2011 NCAA Tournament
In the midst of the labor mess that is the NFL, it's one of the greatest times of the year, March Madness. March Madness is one of the greatest events in the sporting world and the greatest tournament in all of sports. The field expands to 68 teams this year, resulting in even more possibilities.
There is nothing better than cutting out the bracket from the Cincinnati Enquirer and filling it in as the tournament goes on. I have cut the bracket out of the paper for years and being the sports nut that I am, I keep everyone. Over the course of the next three weeks, people will be glued to their televisions, or computer watching online, while at work or school, the tournament will be all people will be talking about. The tournament brings people so many emotions, from happiness, sadness, the excitement of a buzzer beater, or frustration from having your bracket destroyed by an 11, 12, or 13 seed pulling off an upset.
Football has and always will be my favorite sport, but what sports fan doesn't like the NCAA Tournament. It got everything, great players, great games, excitement of a buzzer beater, frustration when your team finally loses, Cinderella stories and so much more.
A person has a better chance of winning the lottery and then immediately getting struck by lightning then having a perfect bracket, but this year I have decided that I will only fill out one bracket. I use to be like an old lady at bingo, by filling out 10-20 different brackets, but it's time to change it up. One bracket, no more, no less, and as Mike Greenberg likes to call it, "The Sheet of Integrity."
Before getting to my bracket, there are a lot of good teams and great players in this year's field that people need to be aware of, ones that will have everyone saying, "Holy Crap."
NCAA Tournament All-"Holy Crap" Team
All of these guys have had fans saying "Holy Crap" all season and they will continue to entertain and amaze fans in this year's tournament:
Jimmer Fredette, BYU
Nolan Smith, Duke
Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
Kemba Walker, UConn
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Other guys worth keeping an eye on:
Tu Holloway, Xavier
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh
Ben Hanbrough, Notre Dame
Jordan Hamilton, Texas
Morris Twins, Marcus and Markieff, Kansas
Kyle Singler, Duke
Dwight Hardy, St. John's
Jacob Pullen, Kansas St.
Derrick Williams, Arizona
Terrence Jones, Kentucky
Chandler Parsons, Florida
"Holy Crap" Teams
These teams have had very strong seasons and all have a very good chance to hoist the championship trophy on April 4 in Houston.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Kansas Jayhawks
Duke Blue Devils
Texas Longhorns
Pittsburgh Panthers
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
North Carolina Tar Heels
San Diego State Aztecs
Brigham Young Cougars
Mid-Majors
Every year this is a Cinderella team from one of the Mid-Major conferences that has a magical run in the tournament. Last year, the Butler Bulldogs, out of the Horizon League, almost one the whole thing. Xavier has made it to the Sweet 16 each of the last three seasons, then there was Northern Iowa, St. Mary's, and Cornell who all made the Sweet 16. In 2008, Davidson and Western Kentucky made it to the Sweet 16. And the Cinderella of them all, the Final Four run of George Mason in 2006. 2011 will be no different and there are several Mid-Majors who can make a run in the tournament:
BYU
San Diego State
Xavier
Temple
Richmond
Old Dominion
George Mason
Belmont
Butler
Bucknell
Wofford
Utah State
Oakland (Mich.)
The Eye Test
One of the most important factors is deciding who will win it all, is the eye test. It will never be a part of a team's resume and has no impact on the outcome of the game, but it's one of the best indicators of what teams are legitimate. After watching all the conference tournaments this past week, there are several teams that are on fire right now and look like they have a realistic chance of making a tournament run.
UConn: Won 5 games in 5 days, beating DePaul, Georgetown, Pitt, Syracuse and Louisville to win the Big East Championship. If Kemba Walker plays like he did in the Big East tournament, the Huskies can easily get to the Sweet 16, if not farther.
Kansas: Just demolished Texas, after struggling with Oklahoma State later in the week, but the Jayhawks have lost just two games all year. Kansas can shoot the basketball, rebound it, pass it and they play solid defense. Not to mention they have speed and athleticism at every position. They were knocked out last year in the second round; don't expect the same result this year.
Duke: After losing to North Carolina to end the regular season, the Blue Devils beat Maryland, Virginia Tech and avenged their loss to the Tar Heels, all by double figures to win the ACC tournament. Duke won the tournament last year and seniors Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and head coach Mike Krzyzewski have been there before and are they are the most experienced team in the field.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes arguably have been the best team all season and with their ability to shoot the three and play of Jared Sullinger, Ohio State can make it to the Final Four. They are not very deep, only 7 or 8 guys play each game, but if their stars stay out of foul trouble and they continue their hot shooting, the Buckeyes will be hard to beat.
Kentucky: Even though Kentucky had not played very well at the end of the regular season, they came back to win the SEC tournament. Freshman Terrance Jones is one of the best "Diaper Dandies" in the country and head coach John Calipari knows how to coach his young team. The Wildcats caught fire in the SEC tournament and look for them to carry the momentum into the NCAA’s.
