The Suns are easily the most exciting team to watch in the nba, they are so wide open on offense and so carefree in the style they play, all the players are so comfortable in the system and they have so much freedom to jack up shots on offense and in transition, thats why all these unheralded guys are having career years(steve nash is a big factor too). to the untrained eye they look like an undisciplined YMCA team that doesnt play defense, but if u follow the suns you will see that there is organization to their chaos, and that organized chaos is a result of all-world, one-of-a kind point guard steve nash. he was mvp last year and is even more deserving of that title this year seeing as he is without superstar forward amare stoudemire, and he has had an even better season, as have the suns. he has picked up his scoring, as he is a great shooter, real sweet stroke and he knows how to get open for his signature fadeway shots. hes more important with his directing of the offense, playmaking, and dribble penetration. hes made a bunch of nobodies superstars this year, because he runs phoenix's offense to perfection, i mean nash just personifies the carefree style of play for the sun's and knows how to get the ball to open teammates and make plays happen for them. hes a great passer, known for his flashy one handed dishes, and his penetration to the basket is second to maybe only tony parker in the nba and really opens things up for his boys. nash was a key player for the mavs in dallas but he has become a superstar here because there is no other offense that suits steve as perfectly as the sun's. mike d'antoni is an excellent coach and knew what he was doing when he picked up nash, he has accomadated him with a dream offense to run to perfection and steve fits in perfectly, it really is his offense. leandro barbosa had an average at best season last year as steve's 6 foot 7 back up point guard, but now he has switched to the 2 where he has been exceptional, a surprise star in his role slashin to the basket as a swingman. he thrives off of nash's penetration to the basket and his length and athleticism makes him a key player in transition and in scoring while moving to the basket, hes also one of the quickest players in the nba and that makes him nearly unstoppable getting to the basket and makes up for his lack of bulk. his midrange and three point shot have also improved drastically. hes also an unselfish passer like diaw and is one of the teams better defenders. boris diaw has been the biggest surprise and his improvement is one of the key reasons that the suns have basically matched last year's record. he was an unheard of back up point guard in atlanta last year and was considered just a no-name giveway in the joe johnson trade over the summer. well he has been a different player now that hes shifted to the forward position and has definitly become a star. hes always been unselfish and an excellent passer and playmaker, and he has had three triple doubles this year as well, but playin at the forward position he has been able to lock down some of the leagues best players on defense(holding yao ming to only six points once) and has shown off his improved jump shot and scoring skills. hes also pretty athletic, could be considered a finesse guy and has been a reliable option in transition for nash. u can tell he feels at home in the sun's offense and is a lot more confident and comfortable than he was last year. hes so versatile and has skills in so many categories now that i could see him as an all star in the near future, i would give him a nod for most improved player just because of how unknown he was before this year. so thats two players who have broken out as stars after switching positions in phoenix. for the rest of the roster; we have james jones, a long armed three point assassin who has easily filled the three point attempts, misses, and makes void left by quentin richardson, he can shoot the three and thats about it but he can do it well and is a vital offensive cog to the sun's machine. eddie house is also important in this department, he was one of the most prolific scorers in college history but was considered too short and too offensive minded to be an nba player. well hes found his perfect niche in phoenix jackin up three pointers all day long. he has the quickest release in the nba right now, and he cant do anything but shoot, but as soon as he gets the ball in his hands its going back up in the air in less than a second. he shoots a lot but he makes a lot and his energy and instant offense off the bench is very valuable, there have been a few games this year when eddie has carried the team on his back. raja bell is a very important player who has stepped his game up in the absence of amare, he is one of nash's top options in transition on the perimeter and has become one of the league's better three point shooters, maybe the teams best three point shooter and an underrated offensive player, he was originally picked up to be a lockdown perimeter defender and his defense is probably more valuable than his offense for the suns. kurt thomas came over from the knicks to add a physical, solid post player with amare injured, they could also slow the game down and run some half court sets with kurt in the game cause he excels in a slower paced system. he has been very important this year and the recent injury he suffered will definitly hurt the suns if he is not ready come playoff time. he is a great 10 and 10 guy and has been his whole career, a very solid rebounder, strong, and has a very reliable midrange shot. brian grant was picked up for his veteran experience and tough post defense. pat burke is a solid young post player picked up for depth and as insurance when amare got hurt, whenever hes in he plays hard and contributes all he can. shawn marion is a player the suns could never afford to lose and he is my most underrated player in the league. he does so many things and he is so talented, he has had a career year this year as well and nash has brought out the best player he can be in him. marion got his nickname the matrix because hes so athletic and such a high-flying finisher, youll always see him finishing off nash alley-oops. hes a double-double machine, his long arms and speed make him a great rebounder, hes a great scorer in transition(key part of offense), an excellent defender and a mismatch waiting to happen on both ends of the floor. his quick release shot is pretty awkward and kind of inconsistent, but effective and he has range from anywhere, really a specimen on the offensive end and an exciting player to watch. tim thomas amazed me when he came to phoenix after being cut by the bulls, i thought he was old, injured, and out of shape, but he has played like a star, like he is in his prime in the suns offense. he is kind of out of shape but his versatility on offense has been demonstrated to the fullest here. he can shoot the three and get hot on any given night, plus he has permission to launch here, plus he is pretty athletic and can finish and score around the basket, a valuable contriutor for the team as of late. dijon thompson is a rookie out of ucla who has hovered between the pros and the d-league, he is athletic and quick with raw ability, he still needs to develop and learn the pro game cause he can really fit in the sun's offense when he is ready. nikoloz tskitisvilli is a euro draft bust, thought to be the next great european player, lots of skills, fundamentals, and athletic ability, but he hasnt shown much of these and has had trouble adjusting to the pro game and has passed his chance to show that he can be a star in the nba. finally there is the injured superstar everyone is talking about, amare stoudemire. he has all the skills you could ask for out of a player but sometimes i think his value to the team is overrated, they have a lot of other good players. amare's only faults are that he isnt a great defender, but he makes up for it with game changing shot blocking. he is a freak athlete and a powerful finisher around the basket and nash's dream option on the fast break and in transition, many people credited all of nash's assists last year to amare alley oops but he has shown this year that that isnt true. what makes amare great is that he can do so much, he has become a fantastic shooter and quick enough with the dribble to handle the ball and make plays happen by himself. and of course hes a great rebounder. he was raw coming out of high school but has come into his own now.

