Well, before I get into my bracket picks, I should briefly touch up on my Hawkeyes and the local NBA squad, the Houston Rockets. The Iowa men's b-ball team lost to an equally hapless Michigan team in the 1st round of the Big Ten tourney, thus diminshing their "chances" for a miracle run fairly early. This game was perhaps the most boring, offensively challened battle of all the conference tournament games, as both teams went a combined 28 minutes in the 2nd half without scoring a field goal. It was a poor offensive showing, and our guys looked like they just wanted to get the season over with. After the game, the returning players were all positive about next year and seemed ready to get the show on the road. Yes, the players got mentally exhausted from all the losing at the end of this season and didn't play as hard, and yes, the players and coaches tuned each other out at times down the stretch as well, but I still think there will be improvement next season with all the good freshman coming in and the optimistic attitude of some pretty solid returning players. It just feels refreshing to have Lickliter's 1st recruiting class coming up, and with more experience in his so-called "system" and some fresh blood I think at least a few wins improvement and a potential NIT berth are very realistic expectations. I'll do a comprehensize, in-depth look at next year's b-ball team later in the year. The Iowa girl's team gets ready to play Georgia in the 1st round of the women's tournament tomorrow at 1:30 in the 8-9 seed matchup. I thought the girls deserved a better seed for sharing the Big Ten crown, but it is still a great accomplishment. If they beat Georgia, they will probably have to play North Carolina, which isn't good. Big, big congrats are in order for the Iowa wrestling dynasty, who clinched their 32nd national championship and 1st since 2000 today in the national tournament. Mark Perry and Brent Mentcalf also won individual titles. And finally, the Houston Rockets, who recently came off their high of a 22 game win streak. It was amazing the way they were able to keep it up, playing amazing defense, hustling hard for every loose ball on every possesion, and excecuting their offense efficiently while draining their jump shots. Without much of an inside presence, we all knew they couldn't play with such confidence and at such a crazy level forever, but after beating the Lakers last Sunday it looked possible. They ended up gettin blown out in consecutive days by the Boston Celtics and New Orleans Hornets, playing hard in both 1st halves but losing energy and scoring production in the 2nd halves of both and getting blown out in each game. Houston was really missing Yao Ming as well as the inside presence of Carl Landy, a high energy/athletic rookie who can finish with the best of them. He had been out a while with a bruised knee. Landy returned against Golden State on Friday and provided a big spark, while T-Mac poured in 26 and the Rockets beat the high-octane Warriors on their home floor. The next night Houston played hard and executed their offense well against the Suns, but Phoenix shot out of this world in the 1st half and Houston was in too deep a hole to climb out of. Still, playing well the last two games and anyone who says the streak was a fraud just hasn't watched enough of Houston.
East Regional
The number 1 overall seed of the East Region and of the entire tournament, North Carolina, has a very difficult path ahead of them in getting to the Final Four in San Antonio, perhaps the toughest of any number 1 seed. UNC is unfairly loaded with talent, though, so Tar Heels' fans should not be too concerned. The two players that immediately stand out to me are Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson; Hansbrough is the hardest working player in college basketball, a strong inside player adept at drawing fouls and battling hard in the post despite heavy contact. Along with his scoring and boardwork, Tyler is a great leader and carried this team though a tough stretch of the season when Lawson was hurt. He may the best, most high-energy player in the country. Lawson is their speed-demon of a point guard, one of the fastest players around and the driving energy force behind this team. He is electric on the fast break and has the body to finish in traffic as well. If these two players were the only studs UNC had, they would be merely good; add the shooting of Wayne Ellington, the scoring of Marcus Ginyard, and the bench production from Danny Green, along with a bevy of other talent, and you have something great. It is needless to say that I expect the fast breaking and the overwhelming mass of athletic talent from Carolina to just roll over whatever opponenet they face from the play-in game between tourney newcomers Mount Saint Mary (1,500 student enrollment) and Coppin State (1st 20 loss team ever in the tourney). A 16 seed will upset a 1 seed someday, but not this year. The 8-9 matchup in this region is another intriguing game that could go either way, between Indiana and Arkansas. Indiana is a team with enough talent to make a deep run with maybe the best inside-outside combination in the country, with high-scoring freshman phenom Eric Gordon on the perimeter and rugged, experienced post leader DJ White on the inside, a definite battler and hard worker down low. There are major questions about the mental stability of this team though, after the resignation of embattled coach Kelvin Sampson because of recruiting violations. The players seemed to quit on interim coach Dan Dakich, and lost the mojo they had before the incident. Arkansas is an experienced team that plays great defense, and they are on a roll after making their way to the SEC tournament final with an upset of Tennessee. They have a lot of leadership and a lot of hard nosed guys, like physical guard Patrick Beverly, and I know Indiana might not be all there mentally, but I think the Hoosiers have the talent to pull this game out and play UNC in the next round. Notre Dame versus George Mason in the 5-12 game seems to be a popular upset pick, as G-Mason made that miracle Final Four run two years ago and people are still taking a ride on their bandwagon. I don't buy it. GMU has only one experienced player left from that legendary team, and they don't have the experience or the overall talent to beat a Notre Dame team that can shoot lights out and put up points in a hurry. Luke Harangody should dominate the slighter Will Thomas inside, while Kyle McAlarney lights it up from deep. The Irish in a rout. Washington State takes on dangerous mid-major power Winthrop, a team playing