I Don’t Wanna Be Like Mike The GM by Kyle Butler

There aren’t too many things one can be absolutely certain of in the NBA. However, two factors seem indisputable at this point. The first is that Michael Jordan was the best basketball player of all time. The second is that Michael Jordan is the worst front office decision-maker of all time. While we’ve understood the first claim to be true for quite some time, the second did not officially become clear until the Charlotte Bobcats made their selections in Thursday night’s NBA Draft.  

As the man with the final say in all Bobcats personnel moves, Jordan needed to address two important issues. Most importantly, Charlotte desperately needed more size up front, some help for Emeka Okafor in the paint. A secondary need for the Bobcats was a backup point guard for Raymond Felton, so the former UNC star doesn’t have to play 48 minutes every night. A point guard was not an immediate priority for the draft. Backup point guards can be found easily and inexpensively in the free agent market.  

With the 9^th and 20^th picks in the draft, at the least Charlotte figured to fix the size problem. Perhaps Kevin Love would fall to the 9^th spot. Or maybe the Bobcats could package the two picks together and trade up to a spot where they could grab Love, the UCLA star forward who could be an immediate factor for the club.  

For whatever reason, Jordan and the Bobcats either couldn’t or wouldn’t do this. Love was drafted 5^th by Memphis. But a silver lining appeared in the form of Brook Lopez. The 7-footer from Stanford inexplicably got passed over and was available at the 9^th slot. A perfect fit for the Bobcats, right? 

Wrong. To the amazement of yours truly and the ESPN analysts, Charlotte drafted point guard DJ Augustin from Texas. That did nothing to fix the size problem. At 5’11, Augustin would be one of the shortest point guards in the NBA.  

Based on this pick, one would imagine that Jordan was positive that Georgetown center Roy Hibbert would still be on the board at #20. The Bobcats made no secret of their desire to draft Hibbert, who, once again, would fix the size problem for the team. Ah, except for one problem. Hibbert was NOT available with the 20^th pick, instead going to Indiana at 17.

So with Hibbert gone, and with him the last of the good centers, the next assumption was that Charlotte would pick the best player available at 20. Maybe they did, if Jordan thinks that French 7’0 center Alexis Ajinca was the best player available. After all, Ajinca absolutely tore it up in the French basketball league, averaging a whopping 5 pts and 5 rebounds a night. To say Ajinca is a project is putting it kindly. It’s quite possible that the French center never plays for the Bobcats period.  

What does all this mean? Well, beside the fact that Jordan did another pathetic job with this draft, one that rivals the Kwame Brown debacle with the Wizards in 2002, it means the Bobcats are officially in rebuilding mode. It wasn’t necessary for Charlotte to be in rebuilding mode, as they were simply one player short of being a playoff contender. Now, Charlotte looks as far away from the postseason as ever. If Felton is dealt, as many are speculating, then the Bobcats will be inexperienced at the point, in addition to being undersized in the paint. That’s a bad combination for any team.  

Michael Jordan was the greatest player in NBA history, but as a GM his skills are sorely lacking. As an executive, His Airness has been an airball.

Bobcats Should Listen To The Beatles by Kyle Butler

“Number 9…Number 9…Number 9…Number 9″ -Revolution 9, The Beatles

I believe we can be quite certain that John Lennon wasn’t thinking about the Charlotte Bobcats when he wrote Revolution 9 back in 1968. That said, the Bobcats have nothing but the number 9 on their minds heading into this Thursday’s NBA Draft. Charlotte holds the 9th pick…a vitally important selection for the struggling franchise.

See, the Bobcats need a revolution of their own. We’re four years into the franchise’s run, and despite a solid group of young, talented players, Charlotte has never made the playoffs, and frankly hasn’t even come close. Considering they play in the Eastern Conference, that’s not a good sign. The team made a big step in convincing Larry Brown to come back to the state where his multiple-stop, cross-country coaching trek began all those years ago. Now the Bobcats need help from somebody, though not just anybody.  Who is that missing piece?