Possible Upsets
It wouldn't be March Madness without a few upsets. From the classic 5-12 matchup, to a possible 13 seed pulling off a monumental upset, every tournament has a few. And this year is no different. Some possible upsets:
-11 Marquette over 6 Xavier. Hate to do it, but a distinct possibility. Probably the best matchup in the round of 64.
-10 Georgia over 7 Washington
-13 Oakland over 4 Texas
-11 Missouri over 6 Cincinnati. The Bearcats have a tough draw with the Tigers and a possible rematch with UConn to follow.
-12 Clemson over 5 West Virginia
-13 Belmont over 4 Wisconsin
-12 Utah St. over 5 Kansas St.
-12 Richmond over 5 Vanderbilt
-10 Florida St. over 7 Texas A&M
If the win their first game, 8 George Mason, and 9 Old Dominion will give 1 Ohio State and 1 Pittsburgh all they can handle and have a chance to go to the Sweet 16. Mark it down one, of these teams will make a run because it wouldn't be March Madness without a Cinderella story.
Cincinnati Bearcats
It has been a long time, but the Bearcats are finally back in the dance. Things looked bleak after Huggins left, UC had one scholarship player, Conner Barwin came off the football field to give the Bearcats another body on the hardcourt. They lost to DePaul in the first round of the Big East tournament, they lost to mid-majors early in the season, they got embarrassed on national television and so much more. But now the Cincinnati Bearcats are back where they belong, in the NCAA tournament and have a legit chance of winning a few games.
The biggest key to success for UC in the tournament is their defense. They led the Big East and were one of the best in the country in scoring defense at 59.2 ppg. Missouri comes in averaging 81.4 ppg, so something has to give. After watching UC all season, when they play lights out defense they are almost unbeatable, just ask Georgetown. If UC can hold Missouri between 55-65 points, the Bearcats will win.
Even if the Bearcats play solid defense, UC still needs to make some three pointers and Yancy Gates has to dominate the paint. If Gates plays like he did against USF in the Big East tournament, the Bearcats will be playing on Saturday in a most likely rematch with Kemba Walker and the UConn Huskies. Can't even remember the last time UC played a NCAA Tournament game and barely remember the glory days, but the Bearcats are finally back. Don’t you forget it.
Final Four
It wasn't easy, in fact quite difficult filling out my bracket this year. Their will either be a lot of upsets or none at all, and I'm banking on just a few. The only upsets I foresee in the second round are:
-10 Michigan St. over 7 UCLA. Tom Izzo and the Spartans have not had the year everyone thought they would, but they come in with a lot of experience.
-10 Florida St. over 7 Texas A&M
-13 Belmont over 4 Wisconsin. Belmont only lost four games all season and after Wisconsin only put up 33 points the entire game against Penn State in the Big Ten tournament, its cause for concern.
-9 Old Dominion over 8 Butler
-12 Richmond over 5 Vanderbilt. Seems like Vandy gets upset every year, so why not again this year.
-12 Clemson over 5 West Virginia. Even though Clemson will have just played in Dayton, flown to Tampa at 2 in the morning and have to play again Thursday at 12:15, which is a joke, I still like them over Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers.
I have UC and Xavier both advancing to the round of 32, even though neither one will have a walk in the park for their first game. I don't see UC beating UConn and Kemba Walker and Xavier is over matched against Syracuse.
I don't think I have ever done this before and it would be quite a surprise if it happened, but I have all number one seeds, Ohio State, Kansas, Pitt and Duke making it to the Final Four in Houston. President Obama has the same Final Four.
Each team could lose along the way, Pitt could lose to Florida or BYU, but unlikely. Kansas could have any trouble with Notre Dame, Louisville, Purdue or Georgetown, but I doubt it. Duke probably has the best chance of losing, possibly to Texas, Arizona, UConn or San Diego State, but if freshman Kyrie Irving comes back and even if he doesn't, I really like the way the Blue Devils are playing. Ohio State will be tested against Kentucky and possibly Syracuse or North Carolina, but the Buckeyes have been the best team all year.
So, now for the National Championship. Being an Ohio native I really like Ohio States chances and I see them playing the Rock, Chalk, Kansas Jayhawks on April 4th for the title. Every year I get it wrong, did pick Duke to go to the final last year, but don't take that to the bank. When it's all said and done, just like last year, I'm taking the Jayhawks, 76-71 over the Buckeyes. The Morris twins are beasts inside, they have speed, everyone can shoot the ball, they are well coached and in my opinion are the best team in the tournament.
The tournament brings surprises every year and God only knows who the champion will be, but it's going to be one wild ride. But yet again, when isn't it. Anything is possible in the NCAA Tournament. Go Bearcats.