I havent got a chance to watch portland much this year, only a few games when they played the rockets on tv, but ive watched enough to tell one thing: they are a team with a lot of talent but its all unrefined or undisciplined. they just need to develop more and grow as players, lots of guys could be qualified as headcases too and need to readjust their attitudes and work ethics. so like all teams of his type they show flahes of greatness but are too young to do that consistently and on some nights just dont show up to play. they could sneak up and surprise the experts one year soon by making the playoffs because you never know with young teams, and they have a great coach to instill discipline and teach them how to win in nate mckmillan. 90 percent of their roster is guys outta high school or who have only been out of HS or college for a few years. they do have a great but unproven point guard of the future in sebastian telfair, a new york high school legend who broke down all the scoring records and became pretty well known with the documentary that chronicled the year that he jumped from high school to the pros(he was drafted 12th last year). to me he looked like an allen iverson type of player, a little guy with amazing quickness, ball-handling ability, and a fearlessness in going to the basket and scoring (he scored 60 points plus multiple times in high school). hes shown in the pros and in the all star high school games playing against the top competition that hes more of a playmaker, makin his teammates better. hes really know for his flashy passes and how he does it so effortlessly, hes got too many highlight worthy passes to show and hes broken lots of assist records in the high school all star games. so basically hes a little guy with a ton of talent, but his shot still isnt that great for the pro level and he hasnt proved he can be a leader and win his team games, making his boys better. he put up very nice stats when he got the starting job at the end of last season but he lost more games then he won, and he has been up and down this year as hes struggled with injuries and the impressive play of his unheralded back up guard steve blake. even though "bassy" has been dubbed the point of the future both of his back-ups are in their early 20s and could easily come up and claim that title. steve blake was a young journeyman who was a star in college when maryland won the tourney, but has been warming the bench in the pros and just was thought to be too untalented and not good enough of a shooter to be a good pro. he ended up coming to portland and stepping up big time for the injured telfair, he has amazing chemistry on the court with his former terrapin backcourt mate juan dixon, the offense runs to perfection when those two are on the court together and steve blake really played great and the team played better as a whole when those two played together. thats what steve blake does best, run the offense, make plays happen, and push the tempo, he has shot better and shown much better scorng skills too when he is in his starting role. jarrett jack could also claim the title of point of the future, he has no shot and not good enough of an offensive game at this point though, but hes still very young (rookie out of georgia tech) and could easily improve in that area, seeing as hes very strong for a point guard, very physical and aggressive on the defensive end and a very good, scrappy defender. juan dixon is a young and important wing, not a long term option here but a good enough shooter and skilled enough to fit in with the offfense. like ive said, he has great chemistry on the court with steve blake and they should be played together all the time, the offense just runs smoother. probably will be replaced in the near future with martell webster, a rookie out of high school with a sweet stroke, a great shooter, but he cant do much else yet and cant create his own shot in the pros, needs to develop but has a lot more potential ability than dixon. hes started a few times but hasnt came through this year. ha-jeung jin is a super tall south korean, young too, but one of those very long term projects, who knows if his skills will ever pan out, he will probably just rot on the bench to be honest. viktor khyrpa is a russian rookie swingman who has good potential, he plays the game right and he seems to be coming along right and could be a very solid euro player in the near future. they picked up voshon lenard at the trade deadline, hes a three point shooting ace but has been injured often in the past few years and has been in and out of shape. darius miles had super high expectations coming out of high school, but he hasnt lived up to his potential yet and he doesnt look like he ever will. his shot hasnt come along, neither has his attitude or work ethic, but hes got the perfect nba body and athleticism and is a high energy and game changing dunker. so hes supposed to be a big star by now but hes only an average player with above average talent. travis outlaw is a young player from high school whose development will be very importanr for the team, right now hes fresh legs and athleticism coming off the bench, but has a lot of talent and undeveloped ability, with his athleticism and potential he could be very good someday. joel pryzibilla came out of nowhere, a very unheralded player, but has been a very solid double double kind of center and a stout defender and great shot blocker. zach randolph is an excellent post scorer, very hard to stop since hes left handed, has a soft touch too, just doesnt contribute on the defensive end and has had trouble stayin in shape after struggling with injuries last year. theo ratliff is way overpaid for being a veteran and for what he does, but hes an excellent post defender and a menacing shot blocking presence, very good with the dirty work and the little things inside, plus he brings experience and leadership to the young team. brian skinner is an undersized banger who brings another tough post presence and experience to this team but he doesnt help with shooting.

