By Shane McCarthy on March 5, 2012
In prime position to
benefit the most: South Florida
Neither Rutgers nor
Villanova will be an easy out for USF, but if they can get by that second round
game, they will get a Notre Dame team that has been a bit off
lately. When looking at possible 'good' wins that
would boost their at-large hopes for the NCAA Tournament, Notre Dame seems
the most feasible right now.
Opportunity to prove
their worth: UConn, Seton Hall
Will UConn play like a
rat trapped in a corner or will they quit the first time they find
themselves down four at halftime? UConn and West Virginia might already
be safe for an at-large bid, but when they meet in the second round - both
should play that game like they are far from it. And if UConn does make
it to the quarters, will they be able to take down Syracuse? In each of
their meetings this year the games were very close or tied with a few minutes
left, but UConn could not find a way to prevail in either. You would
think that would build confidence and enthusiasm, but this team has not shown
either all season long. However, I want to remain optimistic and believe
talent can prevail. Maybe Coach Calhoun can be the leader they need from
the bench, since no one in uniform has yet to step up.
Seton Hall let a very
good season turn into a train wreck with losses to Rutgers and DePaul to finish the season resulting in a missed opportunity for a first round bye. This leads me
to believe that Providence will be no cake-walk for them. But if they can
get out of the opening round, they will get a Louisville team that has
been shooting the ball very poorly.
Toughest draw with
most to lose: Cincinnati
Cincinnati finished
strong by beating Marquette and Villanova, but their overall resume is very odd
to say the least. They lack a number of 'good' wins to offset
their 'terrible' losses to Presbyterian and Marshall at home in the
beginning of the year, but they have played well enough in the BE to earn a
double bye. The Bearcats will most likely see Georgetown in the
quarterfinals, a tough matchup for sure.
Easiest draw: Marquette
Led by Jae Crowder and
Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette has emerged as one of the best teams in the
country. Is there a team that can stop them from getting to the championship game? Seems doubtful.
Teams with nothing to lose and capable of playing spoiler:
Villanova, St. John's, Providence, Pittsburgh
Villanova –
Maalik Wayns and the Wildcats are more than capable of getting hot and winning
multiple games, and they are in the bracket to make it happen.
St. John’s –
The fact that the BE Tournament is a home game for the Red Storm is enough to
give them some sort of advantage. Combine
that with the talent of this team and the fact that they don’t know any better,
and you have a team that could make a run.
Providence –
The Friars were good enough to beat UConn last week and there is no reason why
they can’t totally destroy Seton Hall’s season in the first round.
Pittsburgh –
Tray Woodall and Ashton Gibbs are good enough on their own to win a few games
for the Panthers. At the very least,
their first round game with St. John’s should be entertaining.
Favorites: Syracuse, Marquette
The regular season
conference champions, Syracuse Orange, lost one game all year and that was
without Fab Melo, Defensive Player of the Year in the conference. This team just ‘knows’ how to win, making
them one of the best teams in the country.
Marquette’s relentless
attack makes them a threat to anyone, and this team has gotten a lot better
since they saw Syracuse two months ago.
Championship game to most look forward to: Syracuse vs.
Marquette, Syracuse vs. Notre Dame
Syracuse vs. Marquette
would be the most exciting for sure. But,
watching Notre Dame prove that their win over the Orange was no fluke, would be
equally entertaining.
Twitter --> @shane_t_mac
No comments:
Post a Comment