Florida's Joakin Noah (right) and teammate Al Horford (left) sandwich Arkensas' Michael Washington during the SEC Championship game. (MCT Campus photo)
The Madness
is Back
By Ben Legwold
It’s finally March when 65 college basketball teams across the nation come together and compete to be NCAA national champions, but why is it so much more than that? Why is it so intense that college fans won’t go to the bathroom during a game because they are afraid they will miss something? Why is it that people can predict who will make it to the Final Four, but rarely get all four correct? It’s madness people, March Madness.
Each team that goes to the big dance has a possibility it could be the George Mason of last year, which is why this tournament is so special. There are upsets every year and if a higher seeded team doesn’t show up and play its “A” game, it can be a disappointing end to a great season. It’s the only time in the year where fans young and old fill out brackets and place bets with family and friends for fun, no matter how much knowledge they have about college basketball.
For the fans filling out brackets who may want some information about the college players, the favored teams, the overrated teams and the unknown Cinderella teams, this might help them out. Remember, this is a prediction based on college players, conferences and teams’ overall records, and there is no guarantee that what is said will happen. It’s nearly impossible to know. That’s why it’s called March Madness.
Key Players to Watch
Kevin Durant (Texas, 6-9, freshman)– The clear favorite for national player of the year, Durant is fifth in the nation in scoring with over 25 points a game, third in the nation rebounding with over 11 and the scary thing is he’s only 18. If Durant continues to produce his impressive numbers, he and guard D.J. Augustin have a chance to lead a young Texas team quite far into the tournament.
Greg Oden (Ohio State, 7-0, freshman)– Clearly the most intimidating and dominating player in the nation, Oden (right) is averaging just over 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. Oden and guard Mike Conley Jr. must show some leadership for Ohio State because the Buckeyes are a talented, but young team. Although their youth may be a factor for them, Ohio State should make it deep into the tournament.
Acie Law IV (Texas A&M, 6-3, senior)– Arguably the best point guard in the country, Law IV is averaging over 18 points and 5 assists a game. With buzzer beaters against Texas and Kansas, he has proven to be one of the best clutch shooters in the nation. With the experience and help from forward Joseph Jones, don’t ever count out Texas A&M of a close game with the ball in Law IV’s hands. Texas A&M should be fun to watch as it should go far in the tournament.
Alando Tucker (Wisconsin, 6-6, senior)– Although he was the best player in the nation the first few months of the season before Durant emerged, Tucker is still one of the best players in the country averaging over 20 points and 5 rebounds a game. With the loss of Brian Butch a few weeks ago, Tucker and guard Kammron Taylor will have to step up for the loss of their starting center. Wisconsin is an experienced team and can go far in the tournament, but will only go as far as Tucker can lead them.
Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina, 6-9, sophomore) – Hansbrough is one of the toughest post players in the nation averaging 19 points and 9 rebounds a game. He is literally a beast near the basket, overpowering his opponents and usually finishing with a dunk. Although his team is inexperienced, Hansbrough and forward Brandan Wright have the talent to lead this young North Carolina team pretty deep in the tournament.
Top Four Final Candidates
Texas, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, North Carolina and…
UCLA – Won the Pacific-10 Conference season title for the second year in a row, has one of the best scorers in the nation with guard Arron Afflalo and has an emerging guard in Darren Collison. Although The Bruins ended the season with two bad losses, UCLA made it to the championship game last year only to lose to Florida and is hungry to get back there. Don’t be surprised if it does so.
Kansas – Won the Big 12 Conference tournament and despite being known as an offensive minded team in the past, Kansas was the best defensive team in the nation by allowing the fewest points per game. All the starters returned from last year, so Kansas is a more experienced team. Kansas has so many options to score on any given night with guard Brandon Rush, forward Julian Wright and guard Mario Chalmers, it’s hard for its opponents to focus on just one player to stop. With all that talent, Kansas could go a long way in the tournament.
Georgetown – Won the Big East Conference tournament and one of the hottest teams in the nation going into the tournament winning 15 of their last 16 games. With the scoring from forward Jeff Green and inside presence from center Roy Hibbert, this confident Georgetown team has the potential and discipline to go far in the tournament.
Florida – Won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) tournament and may be the most complete team in the nation. Like Kansas, all of their starters returned from their championship team in 2006, making them even more dangerous this year.Florida ended its SEC season with some careless losses, but when guard Taurean Green is getting his forwards Al Horford and Joakim Noah the ball, the Gators have a good chance of winning back-to-back national championships. Florida really is that good.