Seattle is an interesting team to watch. they surprisingly made the playoffs last year and made it to the 2nd round, giving the spurs everything they had, but they are actually pretty horrible this year. nate mcmillan gave them discipline last year and actually got them to play a little defense, and now that hes gone i see how valuable he was, he was the reason they had a good season last year. they have all the offensive firepower in the world or that any team could ask for, but they might be up there in the top three worst defensive teams of all time in the nba. they just look like they stand around and watch the other team score, i mean they consistently give up 100 plus points and even let my offensively challenged rockets drop 120 on them. they are really a finesse team with some serious holes to fill on the defensive end, they also need a long term option at the center or power forward. ray allen is the best pure shooter in the nba and has stepped up as a leader, but he doesnt help them at all on d, rashard lewis is also a great scorer and pure shooter, plus he can create mismatches with his size and athleticism, big time length. so along with those scoring specimens they have luke ridnour, a great playmaker and ball handler and one of the leagues better floor leaders but he cant really shoot and hes a little guy too. so that seems like all the offense you need, but they dont have any other role players that can play defense. chris wilcox was a trade deadline acquisition, a scrappy athlete who gets by with his hops and athletic ability, good rebounder as well but he cant shoot and he doesnt play defense. robert swift is a long term project outta high school one or two years ago, skinny as hell but pretty skilled and athletic, white boy outta high school. nick collison is scrappy, an undersized banger and great with the dirty work, defense and boards, but he needs to get himself an offensive game to be a complete power forward. earl watson came over here too, not afraid to jack up shots and probably the team's best perimter defensive stopper. danny fortson hasnt played much this year thanks to a volatile temper and injuries, but hes the enforcer when hes in the game, one of the leagues most physical and dirty players, but a valuable and aggressive force on the glass and on defense for the sonics, kind of undersized for what he does though (F/C). damien wilkins has impressed me with his versatility and scoring whenever i watch but i guess hes kind of a tweener and doesnt do one thing well enough to get a bunch of playing time, good genes though (dominic's nephew). mike wilks is a backup guard who never plays, johan petro is an athletic finesse center and a decent scorer but he needs to get stronger and more developed. mikki moore is a vet center out of nebraska who has been getting a lot more playing time down the stretch, i guess anyone could since the sonics have almost no frontline, they really need a center. he has been playing solid on both ends though and i guess hes givin them what they want.

The Oakland region of this years bracket started off with memphis and oral roberts, the 1 and 16 seeds. lots of so called experts were sayin oral roberts was one of the better 16 seeds ever and could give memphis some trouble, but i saw a number one and a sixteen seed so i picked memphis obviously. memphis is so athletic and fast, they full court press you the whole game and keep bringin in new guys who are just as quick and athletic as the guys they come in for, plus they got great length and can shoot the three, so i thought there speed and constant pressure and runnin the floor would just wear oral roberts out and allow the tigers to eventually take over the game. well they did. oral roberts hung with memphis in the 1st half and even lead a few times by knocking down all their shots and taking advantage of all their possesions, but they cooled down and got off their high and memphis just played their style of basketball the whole game, getting oral roberts tired so the tigers could eventually blow out oral u.

arkansas and bucknell were the 8 and 9 matchup. i picked arkansas because of their advantage in the athletic and overall talent department, plus a tougher schedule, but the bison have lots of experience and know how to win in the tourney after their big upset of kansas last year. they are not just happy to be here and execute their game plan perfectly, they are a good team with players who play their roles. arkansas's standout players are their guard ronnie brewer, hes a great athlete and high energy playmaker but he has a horrible shot. they have a 7 foot center, last name hill, who is a shot blocking force and game changing defender. lots of quickness and athletic ability on this team. bucknell has some guys that can hit the three consistently when they get hot they can dominate. they also have great inside presences on offense and defense, very balanced, very experienced but not that athletic. bucknell was kind of in control this whole game, they shot the three unbelievably well, the big guys had solid games, but the shooting really set them apart from arkansas and helped them take over the game and win. arkansas stayed in the game with brewer's scoring but never got close enough to take a big lead and ended up getting beat.

pittsburgh and kent state was the 5 and 12 matchup. i picked pitt to go all the way to the final four so this was an important game for me. pittsburgh had the obvious talent advantage, with outstanding senior guard carl krauser leading the way and forward aaron gray developing into a very solid and consistent force in the post, pitt also has a great inside outside presence. krauser is a great playmaker and when hes shooting well pitt can beat anyone. gray is never flashy or a real high scorer but hes a big guy, always solid and a good rebounder who can score when they run stuff for him but isnt a big scorer, still has room to improve. pitt also played in the tough big east and they were a surprise as one of the last three unbeaten teams in the league deep in the regualt season. kent state had the advantage of upsetting pitt in the tournament two years ago so that fact might be in there heads, plus they are a pretty balanced and solid team, good on the perimeter but they have no interior game, no inside player over 6 foot 9 so i expected aaron gray to dominate the pansies in the paint of kent state in this one. the panthers had no trouble in this game and took care of business, they played well on both ends and dominated the whole time, much to my relief.