Quentin Thomas.

Thomas is the only draft-eligible player from UNC this year, and that automatically makes him the pick for the Tarheel-dominated Bobcats. Ok, so I’m obviously kidding. Well…hopefully. No, in order to change the franchise’s losing ways, Michael Jordan and the rest of the front office need to think about another Beatles song.

“All You Need Is Love“

That’s right. The difference maker, if he’s available at #9, is Kevin Love from UCLA. Larry Brown loves guys who have strong fundamental skills and high basketball IQ, and Love certainly fits that mold. Sure, he’s only 19 years old, and only played one year of college ball, but anyone who saw the UCLA forward play this past season could see the tremendous potential Love has. He brings immediate toughness to the Bobcats interior, provides significant rebounding help, and has good passing skills…which will make it difficult for opponents to double-team him down low. While he may be undersized, that’s ok. As it turns out, everyone who attends the NBA Pre-Draft camps was taller than everyone thought they were. Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose both shrunk over 2 inches, and they’re still expected to go 1 and 2 on Thursday night. Even Duke’s own DeMarcus Nelson dropped 3 inches to 6′1, which means two things. One…he has a better vertical leap than we realized. Two…Greg Paulus must be 5′8.

But I digress. Adding Love to the mix for the Bobcats is about as good a fit as the team can make. A lineup of Gerald Wallace, Emeka Okafor, Love, Jason Richardson, and Raymond Felton could make for a really exciting season, and a “Ticket to Ride” into the playoffs in the Queen City.

Will They Stay or Will They Go? by Kyle Butler

Fans in Chapel Hill breathed a huge sigh of relief last week when Tyler Hansbrough announced he would return to North Carolina for his senior season. The reigning National Player of the Year can now take aim at some significant accomplishments. Phil Ford’s school scoring record. JJ Redick’s ACC scoring record. And naturally, one last shot at a national championship.

As great as Hansbrough is though, he can’t do it alone. He needs help from his friends, and some of them might be jumping ship a little early. Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green all declared themselves eligible for the Draft, though none hired agents, and can return to school if they so choose. What will they choose though? Let’s take a look.

Lawson: The Heels PG is the fastest player in the country when healthy. He’s not a bad shooter and great at finishing near the rim. His defense leaves a lot to be desired though. Some mock drafts have him going mid to late first round, while others leave him off the board completely! My guess is that Lawson stays in the draft due to injury concerns, though staying around for another season is probably a smarter call.

Ellington: Wayne got a little more consistent this season, but still had some of those nights when the shots just didn’t fall for him. On those nights, Ellington would be better served to drive to the bucket, which he doesn’t always take advantage of. That said, the potential is there for Ellington to be a terrific NBA player, and some mock drafts have him falling just outside the lottery. I think Ellington will stay in school for another year, but if he has some great workouts and projects into a top 20 pick, it will be hard to say no.

Green: I’ll be honest with you, I don’t know what Green is thinking. No idea. There was no sign of Green on any of the 8-10 draft boards I checked, and there was no expectation he’d test the waters. The Tarheel may be the best 6th man in the country, but he is not NBA ready, and unless there are some bizarre circumstances that we haven’t heard about, there is no reason for Green to not return to Chapel Hill.

There is no question that UNC’s basketball team will be strong in 2009. They’ll have tremendous size down low, with 5 players at 6′8 or taller. Marcus Ginyard will be back, as well as a healthy Bobby Frasor. Just how successful the Heels ultimately are, however, will depend on the decisions of these three young men. If all return, UNC is probably the best team in the nation. Until a decision is made, Tarheel fans can do nothing but hope that this talented trio decides to take another shot at a title in Chapel Hill.

