You guys have already covered a lot of this, but the draw looks about as good as we could have hoped for:
- All of our six potential games would be played in the Midwest (Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Detroit).
- Nothing on paper gives us any reason to be particularly afraid of Boston College and USC in the second round. Boston College is even more reliant on offensive rebounding to score than we are. USC is fairly well-rounded, but they’re not very deep and they have even bigger turnover issues than we do.
- We’ve beaten Kansas, so at least we know how it’s done. (They’re a pretty young team, though, so they’ve had more room to improve than we’ve had since we met in January.)
- Louisville’s hot (10-game winning streak), but is the least imposing of the #1 seeds in terms of pure talent. (Not that they’re a fluke as a #1 seed: they rank #2 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency.)
Of course, things always look pretty doable on paper.
If you want to worry about something right now, worry about the fact that Robert Morris shoots 39.7% on 3-pointers.
Mr. Rexrode says we play at 9:50 Friday night, so we’ve got all week to chat about the bracket outlook.
No mention of West Virginia? They’re a possible threat, given their tourney history (and given Kansas’s, for that matter). Fortunately, they no longer rain threes like the Pittsnogle/Gansey-era teams, but I’d still watch out for them.
I think our region has the potential for a lot of chaos. The 13 and 14 are both very dangerous for low-seeded teams, and Kansas and Wake have histories of early flame-outs. (That said, this is the only region where I have a 1-versus-2 matchup.)
On a bright note vs. Robert Morris (of which I’m sure there are many) – they’re a very small team. They have two players over 6’6″ — both are 6’8″ and one is a freshmen. MSU should destroy them on the boards — and Raymar and Suton should both have good luck on the offensive end I would think.
Dear Mr. Phelps, Mr. Gottlieb, Mr. Vitale, et.al.,
I am aware that the Big 10 has created its own television network. I am also aware that this network is in no way a member of the ESPN family of networks, ABC, Disney, or any of its subsidiaries. But your position as commentators on The Worldwide Leader does not, in fact, allow you to control reality. Despite your fervent prayers and bloviating, basketball (including attempts to prevent the opposing team from scoring) is still played in states that do not border the Atlantic Ocean. When this fact emerges as important this weekend, I expect a full apology.
p.s. I would also appreciate the visible crying of salty salty tears when that three-seed you got Syracuse only serves to let James Harden go for like 40 in a rout.
Boy am I glad we didn’t slip to a 3 (which would have been completely unjustifiable, but so is including Arizona and that happened). The 6 seeds this year are ridiculous. Three rank in Pomeroy’s top 12.
As long as we make it to the elite 8 I’ll feel like this team maxed out. I don’t really think this team is destined for the Final Four – if we get there we’ll have overachieved IMO. Put it this way – I don’t think this team is as good as the Charlie Bell-Andre Hutson lead 2001 squad that won the Big 10 and made it to the final four. Not to take anything away from the current team – this has been a very enjoyable season and they have played great – but they’re not quite as talented or experienced as that team was across the board. I think Suton and Walton have both maxed out their potential and had fantastic senior years. I hope they have a run in the Final Four in them, but I’ll take it as icing on the cake rather than an expectation to be met.
Announcer list posted at The Dagger: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Here-s-who-will-be-calling-your-game?urn=ncaab,148277
We get Gus.
Anyone know of a site that has a nice tempo-free breakdown of the first round matchups? Or will i have to do more work that I want to fill out my bracket
There is a nice “log5″ breakdown, relying on Ken Pomeroy’s pythagorean approach at vegaswatch.net for each of the regions.
OT,
Not sure if anyone heard about this, but MSU recruit Keith Appling hit a half court shot at the buzzer in overtime to win the game for Pershing. If anyone has a video link, please post.