kansas and bradley was the 4 and 13 game, an important game for much of the nations brackets since the spectacular end to kansas's season and their big 12 championship win gave cause to many bracket users (including SI) to pick kansas to go all the way to the final four with all that momentum they carried in here. i myself was not stupid enough to pick a team full of freshmen and sophmores to go that far, but i at least picked them to beat bradley. many thought this was a rebuilding year for kansas, they had lost all key players from last year and even with the nations top recruiting class they werent supposed to be that good this year. they got off to a bad start but some of the frosh stepped up big and lead the jayhawks to an outstanding end to the season. they played suffocating defense all year, really efficient and opportunistic, and once guys like brandon rush and chalmers started taking over games with their scoring and athletic ability the jayhawks became a bona fide contender. bradley had an outstanding season down the strech in the missouri valley conference too, they were very unheralded in the conference and werent even on tv on bracket buster saturday, but they beat some conference powerhouses at the end and even made it to the MVC championship game before losing to southern illinois. they are a fast breaking team, very quick and have some underrated athletetes, plus they have a 7 foot center with lots of skills and an nba future, great inside presence. the braves took a quick lead and never let up on kansas, they just played great basketball, the jayhawks were not shooting well at all, bradley really repped the mid-majors and put on a showcase of all the underrated talent in their conference, pulled off the big upset and killed the brackets of many.

indiana demanded some respect for the big ten with the 6 seed as they took on the 12, san diego state. this was a pretty compelling matchup, SDST was a popular upset pick with the experts but i wasnt buyin that bs, i had seen the majority of the big ten games this year and even though indiana was up and down this season they had the toughness and experience needed to win in the tourney, plus i was happy to see the hoosiers back. 1st of all i think mike davis is an annoying and crappy coach, the only reason he got to the final four (eventually lost in title game) when he 1st came was because he was coaching bobby knights team. he also seems to restrict the ability of their talented guards this year. they have robert vaden as one of the better three point shooters out there playin shooting guard, and there other big star is marco killingsworth, a near dominant force in the post, very strong and takes up a lot of space but has great moves and skills and is one of the better post scorers out there. they have a pretty tough defense, and they played well down the stretch after coach davis announced that he would resign at the end of the year. san diego state has some great speed and athleticsim plus a deadly and high scoring forward, marcus slaughter. this was a really good game, went back and forth a lot and neither team pulled away at any point even though SDST looked like they would a few times. indiana got very balanced play from their guys on offense and vaden hit a big game winning three with a couple seconds left to give the hoosiers a thrilling victory and me a big win on my bracket.

in the 3 and 14 matchup west coast conference champ gonzaga (former giant killer, now a giant themselves) played the a-10 champ, xavier, a very dangerous mid major for gonzaga. the zags definitly have more talent, there are some guys around their super hyped star adam morrsion that can play too but they dont get much credit. they arent a great defensive team and didnt have a tough schedule in the conference even with a good one outside the WCC, but they have an inside-out threat on offense and maybe the best player in the nation leading them in morrsion. he is an awkward player and doesnt really play d, but hes tall and very versatile, he has a funny shot but it goes in and is nearly unblockable, great shooter and scorer, awesome clutch player and one of the most competetive and emotional guys to play in a long time. people say hes even better becasue he has no supporting cast, but like ive said, his bros are underrated. derek ravio can hit the open three consistently, a very deadly shooter if you put too much pressure on morrsion and a near flawless free throw shooter, while j.p. batista is perhaps the most underrated player in the nation (he averaged 19 points and about 10 boards a game), he is a solid rock in the post, always a reliable scorer and banger when the other guys have off nights or when he is needed in the clutch. i didnt watch xavier this year and i didnt pick them, but i know they were a surprise conference champ and they have a really dangerous, balanced attack on both sides of the ball, slowed down tempo. xavier was winning this game almost the whole time, but it was kinda back and forth and the bulldogs stayed in it the whole time, this was a highly emotional game and morrison was goin crazy, kind of acting like a freak. but he made up for it by saving his team with great scoring down the stretch and some clutch buckets to give the zags a big win, a really intense and tough game that gonzaga was probably lucky to win.

marquette and alabama played in the 7 and 10 game, a tough one to pick. marquette played in the tough big east, and they have some experience and some serious sharp shooters. when steve novak is hot from three point range they can beat any team in the nation, as they showed when they rode his 40+ points to beat uconn in the regualar season. they also have an outstanding freshman point guard, cant remember his name but ive seen him play and hes an electric playmaker and a pretty good scorer. they are not as athletic as alabama but they had a good season in a tough conference and can really shoot the ball. alabama didnt have a very good record but they played one of the toughest schedules in the nation and had a really high RPI. they were a pretty underrated team all year, have some great athletes, got some nice depth and get good guard play. ronald steele is one of the better guards in the nation, got the total package. i still questioned bama getting in the tourney cause there were some good teams with better records that missed out, but they ended up winning this game so i have to take it back. i picked marquette by the way. the real reason they won was because they actually shot better than marquette, unhearalded back up guard and notorious streaky shooter jean felix(or juan) ended up torching his previous career high of 19 with 31 points in this game, mostly from super accurate threes. the golden eagles launched plenty of comeback attempts and got close on a number of occasions but (surprisingly) novak missed a potential wide open game winner and marquette went home the losers cause they didnt shoot well enough.