Even In Pathetic East, Bobcats Fall Short by Kyle Butler

The neverending odyssey known as the NBA Playoffs kicked off this past weekend. In a scene that is becoming all too familiar, the Charlotte Bobcats are nowhere in sight. Despite playing in a pathetic Eastern Conference, Charlotte’s season ended in disappointing fashion once again. There was lots of excitement surrounding this year’s team. A new coach in Sam Vincent. A new star guard in Jason Richardson, and a solid supporting cast. Yet the Bobcats (32-50) actually finished with one less win than they’d had the year before. What the heck happened? A lot of factors, but mainly these three…

1- Injuries. The Bobcats dealt with these all season. Sean May and Adam Morrison were done before the year even started! Gerald Wallace missed 20 games with various ailments, including his 4^th concussion in 4 seasons. While the team almost certainly would be better with those three on the court instead of the trainer’s table, the Bobcats still had plenty of talent to make a playoff run. Enter Reason #2.

2- Coaching Inexperience. Sam Vincent may end up being a good coach, but he clearly wasn’t ready for the task this season. Far too often, the Bobcats seemed unmotivated, displaying no energy or confidence. These problems existed under Bernie Bickerstaff as well, but a young, energetic coach figured to turn the mindset around. It didn’t happen. Vincent also made the bizarre choice to shuffle Raymond Felton between PG and SG. That would be ok, except Felton is a poor outside shooter, and the team already has a great SG in Richardson. Keeping Felton at PG where he’s effective makes sense, but not to Vincent for some reason.

3- Where’s the Height? Blame for this can rest squarely on the shoulders of Michael Jordan. The Bobcats were already thin inside before May was lost for the year. But MJ and the Bobcats waited far too long to address the team’s height issues. Nazr Mohammed was finally acquired, but with the injury history of May and Emeka Okafor well documented, Jordan should have anticipated, and fixed this problem in the offseason. The help was far too little, and came far too late to help the Bobcats.

It’s hard to say what the future holds in Charlotte. Okafor is demanding a huge deal. Richardson’s contract takes up a huge chunk of cap space. Another concussion could be the end of Wallace. MJ did make a great move in acquiring J-Rich last summer, and he’ll need to make a few more like it this offseason. Otherwise, the 2008-09 season will end just like the past 4…with Charlotte sitting at home for the ridiculously long NBA Playoffs.

 

UNCG Big Man Puts On A Big Show by Kyle Butler

The Southern Conference saw firsthand over the past four seasons what kind of player UNCG’s Kyle Hines was. Now, the rest of the country might not be far behind. Hines put on a dazzling display at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this past weekend, and though his team lost in the title game, one could argue that the former Spartan was the big winner of the event.

The 6′6 PF averaged a shade over 17 ppg at the PIT. That’s great, but even better was that Hines did so with tremendous efficiency. Hines shot a stellar 78% from the field during the event, the highest FG percentage in the tournament’s 56 year history. That history of the PIT includes a few players you might have heard of. Folks like Rick Barry, Dave Cowens, John Stockton, Dennis Rodman, and Scottie Pippen. Those guys went on to be future all-stars and hall of famers, but none of them can say they shot a higher percentage than Mr. Hines.

The tournament pits teams made up of college seniors who are looking to showcase their talents in front of scouts and GM’s from every NBA team. He may not be listed on most NBA mock draft boards, but without question, Hines gave himself a boost with his play this weekend. The all-time leading scorer in Spartan basketball history gets another chance to show off his skills later this month. Hines is slated to participate with a number of ACC players in a barnstorming tour around the state. While he may not be as well-known as some of the guys he’ll be on the court with, don’t be surprised if Hines ends up being the best player on the floor in those games as well. Expecting otherwise would be doing something Hines rarely does on the court…missing the mark.

The Best Final Four Ever? by Kyle Butler

I fill out a lot of brackets. There’s one for the competition against my old high school buddies. One for CBS Sportsline, and Sports Illustrated. Yahoo lets me fill out 5 more, and ESPN.com has a maximum of 10. Needless to say, I can come up with all sorts of combinations for my final four. The most obvious grouping would be to pick all four #1 seeds…except that’s never happened before. No chance of that, right? So in every single bracket I filled out, not once did I have UNC, Memphis, Kansas, and UCLA all advancing to San Antonio.