Follow me on Twitter, don’t tweet a lot, but I have one because well, everyone has one.
There is nothing better than cutting out the bracket from the Cincinnati Enquirer and filling it in as the tournament goes on. I have cut the bracket out of the paper for years and being the sports nut that I am, I keep everyone. Over the course of the next three weeks, people will be glued to their televisions, or computer watching online, while at work or school, the tournament will be all people will be talking about. The tournament brings people so many emotions, from happiness, sadness, the excitement of a buzzer beater, or frustration from having your bracket destroyed by an 11, 12, or 13 seed pulling off an upset.
Football has and always will be my favorite sport, but what sports fan doesn't like the NCAA Tournament. It got everything, great players, great games, excitement of a buzzer beater, frustration when your team finally loses, Cinderella stories and so much more.
A person has a better chance of winning the lottery and then immediately getting struck by lightning then having a perfect bracket, but this year I have decided that I will only fill out one bracket. I use to be like an old lady at bingo, by filling out 10-20 different brackets, but it's time to change it up. One bracket, no more, no less, and as Mike Greenberg likes to call it, "The Sheet of Integrity."
Before getting to my bracket, there are a lot of good teams and great players in this year's field that people need to be aware of, ones that will have everyone saying, "Holy Crap."
NCAA Tournament All-"Holy Crap" Team
All of these guys have had fans saying "Holy Crap" all season and they will continue to entertain and amaze fans in this year's tournament:
Jimmer Fredette, BYU
Nolan Smith, Duke
Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
Kemba Walker, UConn
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Other guys worth keeping an eye on:
Tu Holloway, Xavier
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh
Ben Hanbrough, Notre Dame
Jordan Hamilton, Texas
Morris Twins, Marcus and Markieff, Kansas
Kyle Singler, Duke
Dwight Hardy, St. John's
Jacob Pullen, Kansas St.
Derrick Williams, Arizona
Terrence Jones, Kentucky
Chandler Parsons, Florida
"Holy Crap" Teams
These teams have had very strong seasons and all have a very good chance to hoist the championship trophy on April 4 in Houston.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Kansas Jayhawks
Duke Blue Devils
Texas Longhorns
Pittsburgh Panthers
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
North Carolina Tar Heels
San Diego State Aztecs
Brigham Young Cougars
Mid-Majors
Every year this is a Cinderella team from one of the Mid-Major conferences that has a magical run in the tournament. Last year, the Butler Bulldogs, out of the Horizon League, almost one the whole thing. Xavier has made it to the Sweet 16 each of the last three seasons, then there was Northern Iowa, St. Mary's, and Cornell who all made the Sweet 16. In 2008, Davidson and Western Kentucky made it to the Sweet 16. And the Cinderella of them all, the Final Four run of George Mason in 2006. 2011 will be no different and there are several Mid-Majors who can make a run in the tournament:
BYU
San Diego State
Xavier
Temple
Richmond
Old Dominion
George Mason
Belmont
Butler
Bucknell
Wofford
Utah State
Oakland (Mich.)
The Eye Test
One of the most important factors is deciding who will win it all, is the eye test. It will never be a part of a team's resume and has no impact on the outcome of the game, but it's one of the best indicators of what teams are legitimate. After watching all the conference tournaments this past week, there are several teams that are on fire right now and look like they have a realistic chance of making a tournament run.
UConn: Won 5 games in 5 days, beating DePaul, Georgetown, Pitt, Syracuse and Louisville to win the Big East Championship. If Kemba Walker plays like he did in the Big East tournament, the Huskies can easily get to the Sweet 16, if not farther.
Kansas: Just demolished Texas, after struggling with Oklahoma State later in the week, but the Jayhawks have lost just two games all year. Kansas can shoot the basketball, rebound it, pass it and they play solid defense. Not to mention they have speed and athleticism at every position. They were knocked out last year in the second round; don't expect the same result this year.
Duke: After losing to North Carolina to end the regular season, the Blue Devils beat Maryland, Virginia Tech and avenged their loss to the Tar Heels, all by double figures to win the ACC tournament. Duke won the tournament last year and seniors Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and head coach Mike Krzyzewski have been there before and are they are the most experienced team in the field.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes arguably have been the best team all season and with their ability to shoot the three and play of Jared Sullinger, Ohio State can make it to the Final Four. They are not very deep, only 7 or 8 guys play each game, but if their stars stay out of foul trouble and they continue their hot shooting, the Buckeyes will be hard to beat.
Kentucky: Even though Kentucky had not played very well at the end of the regular season, they came back to win the SEC tournament. Freshman Terrance Jones is one of the best "Diaper Dandies" in the country and head coach John Calipari knows how to coach his young team. The Wildcats caught fire in the SEC tournament and look for them to carry the momentum into the NCAA’s.