finally the end of the 1st round matchups here arrived with the 2 and 15, ucla and belmont. i have no idea where belmont is, its there 1st tourney appearance and there were just happy to be there. ucla was a young team but there young players played like veterans this year and led the team to an outstanding season, they were looking for a final four and possible championship this year even though they had their haters. jordan farmar leads the way for the bruins, hes their go to guy, he scores when they need him to, he directs the tempo, hes also a great passer and playmaker, only a soph. his backcourt mate arron afflalo is a lockdown defender and is always asked to shut down the opponents best player, hes also dangerous from three point range and when hes hot ucla is unstoppable. luc richard mbah a moute is their outstanding freshmen forward and pac -10 frosh of the year, has raw skills cause he only learned the game five years ago but he has great natural ability, gives the bruins a rebounding presence, and is athletic too. ryan hollins is their seven foot center, talented but inconsistent, also a vital part of the team. ucla was one of the most frustrating and suffocating defensive teams in college this year, they're up in their opponents grill the whole time, really physical and they really pressure the ball, that asset of their team could get them deep in the playoffs. their offense is kind of slow and methodical but very effective and with their talented guards controlling the tempo they dont have to worry about production. i picked the bruins. they got off to a slow start in this game but after getting past their 1st time jitters ucla dominated the rest of the way, great offensivly, scoring at will, and playing that trademark defense to shut belmont down and control the 2nd half.

memphis took on bucknell, and their speed and athleticism were dominate over the bison, they took over the 2nd half and they were just too much for bucknell. the bison also did not shoot as well in this game. i picked memphis to beat arkansas in this game. they beat bucknell and moved on.

my bracket got killed in the pitt and bradley game, bradley's center had the game of a lifetime and dominated the paint, showed off his nba caliber skills. carl krauser and his hombres shot decent but bradley played like a team possesed. aaron gray didnt play very spectacular, he never really does but he really didnt this game, as the paint was dominated by the braves, who's high powered and underrated fast breaking offense took over and never let up their lead on the panthers, just like the kansas game, and they took out pitt pretty easily. i picked pitt to beat kansas in this game.

indiana and gonzaga ended up being a great game. morrision played like poop but his teammates stepped up big time and proved to the nation that they are not just faceless dudes standing around to watch morrison score. everyone played big and stepped up the scoring on the inside and the outside, and made up for adam's off night. the hoosiers played pretty tough, but killingsworth had a horrible game, batista won this battle, and the guards could not play well enough (except for calloway) for the hoosiers to win this battle, defined by the big games had by morrison's sidekicks. mike davis's final game as indiana coach, gladly. i picked the zags to beat ind. in this game.

ucla played alabama, and this was the closest game the bruins had to play before the championship. ucla had another good defensive effort, but alabama has some serious athleticism and talent on this squad and they can score. they showed how good they are in this game and how their record does not do them justice, even though ucla did win the game. they didnt have an amazing offensive night but the bruins' guards controlled this game the whole time and even though alabama fought and looked like they had plenty of chances to win ucla is just too balanced, too good and aggresive on defense. i picked ucla over marquette.

memphis then took on bradley in the sweet 16, as i picked pitt over the tigers in this game. i didnt get a chance to watch much of this one since this section of my bracket was already screwed, but i thought the braves might be able to hang with the fast pace of this game for a while since they are a fast tempo team but memphis has too much speed, depth, and athleticism to bow down to this mid major. they never got huge seperation throughout the game but memphis still controlled this matchup, too much talent for bradley, we all knew they couldnt keep up this tourney run against all these super talented teams for much longer (but then again, george mason did it). they didnt control the paint either like they did against pitt, the memphis post players are too strong and athletic.

ucla played gonzaga in the other sweet 16 matchup of this region, i thought this would be a great game and i definitly watched this one. i picked ucla to advance over the zags to the next round. this game matched the zags high powered offense against the bruins tough and aggressive d, and i knew morrison would have to get a big game to win this one for his team, they couldnt get by a team like ucla with their other players like they did to indiana. if ucla could shoot well on offense and if they could get production out of their big men i thought they could dominate this one. well gonzaga pretty much dominated the whole 1st half and for most of the 2nd, morrsion didnt play amazing but he played well and play with his competetive edge and scorers mentality the whole time. ravio was hitting his open shots and batista was solid, it was just a great team effort on offense and the balance helped to them to almost score at will on the bruins vaunted d. but then the comeback started, farmar controlled the tempo and made plays happen, while mbah a moute started scoring in bunches and afflalo started hitting shots and playing his ferocious defense. next thing you know ucla is right back within a point or two and gonzaga is tossing in the inbounds, morrsion gets trapped and passes to batista, who kind of panics and loses the ball to farmar, who chucks a pass to mbah a moute, who finshes with a resounding dunk to take the lead with a few secs left. morrsion already breaks down and starts crying like its over, a move i didnt like at all, that sends a hopeless message to your team when ur the leader, a game is never over until it is over, i didnt expect that from morrsion. well ravio takes the ball down court and loses the ball to the bruins, who are immediatly fouled. after the foul shots ravio gets a decent look at the basket to win it but it doesnt go down, and ucla advances.

in the elite eight matchup ucla took on memphis, a battle of mostly young teams with lots of talent and hardly any tournament experiene. the key factor would be ucla's defense, if they could force the young tigers into shooting up bad threes then they would win the game. i picked pitt to beat ucla in this game. well ucla did exactly what they needed to, they held memphis to only 45 points, memphis shot horribly and got no production from carney or any other of their hyped athletes, while ucla scored just enough to win, as they still almost lost the game thanks to poor shooting and inconsistent production from the post. teams are starting to figure out how to stop ucla's whole pick and roll with farmar thing. well ucla's fearsome defense won them the game and they moved on to the final four.