Needless to say, I will not be winning any pools this year. For the first time since the field expanded to 64 teams, all four #1 seeds survived their respective regions. What does this mean? Quite possibly, the greatest final four of all time, at least from an overall record standpoint. UCLA and Kansas both went 35-3 this year. That’s a 92% winning percentage. It’s also the worst mark among the four participants. The four teams combined have a ridiculous overall record of 143-9!

With such little disparity between the four schools, predicting who will ride out of San Antonio with the title is a tough call. And with my predictions to this point falling somewhere between sad and pathetic, let’s instead point out what each team has to do if they want to celebrate Monday night.

North Carolina: The Tarheels are probably the best team here. They have the player of the year in Tyler Hansbrough, great guards in Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson, and the best sixth man in the country in Danny Green. The key guy? None of them. Deon Thompson is the X-Factor. In the three ACC tournament games, tough, hard fought wins for the Tarheels, Thompson scored a total of 8 points. The NCAA tournament has been a different story. Thompson has scored 47 points in the last four games, and not surprisingly, UNC has rolled in three of them. Two big nights from the Tarheel sophomore will go a long way towards a title for North Carolina.

Kansas: The big key for the Jayhawks is head coach Bill Self. Most of the media’s attention is focused on the Jayhawk head man. He’s the only coach here who hasn’t been to the Final Four before, he’s facing the coach who he replaced at Kansas, and his name has been prominently mentioned as a candidate for the Oklahoma State job. Self needs to block out all these distractions and keep his team focused on the task at hand. It takes a nearly perfect game to beat UNC, and the Jayhawks were far from perfect against Davidson on Sunday.

Memphis: This is an easy one. Free Throws, Free Throws, Free Throws. Coach John Calipari insists that his Tigers make them when they need to, and so far, he’s been right. Success at the line is one thing in the early rounds. Making critical foul shots in the Final Four is a horse of a different color. Even solid shooting teams can struggle at the line in this spotlight (see Kansas v. Syracuse, 2003) The Tigers aren’t a solid shooting team, and aren’t likely to blow anyone out in San Antonio, so foul shots will be critical.

UCLA: The Bruins get a whole lotta Love, but that will only get them so far. Yes, super freshman Kevin Love is a great player, but UCLA is going to need at least two other guys to step up. This didn’t happen in any of the first 3 rounds, but Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook came up big against Xavier. UCLA has the experience factor on their side in this, their 3rd straight trip to the Final Four. If Collison and Westbrook give Love the support he needs, it’s hard to envision a team other than UCLA cutting down the nets.

Whatever the outcome, you know it’s going to be exciting. Enjoy this year’s Final Four, potentially the best we’ve seen in quite some time.

Three Problems For Duke by Kyle Butler

“Live by the three, die by the three.”

I’m not sure anyone knows who first uttered these words, but they seem to come into play every year around this time. A team that blows its way through the regular season by shooting lights-out from the perimeter inevitably encounters important games down the stretch when the shots just won’t fall. Unfortunately for the Duke Blue Devils, they provide 2008’s best example of how any team can lose a basketball game if they rely too much on the outside shot. But the number three in this story does not solely refer to Duke’s inability to hit the outside shot. Rather, the outside shot is one of three reasons why Duke failed to advance.

1) Shooting: The only reason that Duke got to a #2 seed in the first place was through great outside shooting. DeMarcus  Nelson, Greg Paulus, Jon Scheyer, and Kyle Singler proved to be more than capable from beyond the arc. But somewhere in February, the Blue Devils lost their touch from outside. 8-28 against Wake Forest. 2-15 vs. Georgia Tech. 6-26 in the loss to Clemson in the ACC Tournament. And finally, an abysmal 11-43 performance in the two NCAA games, capped off with a stretch in which Duke missed 15 threes in a row in a 6-pt loss to West Virginia.