Possible Upsets
It wouldn't be March Madness without a few upsets. From the classic 5-12 matchup, to a possible 13 seed pulling off a monumental upset, every tournament has a few. And this year is no different. Some possible upsets:
-11 Marquette over 6 Xavier. Hate to do it, but a distinct possibility. Probably the best matchup in the round of 64.
-10 Georgia over 7 Washington
-13 Oakland over 4 Texas
-11 Missouri over 6 Cincinnati. The Bearcats have a tough draw with the Tigers and a possible rematch with UConn to follow.
-12 Clemson over 5 West Virginia
-13 Belmont over 4 Wisconsin
-12 Utah St. over 5 Kansas St.
-12 Richmond over 5 Vanderbilt
-10 Florida St. over 7 Texas A&M
If the win their first game, 8 George Mason, and 9 Old Dominion will give 1 Ohio State and 1 Pittsburgh all they can handle and have a chance to go to the Sweet 16. Mark it down one, of these teams will make a run because it wouldn't be March Madness without a Cinderella story.
Cincinnati Bearcats
It has been a long time, but the Bearcats are finally back in the dance. Things looked bleak after Huggins left, UC had one scholarship player, Conner Barwin came off the football field to give the Bearcats another body on the hardcourt. They lost to DePaul in the first round of the Big East tournament, they lost to mid-majors early in the season, they got embarrassed on national television and so much more. But now the Cincinnati Bearcats are back where they belong, in the NCAA tournament and have a legit chance of winning a few games.
The biggest key to success for UC in the tournament is their defense. They led the Big East and were one of the best in the country in scoring defense at 59.2 ppg. Missouri comes in averaging 81.4 ppg, so something has to give. After watching UC all season, when they play lights out defense they are almost unbeatable, just ask Georgetown. If UC can hold Missouri between 55-65 points, the Bearcats will win.
Even if the Bearcats play solid defense, UC still needs to make some three pointers and Yancy Gates has to dominate the paint. If Gates plays like he did against USF in the Big East tournament, the Bearcats will be playing on Saturday in a most likely rematch with Kemba Walker and the UConn Huskies. Can't even remember the last time UC played a NCAA Tournament game and barely remember the glory days, but the Bearcats are finally back. Don’t you forget it.
Final Four
It wasn't easy, in fact quite difficult filling out my bracket this year. Their will either be a lot of upsets or none at all, and I'm banking on just a few. The only upsets I foresee in the second round are:
-10 Michigan St. over 7 UCLA. Tom Izzo and the Spartans have not had the year everyone thought they would, but they come in with a lot of experience.
-10 Florida St. over 7 Texas A&M
-13 Belmont over 4 Wisconsin. Belmont only lost four games all season and after Wisconsin only put up 33 points the entire game against Penn State in the Big Ten tournament, its cause for concern.
-9 Old Dominion over 8 Butler
-12 Richmond over 5 Vanderbilt. Seems like Vandy gets upset every year, so why not again this year.
-12 Clemson over 5 West Virginia. Even though Clemson will have just played in Dayton, flown to Tampa at 2 in the morning and have to play again Thursday at 12:15, which is a joke, I still like them over Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers.
I have UC and Xavier both advancing to the round of 32, even though neither one will have a walk in the park for their first game. I don't see UC beating UConn and Kemba Walker and Xavier is over matched against Syracuse.
I don't think I have ever done this before and it would be quite a surprise if it happened, but I have all number one seeds, Ohio State, Kansas, Pitt and Duke making it to the Final Four in Houston. President Obama has the same Final Four.
Each team could lose along the way, Pitt could lose to Florida or BYU, but unlikely. Kansas could have any trouble with Notre Dame, Louisville, Purdue or Georgetown, but I doubt it. Duke probably has the best chance of losing, possibly to Texas, Arizona, UConn or San Diego State, but if freshman Kyrie Irving comes back and even if he doesn't, I really like the way the Blue Devils are playing. Ohio State will be tested against Kentucky and possibly Syracuse or North Carolina, but the Buckeyes have been the best team all year.
So, now for the National Championship. Being an Ohio native I really like Ohio States chances and I see them playing the Rock, Chalk, Kansas Jayhawks on April 4th for the title. Every year I get it wrong, did pick Duke to go to the final last year, but don't take that to the bank. When it's all said and done, just like last year, I'm taking the Jayhawks, 76-71 over the Buckeyes. The Morris twins are beasts inside, they have speed, everyone can shoot the ball, they are well coached and in my opinion are the best team in the tournament.
The tournament brings surprises every year and God only knows who the champion will be, but it's going to be one wild ride. But yet again, when isn't it. Anything is possible in the NCAA Tournament. Go Bearcats.
Follow me on Twitter, don’t tweet a lot, but I have one because well, everyone has one.
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