This region (like all of the others actually) has some very interesting teams, and is very difficult to predict. duke is the number one seed in this region, while texas claims the number 2, iowa the three, lsu claims number 4, and syracuse number 5 to round out the elite seeds. this was probably my favorite region to pay atention too cause my iowa hawkeyes were in it, but as i would soon learn my joy at seeing iowa win the big ten title and get a number 3 seed would quickly evaporate. well the 1st matchup of this region is the 1 seed vs the 16, duke vs southern university. southern won their conference championship to get the tourney bid and duke was the number 1 overall seed and acc champ, but these games are no brainers seeing as a 16 has never beaten a one, so the much more talented duke got my pick. all i know about southern is that avery johnson played there, and they could have used him on this day. duke got off to a slow start and southern hung with them until the 2nd half, even getting within four points, but j.j. started raining in shots and shelden dominated the inside and duke took over this game easily. so the stars on the team took over the game for duke and they ended up blowin out southern. the other guys for duke did not have great games though.

the 8 and 9 matchup was george washington and unc-wilmington, a tough game to predict. george washington had an amazing season, amassing the best record in college and going undefeated in the regular season conference schedule. some people thought they were overrated, others thought they had too good of a record to have garnered an 8 seed and such a tough opponent. GW is known for their depth (5 or 6 guys averaging in double figures in scoring), athleticism, and constant defensive and offensive pressure, a really fast, relentless, up and down team that likes to push the tempo. wilmington was known for their very tough defense, and good shooting. i picked GW for this game because they were too athletic and too talented, even though the slowed down, tough defense of unc-wilmington didnt match up well for GW. well unc-wil. looked like they were dominating this team, even holding an 18 point lead once. they were draining three pointers and playing great d, but GW kept playing the way they play, at such a relentless pace, up and down the floor, bringing in new guys who were scoring just as well as they guys they came in for. george wash. ended up tying the game with some clutch free throws , and sent the game to overtime. at the end GW just had more juice in their tank and outplayed unc-wilmington on both ends, winning the game in a legendary comeback. i think they would have won easier if they super athletic and fan favorie pops mensah-bonsu was 100 percent healthy, as this was his 1st game back after having knee surgery.

next was big east tournament champ syracuse, the big surprise team that was on the bubble for the ncaas before making that classic run through the big east tourney to take the trophy riding the shoulders of their clutch star guard, gerry mcnamara, who was playing like a man possesed after all the talk of him beign overrated. they were the 5 seed, and they took on the 12, texas a&m, a generally young team with low expectations who surprised everyone by having a great season (even with a pretty weak schedule, a good coaching move to build his teams confidence by billy gillispie) and getting a big win over rival texas, which probably got them into the tourney. i really believe that the coaching for a&m was the big reason that they were so good. standout players are acie law, a talented and experienced scorer and leader whos clutch three beat texas in the regular season, and joseph jones, a beast in the post, one of the stronger forwards in the league and an important force in the post for a&m, ca get in foul trouble and isnt a very good shooter though. syracuse of course has gerry mcnamara, who probably is overrated but is an amazing clutch player and three point shooter, where he goes the team goes, great leader. his fellow guard, devendorf, is also a good three shooter and scorer. the big men are also important for this team, an inconsistent group but also talented, when they give 'cuse an inside presence the orange can hang with anyone. well i picked 'cuse cause i thought they would be riding the momentum from their big east championship and on the play of gmac into the tourney, i thoguht theyd play with emotion, possesed like they did to beat all those good big east teams. i also assumed a&m would just be happy to be here. i was wrong. the aggies came to play right out the gate, taking a lead and never letting up. the big story of this game was gmac not getting a field goal and only getting two poins off of free throws. he was probably the reason the orange would lose, as the big men stepped up but they got nothing out of gerry or the other guards. acie law had a nice game, as did the entire aggie team to beat an uninspired looking syracuse pretty easily.

lsu played iona in the 4 vs 11 matchup. lsu's problem is they cant shoot the ball well at all, especially the three, but they have some great athletes, one of the best inside presences in the nation, and they play suffocating pressure defense. standout players are glen "big baby" davis, a huge 310 pound forward/center whos strong and can push his way around to score and grab rebounds with his nba-size body but has amazing footwork, quickness, and athleticism for a guy his size, he is just kind of outta shape. tyrus thomas is a ferocious forward, an amazing shot blocker, athlete, and finisher, great all around game and still learning to control his game, hes only a freshmen. daryll mitchell is their motor, their high energy playmaking point guard. tasmin mitchell is also a valuable athleteic guard and defender. iona isnt even close to having an inside presence to battle with lsu, but they have some amazing scoring guards, one of them is third in the nation in scoring. they would have to take over the game and put up near-perfect games if they were to beat lsu. i picked lsu easy just cause iona doesnt have anyone to combat tyrus and big baby inside. well the tigers started slow, shot poorly, and struggled to get the ball to big baby in the 1st half while iona's guards kept them in the game, but glen davis took over the game in the 2nd half and lsu played much better all around, eventually blowing out iona.