2) No Inside Game: You can survive poor shooting nights by making sure you get the ball to your inside presence. Sounds simple enough, so what was the problem for the Blue Devils? They didn’t have one! Lance Thomas is a fair offensive rebounder, but can’t score. Singler can drive to the basket and hold his own in the paint, but still settles for the outside shot most of the time. And I don’t like to be harsh, but Brian Zoubek is just about useless. He reminds me of a less talented (if that’s possible) Serge Zwikker. This is good news for Zwikker, since the former Tarheel now has company in the “Worst Center in ACC History Whose Name Starts With The Letter Z” club. Duke has had some strong big men in the past. Carlos Boozer and Shelden Williams immediately spring to mind. Coach K will need to find one on the recruiting trail, because the inside void can’t be filled by anyone currently on Duke’s roster.

3) Stamina: Duke’s season came to an end early for the 2nd straight season in eerily similar fashion. I don’t know if it’s bad conditioning, or strenuous classes, or having to negotiate through all those goofy tents around Krzyzewskiville, but in any event, Duke appears exhausted. They wore down late in the regular season finale against UNC, couldn’t hold Clemson in the ACC Semifinals, and looked extremely tired while blowing a significant second-half lead to West Virginia. Coach K looked tired too, but he had the flu. The players can’t use that excuse. Again, I’m not sure what the culprit is, but it’s been a common theme the last few years. The Blue Devils wear down, can’t hit their outside shots, and have no inside game to make up for it. It should be an interesting offseason for Coach K. He’s going to need to find time outside of coaching the US Olympic team to find answers to these three issues. If he can’t, next year Duke will be afflicted with another three- the number of consecutive years the Devils get bounced on the NCAA’s opening weekend.

Analyzing the Brackets: The West Region by Kyle Butler

Three regions down, just one left. Time to Go West, young man.

FIRST ROUND

UCLA v. Mississippi Valley St.
-MVSU has the best nickname in the field, the Delta Devils. That’s about all they’ve got going for them here. UCLA in a rout.

BYU v. Texas A&M
-Gonna be honest here, I have no clue. I’m still mad at A&M for ruining my bracket last year when they lost to Memphis, so out of spite, I’m going with BYU.

Drake v. W. Kentucky
-If you ask me, Drake Coach Keno Davis should be Coach of the Year. I saw them play against Butler, and these guys are pretty solid. I think they’ll be able to survive an upset bid by WKU.

UConn v. San Diego
-A lot of people are really high on UConn, but I’m not one of them. Jim Calhoun seems to get pretty frustrated with this team a lot. San Diego won a strong WCC tournament, and I think they might be able to upset the Huskies.

Purdue v. Baylor
-Baylor making the field is a great story after the program’s downfall from a few years back. Unfortunately, the Bears have only won 4 of their last 10. Not too good. Purdue advances.

Xavier v. Georgia
-My biggest upset is here. Georgia stunned the bball world by winning the SEC Tournament. Xavier hasn’t played all that great lately, and they are coached by Sean “Jughead” Miller. UGA keeps their hot streak going, for one round anyway.

W. Virginia v. Arizona
-Can anyone tell me why Arizona is in the field? Anyone? 14 losses is a bunch. Get ready to add a 15th, because WVU’s Joe Alexander is on fire right now. Mountaineers win.

Duke v. Belmont
-Duke is the weakest of the 2 seeds, but Belmont shouldn’t give Coach K’s boys much trouble. Will be interesting to see if Gerald Henderson’s wrist is 100 percent.

SECOND ROUND

UCLA v. BYU
-I really can’t see BYU being able to slow down Kevin Love and the Bruins in this one. Stick with UCLA.

Drake v. San Diego
-A win in this game, and Drake will have 30 wins on the season. I’ll go ahead and check that off my list of things I never thought I’d see, because I’m going with the Bulldogs.

Purdue v. Georgia
-A great run for UGA has to end at some point, right? I think it ends at the hands of the Boilermakers.

