Rants, Rumblings, Raves, and Such on this year's NCAA Tournament

First Round Games To Watch

• #4 San Diego State vs #13 New Mexico State: New Mexico State has the potential to pull off the upset of the first round.
• #5 Cincinnati vs #12 Harvard: This is Harvard's third consecutive tournament and this may be their best team. Last year, they upset New Mexico, then a three seed. Sean Killpatrick and Cincinnati will have a tough time with the Crimson.
• #5 VCU vs #12 Stephen F. Austin: Stephen F. Austin hasn't lost since late November (Another way to put it: They have not lost in 28 games). This matchup was the toughest for me to make in my bracket.
• #6 Baylor vs #11 Nebraska: I really want to see how well Baylor plays. If they dominate, they will be a team to watch for though out the tourney.
• #6 UNC vs #11 Providence: Providence has the chance to shock a lot of people by upsetting the Tar Heels. This should be a good game.
• #8 Gonzaga vs #9 Oklahoma State: A great matchup that has two teams that have the prestige and talent to make ti deep into the tournament.

Great 1 vs. 8/9 Matchups for Round of 32

Shaq Goodwin
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This year features the strongest eight and nine seeds in a long time. Kentucky, the #8 seed in the Midwest, was the preseason number one. Oklahoma State, the #9 seed in the West, was once ranked in the top six teams in the country. Gonzaga, the #8 seed in the West, won the WCC Regular Season and Tournament and was ranked for more then half of the season. Memphis, the #8 seed in the East, was never fell out of the rankings an beat Louisville twice and Oklahoma State once. Colorado, George Washington, Kansas State, and Pittsburgh are also good teams. Off all these teams, Oklahoma State is being considered the most likely to upset a one seed in the Round of 32. However, I think that Memphis has a great chance of upsetting Virginia in their possible match-up. Memphis is a good team that has a lot of upset potential. If they beat Virginia, Joe Jackson or Shaq Goodwin will have had a fantastic game. Oklahoma State has a chance to beat Arizona, but that chance is not as good as people are making it out to be. 

Sim Bhullar and New Mexico State

Sim Bhullar may be the most intriguing player (and prospect) playing in the NCAA Tournament. Bhullar is a sophomore and is 7'5", 360 pounds. There is no one who can compare to his presence on the court. Bhullar does not put up astronomical numbers (He averages 10.3 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game, and 3.4 blocks per game), but when he is given shots, he usually makes them. When Bhullar plays 25+ minutes and gets over eight shot attempts, the Aggies are 5-1. They need Bhullar to play well to win and I think they will pull off the upset.

Why Kansas Won't Win The Tournament

Andrew Wiggins
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Kansas will not cut down the nets in Arlington, Texas on April 7th. They would be lucky to even play in the Final Four. While they have a lot of talent, they are missing a lot of qualities of a champ. First, is their lack of upperclassman that produce. They have only two players who are upperclassman that will play in meaningful minutes during the tournament. The one senior, Tarik Black, doesn't even average 15 minutes a game. Even the Kentucky team with the five fabulous freshman during the 2011-12 season had Darius Miller, a senior, who was arguably their most important player. Not only that, their defense is mediocre, especially without Joel Embiid. Andrew Wiggins cannot cary the Jayhawks to the title, let alone the Final Four.

Ohio State and Aaron Craft

Aaron Craft is a great player. It seems like he has been a Buckeye forever. Sadly, this is going to be his final season in the college ranks. Craft is not a scorer, but there is no point guard who can run the offense and play outstanding defense better than him. If he can get his team to score and play solid defense, Ohio State could make a run.

The Sic 'Em Bears

Cory Jefferson
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The Baylor Bears have a lot of upset potential. Led by Brady Hesslip (11.8 points per game) and Cory Jefferson (13.8 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game), the Bears offense is one of the best in the nation. However, their defense is mediocre. For them to be successful, they need Hesslip, Jefferson, Isaiah Austin, Kenny Chery, Hesslip, and Jefferson all need to play at their best and each need to get close to double-digit points.