next up is west virginia vs southern illinois, the 6 and 11 seeds. west virginia is a very dangerous team, they shoot a ton of threes and rely on them to win their games, they can dominate games when their threes are falling. they are not very athletic and dont have a big inside presence, but all their players play hard and hustle non-stop and can shoot lights out when they are on. southern illinois (missouri valley conference tourney champs) is known for their tough defense, one of the stingiest in the nation, but they have a slow, grind it out offense that isnt very good when they fall behind and need to launch a comeback. west virginias key player are kevin pittsnogle, a 6 foot 11 three point assasin who has one of the quickest releases in the nation and has unlimited range. hes so dangerous and hard to stop because he almost always plays on the pereimter, and you cant get in his face cause he launches it from anywhere so qucikly. he became a houehold name for his three point heroics in the tourney last year, and has improved his post moves a little this year, thats not his specialty though. mike gansey is probably the team's best player, the definition of a basketball player, has great all around skills, three point shooting, constant hustle, effort, and energy, great defense, all this makes up for his lack of athletic ability. beilen (the coaches son) can also shoot lights out. i picked west virginia cause theyve been here before, they can shoot well and build a big lead, and have senior leadership. they got off to a big lead in the 1st half and never let up, SIU's offense could not launch a comback and west virginia shot well, kevin had a great game for the mountaineers as they blew out the salukis.

iowa played northwestern state in the 3 and 11 matchup, and this was probably the biggest cinderella of this years tourney. i already profiled iowa in another blog, they are known for having one of the nation's top defenses and great senior leadership, making up for lack of great athletes or a great offense, even though guard jeff horner is a fantastic three point shooter with unlimited range. northwestern state was being heralded as a possible upset casue they matched up favorably with the hawkeyes, great athletes, lots of depth, full court pressure, and a three point heavy offense. i picked iowa cause i thought they had enough experience and defensive ability to control this game from the start, just run their offense, build a lead, and control the rest of the game for the less talented northwestern state team. well iowa held a comfortable lead for most of the game and even looked like they would blow out NWST for a while, brunner was very solid and haluska was draining in every shot he took. well iowa started playing not to lose instead of playin to win and northwestern started busting threes non-stop to come back in the game, behind by two points with only seconds remaining. brunner missed a free throw that would have at least forced overtime, and northwestern launched a miracle last second three pointer, fading away with a hand in his face, to beat iowa and create the biggest upset of the tourney, a major bracket buster and blow to steve alfords senior lead team and to his resume, not a good one in the ncaas.

california met n.c. state in the 7-10 game next. cali's success hinges on leon powe, their star forward, one of the strongest players in the ncaa, great rebounder, and physical scorer who knows how to use his body. he gives cal an inside presence that is not rivaled by many, other than not i havent seen too many pac-10 games down in texas so i dont know too much about cal's other players. i knew n.c. state really depended on their three point shooting, and if they werent falling than the team doesnt play well, which is their biggest weakness. they have a pretty tough offense filled with plenty of cuts to the basket and a tough defense as well. i picked cal because nc state doesnt have an inside threat to rival powe, and the wolfpack had lost 4 straight acc games and didnt have much momentum going into this game. nc state ended up winning, they shot the ball well, and just played a good overall game, plus powe didnt have a great game and he was the key to cal winning.

texas and penn round out the 1st round matchups in the atlanta region, the 2 and 15. texas had a huge talent advantage over penn, i expected them to pull away against the ivy league champ early. to me it was like nba vs college is this matchup, i mean texas just has the total package with their talent. they dont have a true point guard but their offense is still one of the best. kenton paulino runs the point but hes more a pure shooter, a deadly three point shoting threat who is scary when he gets hot. daniel gibson spent some time at the point early in the year but switched to his natural 2 guard after a while, were he had much more success. he loves t ojack up threes, he can make them though and he knows how to score, if he wants to play at the next level he needs to learn how to run the point though. pj tucker is a valuable player, an undersized power forward who is very strong and athletic, strong enough to score in the post and grab boards, he was big 12 player of the year, just needs to keep his head on his shoulders cause hes not the smartest player. lamarcus aldrige is a future nba lottery pick, whenever he chooses to leave. hes got the total package, length, strength, athleticism, soft touch and a good midrange shot plus hes got his fundamentals down, can really grab boards and block shots, hes just inconsistent. brad buckman is their very valuable forward, doesnt put up big stats but hes a big body in the post who can rebound, and can shoot the open set shot from anywhere, important role and dirty work player. so obviously i picked texas. well that pick wasnt lookin so hot when penn had a great 1st half, they were executing when they got opportunities, makin shots, and texas didnt play that great on offense. penn gave texas all they had the whole game but texas's talent advantage and just plain advantage in all categories was too much for the quakers at the end, the longhorns pulled out this much tougher game than expected by eight.

