FIRST ROUND
(picks in bold)
(1) Ohio St. vs. Central Connecticut St.
Central Connecticut has a nice trio of players (led by Javier Mojica), unfortunately, Ohio St. is a lot deeper, and Greg Oden is better than anyone the Blue Devils have.
(8) BYU vs. (9) Xavier
BYU is definitely capable of a win here, as they are a balanced, veteran group. but I like the Musketeers a little more. Drew Lavendar just makes things happen.
(5) Tennessee vs. (12) Long Beach St.
This looks to be a very entertaining game where both teams will be looking to get up and down the court and shoot a lot of 3 pointers. I just think the Vols are a little better in both aspects.
(4) Virginia vs. (13) Albany
I'm, not really a huge fan of Albany... heck, I think they might be a little overseeded here, I just don't think that highly of the Cavaliers. Jamar Wilson almost led the Great Danes to an upset last year, I think he'll be able to do it this year.
(6) Louisville vs. (11) Stanford
Stanford has the size to give Louisville a lot of problems, but this game will be in Lexington, giving Louisville a hometown edge, plus I think the Louisville guards are too athletic for Stanford. Also, can't go against Rick Pitino.
(3) Texas A&M vs. (14) Penn
There are some teams that Penn can pose a problem for because of their style. Texas A&M however, is not one of those teams.
(7) Nevada vs. (10) Creighton
A great matchup between two very good mid-majors. It wasn't easy to pick a winner here, but I'll go with the Wolfpack because of the star power. Fazekas or Marcellus Kemp are more than capable to dropping 30 in a game.
(2) Memphis vs. (15) North Texas
Memphis wasn't really tested much all season... and they won't be tested here either.
SECOND ROUND
(1) Ohio St. vs. (9) Xavier
Lots of subplots here involving Matta and Lavendar and just the proximity of the schools, but the fact is Xavier is not talented enough to hang with the Buckeyes. Oden is too good outside, Conley is too good inside.
(5) Tennessee vs. (13) Albany
The dream ends for Albany here against a superier Volunteer team.
(3) Texas A&M vs. (6) Louisville
Louisville is talented, but they can get undisciplined and sloppy offensively... well, against a very good A&M defense, I expect to see some of that sloppiness. Combine that with Acie Law, and the Aggies move on.
(2) Memphis vs. (7) Nevada
This is the point where I say I think Memphis is being underrated a bit. Sure, they didn't face a lot of quality opponents, and they don't have the NBA potential of players that they had last year, but this is a good team. They've got some talent still (Douglas-Roberts is real good), they play well together, and I except them to make it to the second weekend. Plus, Nevada has some real problems defensively.
SWEET 16
(1) Ohio St. vs. (5) Tennessee
I actually had to think long and hard about this one, because I think the Volunteers are a tough matchup for the Buckeyes. Wayne Chism has the ability to pull Greg Oden out from under the basket where he is so good, and that clears the lane for guys like Ramar Smith and JaJuan Smith. I think the Vols can make this one really interesting and have a shot at the upset, but in the end I went with the safe pick and the more talented Buckeyes.
(2) Memphis vs. (3) Texas A&M
For the praising I did of Memphis in their last matchup, I simply think Texas A&M is the better, more experienced team. The fact that this one will be in San Antonio just increases my confidence in the Aggies.
ELITE 8
(1) Ohio St. vs. (3) Texas A&M
This is a tough one to call, but there are 2 things that make me like the Aggies... one, as mentioned this thing would be in San Antonio, which, if you're not a geography buff, is a lot closer to College Station than it is to Columbus. Second, the Aggies have Acie Law. The man has ice in his veins. If this things comes down to a late shot, there's no one in the country I would rather have taking the shot than Acie Law.
REGIONAL CHAMPION: TEXAS A&M
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