Total Madness- The Sweet Sixteen Edition

 Okay if you read the previous post you know I didn't pick very well in this first round and my Final Four sleeper pick was ousted in the second round (sorry for not posting a second round pick entry). Now I have a good feel for all of the teams and I think my predictions will be better. 

  Midwest

12) Arizona vs. 1) Louisville- Arizona has really impressed me in their first two games, however they haven't played a team who has their level of talent so far. This Wildcats team has been too athletic for Utah and Cleveland State but Louisville certainly won't have that problem. The Cardinals did not look too good in their last game but they will bounce back and beat the only remaining double- digit seed. The Pick: Louisville 83- 76

3) Kansas vs. 2) Michigan State- Michigan State is one of the teams I haven't really seen a lot of, but this Kansas squad has real potential to repeat. They might have the best inside- outside combo in the tournament in Aldrich and Collins. Aldrich has been playing out of his mind and unless the Spartans can slow him they're in trouble (I don't think they will). The Pick: Kansas 73- 62

   West

5) Purdue vs. 1) UConn- Connecticut has been playing amazing and yet many people are still doubting them. I am not one of those people. I think Purdue is good but the Huskies are so much bigger, more athletic, and deeper. On a side note Thabeet is being exposed as a tall player rather than a really good player. How is this guy going to score points in the pros if he can't score in college? Look out for this Huskies team. The Pick: UConn 80- 67

3) Missouri vs. 2) Memphis- Memphis looked dreadful against Northridge but responded great against Maryland. They are looking good right now but so is Mizzou.  Although a five point win over Marquette didn't exactly wow me. It bothers me that Memphis relies so heavily on a freshman. That will come back to haunt them in the long run. The Pick: Memphis 82-79

East

4) Xavier vs. 1) Pitt- Pitt has been playing terrible lately. If they play like they have the first two games, they will lose to Xavier. But I am going to say that they will bounce back in the Sweet Sixteen. Pitt has so many weapons to hit an opposing team with, but they have just yet to utilize all of them. This is the game that the team will finally come together and play up to their capability. The Pick: Pitt 83- 68

3) Villanova vs. 2) Duke- This is the game of the round. Duke is one of the hottest teams dating back to the ACC tournament and Nova is coming off a big win over UCLA. What I've seen of Duke this year I have really liked and the same goes for the Wildcats. This will be hard fought, well-coached game that possibly (hopefully!) will come down to the final possession. The Pick: Duke 74-72

South

4) Gonzaga vs. 1) UNC- Wait, wasn't Lawson supposed to be hurt? Instead he was the key player in a win over LSU. This spells good news for the Tar Heels. They are probably the most talented team in the tournament but are also prone to bad lapses. Unless a team catches the on an off day they are looking very good to be in the title game. The Pick: UNC 83- 70

3) Syracuse vs 2) Oklahoma- The difference in this game is two words: Blake Griffin. The Pick: OU 75- 74

My revised Final Four: Kansas, UConn, Pitt, and Oklahoma.

Champion: Pitt

Total Madness- My picks for the first round of the NCAA tournament

March Madness is now upon us. Everything that surrounds this event is total madness. The coaches, Gus Johnson, losers of their bracket pools, and the losers of the actually games are all MAD.  Hopefully I won't be too mad with my picks. 

Midwest Regional

16) Moorehead State vs. 1) Louisville- This really isn't even a contest, Louisville is one of the best teams in the tournament and there is no way the become the first number one seed to go down against a sixteen. The Pick: Louisville 86- 58

 9) Siena  vs. 8) Ohio State-  I don't know a whole lot about either team except that Siena has many players who are experienced and Ohio State does not. The Pick: Siena 68- 64

12) Arizona vs. 5) Utah- Arizona was not very good this year. They've underacheived majorly and probably shouldn't even be in the tournament. The Pick- Utah 74- 65

13) Cleveland State vs. 4) Wake Forest- This is a Wake Forest team that was number one at one point. I believe if they catch fire they have the talent to be a Final Four sleeper. The Pick: Wake 81-67