Oregon – Won the Pacific-10 Tournament Championship and finished the conference season third with a record of 11-7 on a six game winning streak. One of the most improved teams in the nation after not making it to the big dance since 2003, Oregon beat UCLA, Georgetown and swept Washington State this year. With the leadership from guard Aaron Brooks, expect this nationally unknown Oregon team to go far in the tournament.
Overrated Teams
Duke – No, this is not a misprint. Duke finished sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) season with an 8-8 record, were swept by their rivals UNC and really do not have any outstanding players on their roster besides their forward Josh McRoberts. Duke has one of the best coaches in the nation but coaches don’t play in the games, they coach from the sidelines. Do not expect Duke to even make it to the Sweet 16.
Michigan State – Came seventh in the Big Ten Conference season with an 8-8 record and besides the win against Wisconsin, Michigan State didn’t really have any quality wins. MSU has a great coach and an upcoming star with guard Drew Neitzel, but in the end it is a young team that’s a work in progress. Expect MSU to make a quick exit in the tournament against a good Marquette team, but watch out for the Spartans next year.
Kentucky – Came fourth in the SEC season with a 9-7 record and does not really have any impressive wins. The coach has been in the hot seat all season long and Kentucky hasn’t really been a championship contending team in years. Kentucky does have some talent with its center Randolph Morris and guard Joe Crawford, but expect the Wildcats to be gone by the second round if a scrappy Villanova doesn’t beat them in the first.
Arizona – One of the most talented yet disappointing teams in the nation, Arizona came fifth in the PAC-10 Conference this season with an 11-7 record. Arizona is an extremely talented team with four players scoring in double figures and one of the best freshmen in the nation with forward Chase Budinger. However, when it came to winning big games this year, Arizona choked time after time. Expect Arizona to not even make it to the Sweet 16 because if Purdue doesn’t beat them in the first round, Florida will beat them in the second round.
Memphis – Although Memphis won the Conference-USA Championship and was undefeated in its conference with a 16-0 record, it played a weak conference and did not beat any quality teams this year. Memphis does have a good coach and some quality guards like Chris Douglas-Roberts and Jeremy Hunt, but when a team isn’t a No. 1 seed after ending the season with a 22 game winning streak and, it’s because of its lack of competition in the Conference-USA and a weak schedule. Without beating any quality teams during the season, Memphis could upset as early as the second round.
Cinderella/Sleeper Teams
Winthrop – Won the Big South Championship, was 14-0 in Big South conference games and is maybe the most dangerous Cinderella team going into the tournament. A veteran team with talented guards with Michael Jenkins and Torrell Martin and a big man in the paint with center Craig Bradshaw, Winthrop has a great chance of pulling some upsets. This team has a chance to make it to the Sweet 16 if it can upset two hot yet beatable teams from Notre Dame and Oregon.
Creighton – Won the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) championship by upsetting a nationally ranked S. Illinois team and made it to the tournament seven times in the last nine years. With veteran leadership from guard Nate Funk and forward Anthony Tolliver, Creighton could give some problems to a good Nevada team in the first round.
Oral Roberts – Almost every year there is at least one major upset in the tournament and this year, Oral Roberts could be the team to do so. Oral Roberts won the Mid-Continent Conference Championship for the second year in a row, beat Kansas on the road and has a talented forward named Caleb Green that can take over a game. The odds will definitely be against Oral Roberts when Washington State faces it in the first round, but you never know what can happen in the NCAA tournament.
Gonzaga – After not expecting to have that great of a season after losing its star player Adam Morrison to the NBA, Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference (WCC) championship and ended the regular season on a five game winning streak. Gonzaga beat North Carolina and Texas earlier in the year, and with their emerging veteran players like guard Derek Raivio and forward Josh Heytvelt, there is a decent chance Gonzaga could make it to the Sweet 16 if UCLA doesn’t show up to play.
Nevada – Won the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) season title and is probably the best-unknown team in the nation. With very talented players like forward Nick Fazekas and guard Marcelus Kemp leading the veteran team, Nevada should be a fun team to watch make some upsets this year if Creighton doesn’t beat them in the first round.
Final Four Predictions: Florida, Kansas, Georgetown, Ohio St.
National Champion: Kansas
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