I was having trouble with picking possible upsets in this region, so I read Joe Lunardi’s column on how he thinks the Tournament will unfold. After a while, it occurred to me that Lunardi is good at projecting tournament fields, but not so much at filling them in, I suspect. Nevertheless, I don’t see too many openings for a Cinderella in Washington.
(1) Connecticut vs (16) Albany – Albany can legitimately gripe. They won a conference tournament in historically one of the best small school conferences in the country, and they won it easily. Now they are being pitted against the class of college basketball in UCONN. Things don’t look so good for those in upstate New York. Oh well, it’s not like Albany was going to win it all anyways.
(8) Kentucky vs (9) Alabama-Birmingham – This is a phenomenal matchup. It features a pair of schools that met in the second round a couple of years back, with UAB pulling off the upset. Kentucky is underachieving, while UAB is achieving at right about where they should. UAB no longer plays with the frenetic style that led them deep into the Dance in 2004, and they won’t beat Kentucky this time around.
(5) Washington vs (12) Utah St. – I would definitely pick Utah St. in this matchup, if it wasn’t for the fact that they are a team that shouldn’t be seeded a 12, and perhaps shouldn’t be in the tournament at all. Washington will get to the second round despite themselves.
(4) Illinois vs (13) Air Force – To call them a sleeper team would imply that I thought Illinois would beat someone they were less talented than. In the end, they get an overmatched Air Force team in the first round and Washington, whom I previously lamented in the second round. They stand no chance against UCONN, unless Dee Brown scores 70 points.
(6) Michigan St. vs (11) George Mason – George Mason won the regular season title but didn’t win the conference tournament, leaving that to UNC-Wilmington. In short, George Mason is a good team that can’t get it done when it matters, and they are facing a mediocre team who only gets it done when it matters. Michigan St. pulls it off.
(3) North Carolina vs (14) Murray St. – If their nickname provides a clue, Murray St. will “race” home. A young athletic Tar Heels team should chase Murray State out of the tournament pretty quickly.
(7) Wichita St. vs (10) Seton Hall – I personally don’t think mid-majors should EVER get 4 teams. Although, I’m not so sure the Big East should get 8 bids either. So I’m caught in a bind. Truth be told, I haven’t seen Wichita St. play this year, but in the two games I’ve seen Seton Hall, they looked atrocious. Wichita St. all the way.
(2) Tennessee vs (15) Winthrop – I can’t believe that everyone is picking Winthrop in this one. It blows my mind. They lucked into this tournament in a win over Coastal Carolina (go Chanticleers!) and I honestly believe they are getting much of their hype from the face that people know their name. Sure, the Volunteers aren’t much of a 2 seed, but that doesn’t mean a 15 seed is a shoe-in to beat them. Absurd.
In later rounds, Tennessee will get their comeuppances against Michigan State. Connecticut will reach the Final Four, and this stands to be one of the dullest regions in the history of the Dance.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