The Cyclones

Iowa State may surprise people as a three seed this is their correct placement. The Cyclones have had outstanding year that includes winning the Big 12 Tournament. Even with one of the toughest schedule in the country, Iowa State's averages 82.9 points per game, which is sixth in the country. They have three players that average over 16 points per game. They are Melvin Ejim, DeAndre Kane, and Georges Niang. If they can get at least two of those scorers hot and can play some solid defense, the Cyclones will be hard to stop. 

Predictions

• Florida cuts down the nets inside AT&T Stadium
• Arizona, Michigan State, and Duke make the Final Four
• Oregon beats Wisconsin in the round of 32
• New Mexico State reaches the Sweet 16
• Memphis and New Mexico come close, but both lose in the final minute to Virginia and Kansas respectively
• There will be early round upsets, but the later rounds will have a lot of upper seeds

NCAA Tournament, NIT, and CBI Teams to Look Out For

NCAA Tournament

New Mexico

Tony Snell and Kendall Williams
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New Mexico was a surprise number three seed to many. However, that doesn't mean anything, they earned and deserve that ranking. I believe the Lobos will make the final four. They are second in the RPI (Ratings Performance Index) and ninth in the BPI (Basketball Power Index). There out of conference schedule was tough, which is always good for preparation of the the tournament. The team is led by C Alex Kirk, G Tony Snell, and G Kendall Williams. The seven-footer Kirk averages 11.9 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game. Snell is averages 12.6 ppg and when he is hot, he is hard to stop. Williams averages 13.5 ppg and 5 assists per game. They have a great team this year and will make a name for themselves in the tournament. 

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State have fallen under the radar, even as a five seed. The team is led by Big 12 Player of the Year, G Marcus Smart. Smart is the team leader in points (15.4 ppg), assists (4.2 apg), and steals (2.3 steals per game). He is also in the top three in rebounds with 5.7 per game. His sidekicks are Markel Brown with 15.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg and Le'Bryan Nash with 14.3 ppg and 4.1 rpg. Oklahoma State will surprise many people. I believe they will upset Louisville and make an appearance in the elite eight.

Bucknell

Mike Muscala
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Bucknell, the regular season and postseason champions of the Patriot League, is a good team. They are tied for the third least amount of losses with five of teams in the tournament. The Bison got an excellent draw for the tournament. They face a very beatable Butler team in the second round. Then, they will face either Marquette or Davidson. Marquette is the worst of the four three seeds. Davidson is a good team but will have a tough time with the Bison. Their team is centered around their big man, 6'11" senior Mike Muscala. He averages a double-double with 19.0 ppg and 11.2 rpg. He definitely is going to a breakout player of the tournament. Every year, there is a lower ranked seed that makes a run during the tournament. Bucknell has the skill and the schedule to be that team this year.


National Invitational Tournament

Baylor

The Bears are a really good team. They underperformed this season, going 9-9 in conference play and 17-14 overall. What really killed them was their record against teams in the top 50 of the RPI, which was 2-11. Given them a few of those wins and they are in the NCAA Tournament. Baylor is led by their three stars, F/C Isaiah Austin, G Pierre Jackson, and F Cory Jefferson. The 7'1" Austin averages 13.2 ppg and 8.6 rpg. Jefferson shoots a very high percentage from the field, .586%, and can rebound (8.3 rpg). Jackson, a senior, is the team leader in points and assists with 19.8 and 6.5 respectively. For the team to go, they need Jackson to play his best. What really gives me even more confidence the I did before is their dominating win over Long Beach State in the first round of the NIT yesterday. They won 112-66 with seven of their players scoring double digits.

College Basketball Invitational 

TaShawn Thomas
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Houston

The Houston Cougars upset the Texas Longhorns yesterday, 73-72. After the win, I have gained a lot of confidence in the team from Conference USA. Even though they are not highly ranked in the RPI or BPI, they have a good chance to make a run in the tournament. The are led by two very good scorers in Joseph Young and TaShawn Thomas. They have 17.9 and 16.7 ppg respectively. Thomas is also a great rebounder, averaging 9.5 rpg. What they will need to improve on is passing the ball. No one has more then 2.9 apt on the team. Houston may not be the best team in the CBI, but I really like the way they are playing now.