11) Dayton vs 6) West Virginia- Dayton doesn't have their best player and West Virginia really looked good against Pitt. The Pick: West Virginia 77-66

14) North Dakota State vs 3) Kansas- This has been the trendy upset pick and I really like the Bison as well, the Jayhawks are in for a big surprise. The Pick: NDSU 77-75

10) USC vs 7) Boston College- USC is on a high after winning the Pac 10 tourney, but BC almost upset Duke in the ACC . This will be a very good game with many talented scorers. The Pick: USC 79-73

15) Robert Morris vs 2) Michigan State-  No big upset here. The Pick- Michigan State 88-65

West

16) UT- Chattanooga vs 1) UConn- I don't think Chattanooga has anyone that is 7'3". The Pick: UConn 93-70

9) Texas A&M vs 8) BYU- This is just one of those games where I don't know anything about either team so I'm just picking one. The Pick: A&M- 77-72

12) Northern Iowa vs 5)Purdue- Purdue looked really good in the Big 10 tournament. The Pick: Purdue 76-63

13) Mississippi State vs 4) Washington- I really like this Huskies team and not many others do, but I think they are dangerous. The Pick: Washington 80-68

11)Utah State vs 6) Marquette- If Dominic James hadn't gotten hurt Marquette could've gotten a three seed possibly, but he did and they have a tough draw. The Pick: Utah St. 74-73

14)Cornell vs. 3)Missouri- Missouri is flat out good. Yes, Missouri. The Pick- Mizzou 84-68

10)Maryland vs 7) California- I base a lot of my picks on the ability of one player (which is flawed, but who cares?) and I think Vazquez is very good. VERY good. The Pick: Maryland 80-76

15) CS- Northridge vs 2) Memphis- Memphis is gonna go far. The Pick: Memphis 85-67

East

16) East Tennessee State vs 1) Pitt- I really like a certain player on this game that get a whole bunch of rebounds for Pitt. Blair is gonna take this team deep. The Pick: 86-60

9) Tennessee vs 8) Oklahoma State- I really like Bruce Pearl and I just think Tennessee is more talented. The Pick: 73-67

12) Wisconsin vs 5) Florida State- Toney Douglas is a great player and can just take over games with his scoring ability. The Pick: FSU 78-71

13) Portland State vs 4) Xavier- Xavier always seems to do good in first round games. The Pick- Xavier 78-67

11) VCU vs 6) UCLA- This UCLA program has made three straight Final Fours; I don't see that this year but I'm not totally buying VCU. The Pick: UCLA 82-76

14)American vs 3) Villanova- Nova is very deep in the backcourt and they remind me a lot of the team a few years back that was robbed by the officials against Carolina. The Pick: Nova 82-66

10) Minnesota vs. 7) Texas- Texas has lots of talent and Minnesota is one of those super gritty teams, should be a good one. The Pick: Texas 86-83

15) Binghamton vs 2) Duke- Duke has looked really good each time I've seed them. Henderson and Singler are great. The Pick: Duke 89-62

South

16)Radford  vs 1) UNC- Please Radford pull off a miricle! The Pick: UNC 90-63

9)Butler vs 8) LSU- Butler is another one of those mid majors who always fare well in the Big Dance. The Pick- Butler 78- 72

12)Western Kentucky vs 5) Illinois- The Illini's best player is out but I don't see Western Kentucky pulling off this one. The Pick: Illinois 65-62

13) Akron vs 4) Gonzaga- Is this the year of Gonzaga? The Pick: 82- 69

11) Temple vs 6) Arizona State- Christmas is not in March. The Pick: Arizona State 81-70

14) Stephen F. Austin vs 3) Syracuse- 'Cuse doesn't need to worry about going six OT's here. The Pick: Syracuse 84-69

10) Michigan vs 7) Clemson- Oh my goodness! Clemson is the tournament again?!?! The Pick: Michigan 80-75

15) Morgan State vs 2) Oklahoma- Two words- Blake Griffen. The Pick 87-66

My Final Four: Louisville, Memphis, Pitt, and (drumroll) Arizona State! Yes I really like Arizona State!

Champion: Pitt