With just a few hours till tip-off of the best playoff system in sports we have finally reached the Midwest region, home of the overall number one seed, the Louisville Cardinals. This is also the home to some of the tournaments hidden gems and potentially the tournaments biggest upsets. Some of the biggest pre-tournament stories are located within this Midwest region. To top all that off are the coaching names that can be found yelling and pacing the sidelines of the Midwest region. Pitino, Matta, Huggins, Izzo, and Self.
Match-up to hope for - Looking through the possible match-ups I think the best to hope for would be WVU-USC showdown. The young guns of the Mountaineers have come on as of late and the Trojans have made a surge to solidify their tourny berth. Two wins for each team and this will be possible (I have it laid out that way).
Star power you want to gaze at - There is NO other player in this region who does as much for his team and is as fun to watch as Terrence Williams for Louisville (more below), but I am going with Devin Ebanks. The Mountaineer freshman forward has become the go-to-guy for the WVU squad. He has become an offensive weapon and a defensive menace. The Mountaineers always seem to get hot in the Big East tournament and then win a few games streaking through the tourny... so look out for Ebanks to leave a big footprint on the dance floor.
Unusual S(tar)uspects - I am now realizing a little biased towards freshman in this region, but the class has been down this year - well before these young guys were able to get 30+ games under their belts. I am picking DeMar DeRozan, the Trojans freshman forward from Compton. He has finally emerged as the player everyone expected him to be at the seasons start. DeRozan has been a big part of the Trojans run to win the Pac-10 tournament - winners of 5 straight coming into the dance - DeRozan upped his game with 21 points 13 boards against UCLA in the semis and then dropped 25 points in the championship win over Arizona State in the Pac-10 finale. DeRozan has the chance to really shine in upset victories.
Team to watch that may surprise you - This is a toss up between six teams. I think there are that many teams who are capable of slipper-wearing upsets in this region. USC and WVU are teams that have length and athleticism, which to me makes them both dangerous. But also the smaller schools who are looking to see if the slipper fits are North Dakota State and Cleveland State. Lay off, I know who they are playing in the first round, but Cleveland State played the Mountaineers tough earlier in the year and beat Butler to get in the dance. And NDSU can shoot the three-pointer from all over court and since this is their first dance ever they will be bringing a little extra. But you don't have to take my word for it.
Sweet 16 picks - These may come as a surprise to you, but sometimes you have to take chances in order to win your pool (or in my case pools)... I have Louisville, WVU, USC, and Arizona.
Advice to YOU, who wants to pick the upset - All I can tell you in this region is... No guts, no glory. If you don't like that, how about "Just Do It." Do you have the cahones to take a Cleveland State or a North Dakota State. I will tell you right now that I took a chance...
Final Four pick - Louisville Cardinals. I mean come on. They full-court press teams for the entire game and never seem to get tired. Terrence Williams is one of the few guys, if not the only, who can completely change the game without scoring a basket. He is possibly the most complete player in the tournament. Here is the recipe... first you add in the shooting of Earl Clark. Then you sprinkle in the inside banging of Samardo Samuels. Make sure you combine in the defense of Jerry Smith and Andre McGee, oh and don't forget a large pinch of one of the best and deepest benches around. Louisville is a favorite to go FAR.
No comments:
Post a Comment