Ball So Hard Sports is breaking down each of the 4 regions before giving you our Final Four and title picks as well as unveiling our full bracket for you to compete against. We've already covered the Midwest, East and West Regions, leaving the South for the finale, where the Kansas Jayhawks look to return to the Final Four after a runner-up finish last season.
Let me start off by saying this bracket is impossible for me as a fan. My SDSU Aztecs are here as well as pre-bracket favorites Georgetown and Florida, plus Michigan, who I always love to see make a deep run. I would love to put the Aztecs deep into the tournament, but if I'm going to be a blogger, I have to check my alumni card at the door, right? I haven't even mentioned the #1 seeded Jayhawks who could be coming together just in time for a big run. Oh, and there is another team in the mix that everyone wants to pick as I watch the prediction shows and segments this morning: VCU.
Favorites: Kansas for me is a strong choice to return to the Final Four. Ben McLemore is a star just waiting to lift off and do big things in the NBA. This could be his national coming out party for those that haven't seen him. Georgetown didn't win the Big East but they were the class of the conference all year and head coach JT3 has the Hoyas primed and ready for March. Michigan held the top spot in the polls for a hot minute this year and is from the lauded Big 10. Florida may be one of the most complete teams in the tournament and despite a disappointing SEC title game loss could be poised to bring Billy Donovan back to the Final Four. You can't go wrong with any of these 4 if your bracket takes that route.
Sleepers: Let's just start with everyone's favorite sleeper: VCU. Shaka Smart and his national darlings are staring at everyone from this 5 seed and people think he has them ready to head back to the Final Four. I don't think he can run a gauntlet that could include beating Michigan, Kansas and Georgetown though. North Carolina came on late and made the ACC title game, but will the weeklong hype of playing Kansas in Kansas City be too much for Roy Williams guys, causing them to lose to Villanova in the first round? Last, let's talk San Diego State. Steve Fisher knows how to win in March, but hasn't done so since coming to SDSU. Jamaal Franklin is a special talent and if he, Chase Tapley and James Rahon are hitting their shots, this is a team that is capable of playing with anyone. They have trouble with great two-guard lineups, shoot too many threes and settle for jumpers, but if they learn from their last two tournaments, don't be surprised to see them playing on the second weekend.
Best First Round Game: UNC/Nova is going to be a close matchup and the hype of a Kansas game is hanging over UNC. UCLA and Minnesota may be playing for their coaches' jobs. I love the SDSU vs. Lon Kruger reunion but I think Michigan vs. the other SDSU is the one to watch here. Michigan doesn't handle PG's well and low and behold, Nate Wolters, a Wooden finalist, is ready for you to meet him, nation. I don't know that they'll pull the upset, but don't be shocked if they send Big Blue home early.
Best Late Round Potential Game: While I'd like to see UCLA/SDSU, I think the idea of VCU's press vs. a team that doesn't turn the ball over like Michigan would be fun to watch. Michigan is young, with no seniors in their 8 man rotation, but 4 freshmen. This would be a huge contrast of styles and a fun one to see take place with an Elite 8 berth on the line.
Ball So Hard Sports Pick: Obviously we're thinking SDSU here, but going with Georgetown to head to Atlanta. Originally had Michigan here, but youth may hurt them as we saw late in the season. A good sign for the Hoyas: the last Big East team to beat the Aztecs in the tourney was UConn two years ago and they kept on winning until the next came down.
Showing posts with label Michigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michigan. Show all posts
Monday, March 18, 2013
Let The Madness Begin!
Forget Christmas, THIS is the most wonderful time of the year for me as a sports fan. The NBA is in full swing heading toward playoff mode, golf is picking up steam as we get closer to Augusta, Spring Training has everyone thinking about summer and mock drafts fill the blogosphere. Oh, yeah, and March Madness is here, shutting down offices and stirring debate like no other sporting event around.
Look, anyone with a bracket and a pen (or keyboard) has a chance. We all have our opinions, our alma maters, our favorite teams, you name it. The receptionist in the office who thinks a Jackrabbit is way cuter than a Wolverine has just as good a shot of winning the office pool as the guy who thinks he's smarter than Jay Bilas and the guy who gloats about staying up every night to watch the west coast games and says that's why he is going to win.
The truth is: this year, its anyone's title to win. We've seen the VCU's and Butler's crash the party the last couple of years and that was when there were heavy favorites. Now we enter a tournament where realistically, any of the top 4 seeds in each region could head to Atlanta and cut down nets. Not to mention, there are probably 2 or 3 lower seeds in each region that could surprise and advance. That's around 20 teams out of the 68 that could make it. Pretty good odds for everyone heading into Thursday and Friday's first round (Yes, first round. These 4 Dayton games are play-ins, stop kidding yourselves, NCAA!) match-ups.
Here at Ball So Hard Sports, we're trying real hard to take our San Diego State Alumni hat off (I swear, this team can get hot and be playing in the Sweet 16...but just as likely is one and done) and not pick our favorites like we do every year (Hey, Berman had SF and Buffalo in the Super Bowl for like 15 years, why can't I have Duke, Syracuse, Arizona and Michigan in my Final Four AGAIN?) and pick the best teams to go to Atlanta.
With that said, here's how the BSHSB is breaking down the brackets:
-Region-by-region analysis: Favorites, sleepers, upset specials. We'll give you all the tools to pick your brackets and be ready for the office pools.
-Final Four picks: Learn who Ball So Hard has cutting down nets and heading to Atlanta.
-The Full Monty: See our bracket and go head-to-head with us.
Six blogs. All coming your way over the next two days. Keep checking back for updates and send us your Final Four, upset and sleeper picks on Twitter.
Look, anyone with a bracket and a pen (or keyboard) has a chance. We all have our opinions, our alma maters, our favorite teams, you name it. The receptionist in the office who thinks a Jackrabbit is way cuter than a Wolverine has just as good a shot of winning the office pool as the guy who thinks he's smarter than Jay Bilas and the guy who gloats about staying up every night to watch the west coast games and says that's why he is going to win.
The truth is: this year, its anyone's title to win. We've seen the VCU's and Butler's crash the party the last couple of years and that was when there were heavy favorites. Now we enter a tournament where realistically, any of the top 4 seeds in each region could head to Atlanta and cut down nets. Not to mention, there are probably 2 or 3 lower seeds in each region that could surprise and advance. That's around 20 teams out of the 68 that could make it. Pretty good odds for everyone heading into Thursday and Friday's first round (Yes, first round. These 4 Dayton games are play-ins, stop kidding yourselves, NCAA!) match-ups.
Here at Ball So Hard Sports, we're trying real hard to take our San Diego State Alumni hat off (I swear, this team can get hot and be playing in the Sweet 16...but just as likely is one and done) and not pick our favorites like we do every year (Hey, Berman had SF and Buffalo in the Super Bowl for like 15 years, why can't I have Duke, Syracuse, Arizona and Michigan in my Final Four AGAIN?) and pick the best teams to go to Atlanta.
With that said, here's how the BSHSB is breaking down the brackets:
-Region-by-region analysis: Favorites, sleepers, upset specials. We'll give you all the tools to pick your brackets and be ready for the office pools.
-Final Four picks: Learn who Ball So Hard has cutting down nets and heading to Atlanta.
-The Full Monty: See our bracket and go head-to-head with us.
Six blogs. All coming your way over the next two days. Keep checking back for updates and send us your Final Four, upset and sleeper picks on Twitter.
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