Duke v. W. Virginia
-A lot of people like the Mountaineers in this one, and I think Duke could encounter some problems here. But Bob Huggins has never been a strong postseason coach, and I think Duke, in a close battle, survives WVU.

SWEET 16

UCLA v. Drake
-UCLA is like UNC in this respect. They don’t have to travel too far from home in their region. They should have a large contingent of fans here, and Drake won’t be able to overcome it. Bruins advance.

Duke v. Purdue
-You know, Duke is really struggling, but they also have one of the easiest roads of any 2 seed in the tournament. So while I’m not sold on the Blue Devils, I still think they’ll get past Purdue.

WEST FINAL
UCLA v. Duke
-A lot of history and tradition in this matchup. This battle of powerhouses should make CBS execs drool. I don’t know that the game will live up to the names involved though. Duke has nobody to match up with Kevin Love inside, and UCLA has the guard play to handle Duke’s outside game. I’ll be honest, I don’t think UCLA is all that great, but I see them rolling past Duke in this one, and on to the Final Four.

So that wraps it up. Only 63 games to go. It’s the NCAA Tournament…let the Madness begin!

Analyzing the Brackets: The South Region by Kyle Butler

Done with the East….Finished the Midwest. Now it’s time to head South. Here we go…

FIRST ROUND

Memphis v. UT-Arlington
-Congrats to Arlington for making it here. That said, they have as much chance of winning as Ralph Nader. Tigers in a rout.

Mississippi St v. Oregon
-I’m not sure why Oregon was so bad after returning 4 starters from a team that went to the Elite 8 last year. Miss St has Ben Hansbrough, Tyler’s brother. If they had Tyler, I’d go with MSU, but in a tough call, I’ll take the Ducks.

Michigan St v. Temple
-Seems like every year a 12 seed beats a 5. Michigan St is wildly inconsistent and can go from scoring 100 in one game to 40 in the next. Temple has a great playmaker in Dionte Christmas. I say Christmas comes in March this year. Owls win.

Pittsburgh v. Oral Roberts
-Pitt is finally healthy and hit their stride in the Big East Tourney. They shouldn’t have any trouble with ORU.

Marquette v. Kentucky
-Hard to believe UK got to the big dance. Nice job by Billy Gillespie to get what he could out of this squad. But I think it’s one and done for Big Blue. Marquette’s the pick.

Stanford v. Cornell
-Personally I would love to see UK play Cornell, so we could have Big Blue and Big Red. Neither will happen. Stanford advances.

Miami v. St Mary’s
-Frank Haith did a great job with the U. They have one shooter, Jack McClinton. St Mary’s has 3 shooters. Power in numbers. Go with the Gaels.

Texas v. Austin Peay
-Austin Peay comes from Clarksville, which reminds me of that Monkees song. They’ll be able to take the last train back to Clarksville after Texas is through with them.

SECOND ROUND

Memphis v. Oregon
-The Ducks are probably capable of upsetting Memphis, but they’ve had a hard time putting 2 games together all year. Based on that, Calipari’s Tigers should advance to the round of 16.

Pittsburgh v. Temple
-Good grief, did we really have to go all the way to Denver to watch this battle of Pennsylvania teams? Geez. Pittsburgh continues their hot streak and wins this one.

Stanford v. Marquette
-I could see this one going either way, but the game being in Anaheim, I expect Stanford will have a pretty good cheering section there. I’ll take the Cardinal in a squeaker.

Texas v. St Mary’s
-What kind of bracket doesn’t have a stunner…a team no one expects to last past the first weekend. Not mine. My stunner: St Mary’s. Everyone has Texas advancing…I’m going with the upset. St Mary’s is this year’s Cinderella.

SWEET 16

Memphis v. Pittsburgh
-Memphis has played one great team since the end of December. It was Tennessee, and they lost. Now they’ll face another great team in Pitt. Guess what? I think they’ll lose again. Jamie Dixon’s Panthers get it done.

