleeper:

Penn State is my choice.  This is a true sleeper choice in that I am 50/50 on whether they could even get out of the first round.  If they do though, San Diego State is beatable in the second round and if UConn is beat in the first two rounds, the Nittany Lions then have a chance to make a quite unexpected run to the Elite 8.

Championship Potential:

Duke, Texas, Arizona and UConn, by picking 4 from this bracket you could say this should be my choice as the toughest region but after these 4 it falls off big time unlike in the East.

Player to Watch:

There are a ton of players you could choose in this star studded region.  So I’ll choose someone you maybe haven’t seen before, Keith Benson.  Keith Benson is the center for Oakland and has NBA scouts slobbering.  Oakland has played a brutal schedule and will not be intimidated by Texas.  If they match up with Arizona in the second round, it will be the rare marquee big man matchup in the guard dominated NCAA’s, with Keith Benson and Derrick Williams.