The West is considered the easiest region. It’s hard to argue with that. You’ve got UCLA, who is the Big Boy in this bracket, but combine them with a weak 2-seed in Duke, a Xavier team that is fine (but maybe more of a 4), a UConn team that has been reeling and newcomer Drake as a 5-seed. Not a murderer’s row. Of course, this is why I’m not leaning toward UCLA, and putting my bracket life at risk. Normally, the bracket that’s considered the easiest has the most upsets. That makes sense when you think about it.
(31-3) Record against the field: 13-2. A fantastic team for sure, but Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has an ankle injury and there’s even a little bit of rumbling that Kevin Love might sit out Thursday’s game (look out!) against Mississippi Valley State. It’s funny how the bracket layout makes us forget recent history. Don’t fool yourself: UCLA should’ve lost their games against Stanford and Cal down the stretch of the season, but officiating gaffes prevented them from being a 2 seed. The appealing factor of this team? They’ve gotten to the Final Four two straights years … is this the year they break through? Ohio State made it with a big man last year, UCLA seems to have a better squad with this group of kids.
(27-5) Record against the field: 8-4. No one likes Duke, so maybe this year they really piss us all off and reach San Antonio. It’s nice to see Duke not put so comfortably near their home base. They’ll open up play in D.C., and if they can beat out the winner of the West Virginia-Arizona game (everyone loves that upset), they’ll hop on the bird out to Phoenix. My brother seems to believe that Duke is putting makeup on Greg Paulus, because there’s no way that bruise under his eye is sticking around for two months. Size, size, size is a sizable factor. And does Duke die by the three?
(27-6) Record against the field: 6-4. Uh-oh. I think I may take this team to win out in this region. I’ve chugged the Kool-Aid all year, so I have to be ready to get burned. If Drew Lavender is healthy enough, can’t you see Gus Johnson calling this team’s berth to the Final Four with a win over UCLA? Too often, we tend to get absorbed with the big names and not try to crystallize the image of where teams can actually end up. Any team that can roll off 12 straight wins in a top 10 RPI-rated conference is okay with me.
(24-8) Record against the field: 6-6. UConn seems to be seeded just a little too high. Jim Calhoun is leery of this team right now, but can they overcome any doubts to get by San Diego? The Toreros won the WCC on their home floor, while UConn was fashionably dismissed by West Virginia. Hasheem Thabeet is fun to listen to, but he needs to be less of a statue. An interesting observation about the Huskies: they were rolling without Jerome Dyson, but since he came back from his suspension, they’ve lost the mo’. I don’t intentionally hate on UConn, it just seems like this team has overachieved a bit and could be prone to an upset. If not, they could get Drake in the second round, perhaps overpower the small guy and have another Sweet 16 in their future.
(28-4) Record against the field: 1-1. Yes, the record against the field makes you hesitate. I think we all love The Drake. Still, only 1-1? That one win came against Butler in Bracket Busters. I’m not objective: I’ll be pissed if Drake can’t win their first round game against Western Kentucky. I think this shouldn’t be a close game because the Bulldogs shoot the lights out. Plus, the book on Adam Emmenecker is out, yet people still can’t stop him. What a true play-maker. He’s so much fun to watch. Don’t feel shame by taking Drake to reach the Sweet 16. In fact, is there anyone you’ll be rooting for harder than Drake to take down UCLA if the two meet in the Sweet 16?
(24-8) Record against the field: 4-3. Let’s clear the smoke. Purdue had a fantastic year in the Big Ten … but the Big Ten was god-awful. Any alarming losses in the past two weeks? That 74-67 OT slip-up against Illinois on Friday would qualify. Fortunately, Purdue matches up with a Baylor team that seems so dizzy it’s a wonder they even walked in the door. Robbie Hummel is the freshman you’ve heard of, but as much as he does for this team, it will take more than just him to push them through two games.
(24-10) Record against the field: 5-9. West Virginia lacked quality wins … until the Big East tournament. Suddenly everyone knows who Joe Alexander is and the ‘Eers are a sleeper team. Yeah, maybe. What’s interesting is that Alexander and Chase Budinger (who he will play against on Thursday) are practically the same player. Both very athletic, good medium-range jumpshot, both can bring the ball to the tin. What West Virginia will have to do is keep up with Jerryd Bayless. Let’s bring one more piece of perspective to the table: If I had told you that West Virginia would not reach the Big East finals, but still be ranked a 7 seed, you’d never have believed it, right?