Stanford v. St Mary’s
-I normally don’t hold much regard for Stanford, but only bad officiating prevented Cardinal from winning the Pac-10. I think those guys are motivated, and have them eliminating the Gaels.

SOUTH FINAL

Stanford v. Pittsburgh
-This is definitely the region where my bracket deviates from most of the public. Yep, a 3 and a 4 facing off in Houston. It’s quite possible that Pitt won’t be here, having exerted a ton of energy winning the Big East Tournament. But I saw this team at full strength early in the year when they knocked off Duke. They’re basically at that level again. The Panthers are a really good basketball team, and I think they’ll take out Stanford en route to the Final Four.

Who will the Panthers be facing in San Antonio? The West breakdown is tomorrow.

Analyzing the Brackets: The Midwest Region by Kyle Butler

Alright, we’re done with the East. Let’s see how things should shape up in the Midwest.

FIRST ROUND

Kansas v. Portland St.
-Congrats to Portland St on their first trip to the big dance. Don’t pack for more than one night. Jayhawks win easily.

UNLV v. Kent St.
-Kent is a trendy pick but UNLV made a great run last year. I expect the Runnin Rebels to win at least once this year.

Clemson v. Villanova
-I really love this Clemson team. They are extremely capable both inside and beyond the arc. I don’t even think Nova should be in the tournament, but it’s ok, they won’t stick around long. Take the Tigers.

Vanderbilt v. Siena
-Siena is led by former UNCG coach Fran McCaffrey…one of the best coaches you’ve never heard of. His club could really scare Vandy, but the Commodores will advance.

USC v. Kansas State
-While my gut tells me USC will win, I always think the best player in the tournament can lead his team to at least one win. Michael Beasley is the best player here, and K-State will win one game.

Wisconsin v. Cal State Fullerton
-CSF is in the tourney for the first time since the Carter administration. There’s the potential they could beat the Badgers, but I’m not confident enough to call the upset here.

Gonzaga v. Davidson
-Anyone who has seen Davidson play knows they’re for real. Stephen Curry is outstanding, and the Wildcats get to play in nearby Raleigh. Gonzaga has to travel from Spokane…yikes! Sorry Zags. Davidson’s the pick here.

Georgetown v. UMBC
-I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that UMBC has nobody who can size up with 7′3 Roy Hibbert in the middle. Hoyas roll.

SECOND ROUND

Kansas v. UNLV
-Might be a better game than some people expect. In the end though, too much Rock Chalk Jayhawk. KU wins.

Vanderbilt v. Clemson
-Excellent 2nd round game here, as either of these teams is a potential sleeper in this region. The Tigers are playing with a great deal of confidence, and I think they’ll keep the run going here.

Wisconsin v. Kansas St.
-It’s quite possible that Beasley will put up 30 against Wisconsin. However, it’s also quite possible that the rest of the team might only put up 7 against the tenacious Badger defense. On Wisconsin! To the Sweet 16.

Georgetown v. Davidson
-This one could go down to the wire…that’s how good Davidson is. But in the end, G’Town will be too much for the Wildcats.

SWEET 16

Kansas v. Clemson
-The Jayhawks are a trendy pick to go all the way, 20 years after their last title. But recent trends have shown Kansas to botch up the tournament. They can’t afford to mess around against Clemson. Call me crazy, but I think Bill Self’s struggles will continue, and the Tigers advance.

Georgetown v. Wisconsin
-The question here is whether either team will put up more than 50 points. If you like offense, this game will be as pleasant to you as a root canal. Georgetown is the pick in an ugly battle.

MIDWEST FINAL

Georgetown v. Clemson
-An intriguing matchup because of the contrasting styles. Georgetown plays strong and solid, Clemson plays with speed and style. One thing the Hoyas have, however, is the experience of being this far before. The Hoyas hold the Tigers down, neutralize their speed, and advance to the Final Four for a 2nd straight season.

Next time, we march through the South. Keep an eye out.