hard for the memory of a slain teammate. Winthrop rides the scoring of guard Micheal Jenkins, but they just don't have enough to counteract the experienced, talented guards of WSU and their stifling defense and depth. WSU plays some of the best defense around and Jenkins will have a tough time putting up 20, while the Cougars are led by Derrick Low, their sharpshooting Hawaiian leader, and Kyle Weaver, a versatile athlete, talented scorer, and tenacious defender. The experience and all-around play of WSU is too much for Winthrop here. Saint Joseph's is my upset special over Oklahoma. I think St. Joe's is one of the hotter teams around, beating A-10 power Xavier twice in the last month, and I like the chances of this streaking squad against a shaky Sooner team that played up and down all year long and really needs inside beast Blake Griffin to be 100 percent healthy if they want to win a game or two here. Oklahoma has a much better inside game and more overall talent, but St. Joe's has a great coach and can beat anybody if the shots are falling. Louisville will roll the 14 seed Boise State, a team that is just happy to be in the tournament. Louisville is one the most talented teams in the country and they play amazing full-court defense that is enough to rattle the most experienced guards around, let alone Boise State. They have a guard who can light it up in Edgar Sosa, a strong/skilled post player in David Padgett, and a bevy of other athletes and scorers such as David Caracter, Terrence Williams, and Juan Palacious. Louisville is way too good for this one to be any less than a blowout. A great Butler team takes on dangerous South Alabama in an intriguing matchup of mid-majors. Butler got the shaft on their seed, but they have way too many battle-tested players and experienced, smart leaders to lose this one. AJ Graves is a great all-around player who can make it drop from deep, but discovered ways to score and make plays without draining threes this season, while Mike Green provides the all-around spark that makes the team go. South Alabama is very talented and should not be taken lightly, but Butler is too experienced and too smart to lose, especially if it's raining threes. Finally, the last matchup is number 2 seed Tennessee versus the 15, American. The Volunteers are perhaps the most athletic, frenetic team in the nation, overwhelming the senses with their ultra-fast, up and down style of play and full-court pressure. They were a good team last year, but Tyler Smith, a very smart all-around star and great athlete who transfered from Iowa, put them over the top and became their best player. He makes the great passes, comes through with the clutch buckets and defensive players, and just provides that glue that holds them together. They have all sorts of athletes and scorers, led by deep trey specialist Chris Lofton, the two other Smiths (Ramar and JaJuan), athletic post presence Wayne Chism, and bench energy guys like the long/lean JP Prince and the scrappy Duke Crews. They play out of control and undisciplined at times, but they have way too many athletes and if they come out with just a little bit of intensity they will overwhelm little American, a team that will play hard and with a loose energy because they're happy to be there, but they just don't have the horses to keep up. North Carolina should take on Indiana, and move on fairly easily to the Sweet 16. Indiana is too mentally worn out, and it just seems like they lost that comptetive fire for this season. Hansbrough's crazy intensity will juxtapose with the halfhearted efforts of Indiana's post players, and unless Gordon and White get 25+ apiece than Carolina has too much talent and too much desire to lose this one. Washington State will ride their stingy defense and some cold shooting from Notre Dame to get by in a un-Irish like low scoring affair, while WSU's experienced guards will make enough shots to offset the production Harangody will likely put out. WSU won't give Notre Dame many open looks though, so I'm goin with the Cougars here. Losuiville should blow out St. Joseph's with that vicious full-court defense, forcing plenty of turnovers and getting transition buckets. Padgett will control the paint and get open looks for guys like Edgar Sosa and Justin Smith, and there's nobody here to guard Terrence Williams. The 'ville in a blowout. Butler runs into a Tennessee team that, on paper, looks like they are on a different level, but Butler's advantage comes with their brains. Tennessee is a team that doesn't really play with their heads, but they take advantage of their fantastic athleticism and limitless energy to pressure the hell out of teams and overwhelm them with all the offensive options and bodies flyin everywhere. I guess it's what you call organized chaos. Butler can win this if they settle down, handle the Vols pressure, and most importantly, make their three point shots. AJ Graves will be important. But I think UT overwhelms the Bulldogs early and puts them in a hole they can't climb out of. The Tarheels now take on WSU in the Sweet 16. UNC will more than likely be held below their average, Washington State will do their damndest to slow the pace down and rely on their defense and outside shots, but it's nearly impossible to slow down the electric Ty Lawson and you can bet Hansbrough will get his down low. This one should be Carolina's closest game, but once again, their talent advantage and frenetic pace come through for the win. Louisville should get the minor upset over Tennesse in the next matchup. It will be interesting to see if they try to press UT, a team with just as many, if not more, athletes than them. Chris Lofton making his fadeaway threes is a big key for the Vols, because it should be evenly matched in every other category, ranging from defense to athleticism to post scoring. Should be a great game, whichever team limits their turnovers and maintains control should win, I think UT's out of control style might come and bit them here. And finally, the Regional Final, UNC and Louisville. Perhaps the best Elite 8 game of the tourney, UNC should have their hands full with the playmaking defense and athletes of the Cardinals. There's few advantages I can hand out to either squad, Carolina's defense is vulnerable at times because of the pace they play at, and if Lousiville's perimeters players can step up the scoring and make long range shots than they have a chance, but I just don't see UNC losing. Hansbrough is leading them on a mission to the Final Four and he won't let these guys lose. UNC in a close one.
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