in the 2nd round we start with duke and GW. i picked duke. for duke to win jj had to shoot well and get out of his slump, cause shelden should dismantle the inside in this game and an inside-out threat like jj and shelden is unbeatable. other players needed to step up as well, if not in this game than for making a deep run in the tourney later. gw would have to control the pace, really push the tempo and put pressure defense on the blue devils from start to finish to have a chance, just keep sendin guys at 'em relentlessly. well gw's fastbreaking ways and athleticism kept them in the game early but duke's talent advantage soon became evident and they controlled the rest of the game. shelden dominated the post and scored almost whenever they got him the ball, jj made some clutch bombs and shoot well when they needed him too, and all the freshmen stepped up and had big games. mcroberts showed his talent, he really played well down the stretch this year, and greg paulus was a near flawless playmaker here too, gettin the ball to his mates and makin shots when called upon. duke won pretty easily.

texas a&m played lsu next. i picked lsu to advance past 'cuse in this round. the aggies hung in the whole time, almost won too. lsu shot horribly but big baby and tyrus dominated the inside, joseph jones got in foul trouble and became a no-factor. acie law and other aggies all played great, they had trouble getting their offense rolling too against the tigers defense but they played defense and scored when they needed to, playin a complete game. it all came down to daryll mitchell bustin a clutch three to propel lsu past the tough aggies and end a&m's dream run.

west virginia played northwestern state next. the mountaineers shot really well again, pittsnogle was draining in threes and everyone else stepped up when they had too. WV slowed things down and their defense contained the fast paced NWST, their offense and shooting abilities exposed northwestern's weaknesses too. northwestern ended up nearly launchin another legendary comeback, makin all their threes and gettin what looked like a blowout to a close game, but west virginias lead was too much to overcome and cinderella was finished. i picked iowa to advance past west virginia in this game.

nc state played texas next. i didnt get to watch this game, but texas dominated the whole time, three point shooting was a problem for the wolfpack and texas had a big talent advantage, plus their defense was stingy and they ended up blowing out nc state, even though they tried to set a comeback by making a few threes. i picked texas over cal in this game.

next game to start the sweet 16 is duke vs lsu. like ive said, lsu has great athleticism and post players, while duke has plenty of fans on their side with their exciting style of play and shooting star redick, plus an inside-outside threat pretty much unrivaled in the nation. i picked duke to advance, but i dont think they have the total package when it comes to defense and consistency to win the whole thing, redick has been in a slump, u never know what ya gonna get from the talented frosh either. well anyway i picked duke cause i thought shelden williams was good enough to take down big baby and j.j. would light 'em up from outside when williams drew pressure inside, allowin other guys to step up as well. well lsu came to play, the story of the night was the tigers defense, their pressure totally rattled redick, he only got 11 points on 3 for 18 shooting. this really shows that if ur allowed to push redick around and be physical with him than u can basically nullify his shooting ability. shelden had a monster game, played his ass off on both ends, but not enough other guys stepped up, duke had trouble scoring, and lsu showed their tough defense and the way they put pressure on you. big baby still had a good game, tyrus thomas has played like a beast in the postseason though and taken the spotlight with his shot blocking and high leaping. lsu won this one actually pretty easily.

next sweet 16 matchup in the bracket is texas and west virginia, i picked texas and this would end up becoming one of the best, and just most exciting games of the tourney. these teams had come down to the wire in the season but texas pulled off the win. on paper texas looks like they should blow the mountaineers out, they have a dominating inside presence, and a lot more natural talent and athleticism. but west virginia is always on fire from three point range when they play texas and this game was no different. everyone was hitting the trey for WV and pittsnogle ended up having one of his best games, just launching them less than seconds after getting the pass and they would just swish through the net every time. lamarcus aldrigde dominated the paint, his scoring and rebounding could not be stopped. pj got plenty of points inside as well, while buckman had a typical game and the guards, except for the clutch play of kenton paulino, didnt have a great game. texas looked like they would pull away at times but WV's shooting kept the game close, until pittsnogle tied it up with a big three with 5 seconds left on the clock. daniel gibson took the ball down court and quickly dished it to paulino, who launched up a desperation, off balance three that went right through the net and gave texas the win, sending them to the elite eight.

so the regional final in the atlanta region was texas and lsu, both very similar teams with lots of talent and athleticism and big time inside threats, very feared on both sides of the ball, texas might have had the slight edge in the shooting department while lsu probably has the more dominating big men. i picked duke over texas in this matchup. well this game was a showcase for either defense or bad shooting, whatever u wanna call it. texas had serious trouble scoring and connecting on their shots in the 2nd half, but lsu cant shoot for crap either so both teams evened it out and made this a good but sloppy game. lamarcus aldridge had maybe his worse game ever, only 4 points on like 2 for 16 shooting, he just could not make anything. buckman had a solid 1st half, shot well from deep, but couldnt make anything in the 2nd. d-gib made some big threes to keep texas close and send the game to overtime, pj struggled as well though. big baby and tyrus thomas dominated the game and single handedly led lsu. tyrus was droppin alley oops like crazy, blockin shots too while big baby showed his versatility and nice shooting touch. in the end lsu's defense and (in this game at least) dominance in the paint gave them the win, and they would move on to rep the atlanta region in the final four.