(27-7) Record against the field: 2-5. This is the one team that I fooled myself on. When I scrolled my eyes through their schedule, I was underwhelmed. Does BYU deserve an 8? Eh, I guess. But if you swapped them with A&M I’d feel better. (Yeah, I know, it’s the 8/9. Still, I like to have consistency in all seeding.) The key matchup: Trent Plaisted against A&M’s DeAndre Jordan.
(24-10) Record against the field: 5-7. The Aggies aren’t nearly as tough as they were last year, but they have flashes of really inspiring play. I’m inclined to think that they might be able to athletically push their way through this game against the Cougars. Acie Law (THE FOURTH) is no more, so Josh Carter is as much of a go-to guy as this team has (and he only averages 12/game). If you looked at every 8/9 team, the game that has the least likely chance of getting the upset over a 1 is definitely this pair.
(19-14) Record against the field: 6-11. I didn’t want them in the field, so now that they are in, I don’t want to pick them. Yes, it’s ARIZONA. We know. But there’s coaching turmoil, the team lacks chemistry despite their tremendous ability and the lack a killer instinct. Jerryd Bayless can almost single-handedly win a game on his own, but West Virginia has the athletic ability and strong defense to negate that. It looks sexy and fitting to put Arizona in your Sweet 16, picking them past Duke. Before you convince yourself that the ‘Zona pick will be your leaping selection that knocks out a 1 or a 2 early, just think about how many times Arizona has burned us before.
(21-10) Record against the field: 4-8. Baylor’s a great story. Perhaps they can win one more to end this year’s book. The Bears are in The Dance for the first time since 1988. Teams that have 20-year absences aren’t exactly prone to win two games (dammit, there goes Drake). I’ll definitely root for Baylor to win against Purdue, but I don’t know if I can pick them. If you don’t know anything about them: They can SCORE. The Bears can put it in the hoop many different ways. However, they do tend to get into shootout that they can’t afford to be in. Purdue won’t put up 80 on you, so Baylor’s plan of attack could change.
(27-6) Record against the field: 0-4. There was a small push for Western Kentucky as an at-large candidate early in the year. I never saw that. They come from the same conference as at-large darling South Alabama. Courtney Lee is a very sweet player who is a bit of a hybrid. The stat that could sway you, picking them to upset Drake: Hilltoppers have won 17-of-18. That kind of play definitely has to factor into your picks. Plus, it is a 12/5. Dammit. I don’t want Drake to lose! Love The Drake!
(21-13) Record against the field: 4-6. San Diego has defeated Kentucky, Gonzaga and St. Mary’s this year. I think it’s safe to say that they’re truly on UConn’s radar. The Toreros definitely rode the wave of their fans en route to the WCC title. They fit their seeding perfectly, but can they size up with UConn. It doesn’t seem like it. Gyno Pomare could take on Thabeet, but who would lock arms with Jeff Adrien? Then, if San Diego wants to run, they’d have to bank on turnovers from A.J. Price, Jerome Dyson and Craig Austrie. Now THAT’S plausible. This game is at the 3 p.m. hour on Friday, so it doesn’t feel like an upset, but it could be.
(17-16) Record against the field: 4-9. How ugly is Georgia’s logo? That’s a bulldog that just don’t want no love. Some think that UGA is underseeded. I disagree. They needed four consecutive wins to put them one game over .500 for the year. A 14 seems right to me. They’ll play Xavier in Washington D.C., so I’d consider that pretty neutral. Do you like this story to continue? Yeah? Do you like it after I tell you that Georgia only goes seven deep and has lost to teams like East Tennessee State and Tulane?
(25-8) Record against the field: 0-3. Few teams have had as much time off as the Bruins. That’s a lot of time to prepare for Duke, which they’ll need. Belmont should be a 14, but I digress. You’d like them more if they were a 14 and got someone besides Duke. Hard to believe that K will let the Blue Devils ever lose a first round game (well … except for last year).
(17-15) Record against the field: 0-3. The Delta Devils. Great name, but they only have a .500 record against Division I teams. In case you’re wondering how close those losses were to teams in The Tournament: 78-45 to Pittsburgh, 82-50 to Baylor and 71-26 to Washington State!
