Atlanta Region

So I’m sitting here watching the opening round game between Monmouth and Hampton and I thought that I should mention the Tournament, since that was my biggest regret from the last year over at IIS. So I’m going to get out 4 posts in the next couple of days, including this one. $ short posts. One on each bracket. And here we go.

(1)Duke vs (16) Southern – There isn’t that much to say about this game, except never, ever pick a team called the Jaguars. They’re 1 for the history of the Tournament.

(8) George Washington vs (9) UNC – Wilmington – This is the easiest 8-9 game in the history of basketball to pick. Wilmington looked dreadful in the little bit I’ve seen of them. They didn’t even win the regular season title in their usually one bid conference. The regular seson champ, George Mason, actually did get in as an 11 seed, so Wilmington getting a 9 seems incredibly generous. GW has been a ranked team all season and went undefeated in their conference until the A-10 tournament. An 8 seed because they lost to Temple doesn’t seem fair at all. GW should win this game easily.

(5) Syracuse vs (12) Texas A&M – This game scares me for a couple of reasons. First, you have Syracuse, one of the most difficult to predict teams in the NCAAs year in, year out. Second, they are playing a major conference foe who is playing extremely well right now. Lastly, this is an infamous 5-12 game, which always sees an upset. In one pool, I have Syracuse in the elite 8, but they could just as easily lose in the first round. There is no middle ground.

(4) LSU vs (13) Iona – As I watched the Gaels (yes, watched) dismantle the St. Peter’s Peacocks, I said to myself, “that’s a team that can make noise in the Big Dance”. They run the court well and are excellent shooters, the two biggest keys to getting the upset, unless you are an Ivy League team. Then they drew the Tigers, one of the biggest locks to choke in the Tournament every year. Iona is my biggest upset pick.

(6) West Virginia vs (11) Southern Illinois – The thing about wanting respect, is it is given after you earn it. The Salukis have earned it through good play in the Dance over the years, so now, Southern Illinois, and for that matter, the Missouri Valley Conference, is given almost too much respect. Now they face the Mountaineers who are coming off a season as the underdogs. They still have that mindset and will be well prepared for the game and subsequent games. WVU should win this game, no problem.

(3) Iowa vs (13) Northwestern St. – Let’s put it this way. Io_a teams are 2-0 in the first round of my bracket. Northwestern is bad. State is worse.

(7) California vs (10) North Carolina St. – This is another tough game to pick. Fortunately, the winner will take on a far superior Texas team. I’m inclined to pick NC State, as the ACC is a better conference than the Pac-10, although NC State has blown for the past month or so, and California has been playing better ball. I’m going to go with NC State, ultimately, because it means the CBS sportscasters will get to keep talking about Herb Sendek.

(2) Texas vs (15) Pennsylvania – As this is not the NCAA math league tournament, Texas should win easily.

Beyond those opening round games, I project Texas to move on to the Final Four, with the two biggest remaining upsets being Syracuse (if they beat A&M) over Duke and West Virginia beating Iowa. Be back with more later.