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| Has Fab Melo cost the Orange a trip to the Final Four? |
By Shane McCarthy on March 13, 2012
South Florida Bulls – 12 seed and playing in the first
four game
Ceiling: Win 2 games (1 being the play-in game) – Given
how the Bulls like to muck up the flow of the game by playing slow and heavy,
they can cause any opponent to get frustrated and unable to find a rhythm. Both
Cal and Temple depend on solid outside shooting to win games, so they may not
be particularly fond of South Florida’s style of play.
Floor: Lose first game – There is no question
that the Bulls are physical and play solid defense, but they have had trouble
scoring all year. Cal underachieved most
of the season, but they seem to be figuring it out lately and possibly making
it difficult for South Florida to keep up on the scoreboard.
West Virginia Mountaineers – 10 seed
Ceiling: Elite 8 – Kevin Jones is one of the best
players in the country, averaging a double-double, and will be a match-up problem
for everyone they play. If Deniz Kilicli
and Truck Bryant can play at a high level there is no reason why they can’t
make a run to the Elite 8. I actually
think they match-up well with Ohio St. and can upset them. Also, their first round game is being played
less than two hours from campus, making it a virtual home game for them while
Gonzaga has to travel all the way across the country.
Floor: Lose first game – Besides from Kevin
Jones, Gonzaga is a more talented team than the Mountaineers. West Virginia is solid on the offensive
boards, but they play suspect defense and they have had trouble closing games
in the last month or two.
Connecticut Huskies – 9 seed
Ceiling: Win 1 game – Royce White of Iowa St. is a
tough match-up for any team in the country, given his size and
versatility. But beyond him, UConn is
the much more talented team with loads of experience on the court. It’s unfortunate that the Huskies drew the
8/9 game in Kentucky’s region, because I think they could have held their own
against any other team in the tournament.
Could they beat Kentucky? For
sure, but they have lacked any leadership or enthusiasm all season and I don’t
think they’ll suddenly discover it against the best team in the country. If it was against anyone else, I would have
given them a shot to make a deep run.
Floor: Lose first game – The Huskies have been
so volatile (they lost to Providence two weeks ago) that no one would be
surprised if they got absolutely smoked by Iowa St.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish – 7 seed
Ceiling: Win 1 game - The Irish play sound
fundamental basketball and when they are hitting their shots they are difficult
to beat. But the problem is – they have
not been making shots for about a month now, while Xavier has been playing
well. If Notre Dame finds their touch,
they will beat Xavier, but they won’t be able to keep up with Duke in the game
thereafter.
Floor: Lose first game – As was just stated,
given their slow pace of play and lack of inside presence, it is a necessity
for them to shoot well. Xavier has
struggled to play up to their talent level since the brawl they were in back in
November, but they have been playing better and are the more talented team
compared to the Irish.
Cincinnati Bearcats – 6 seed
Ceiling: Final Four – The Bearcats have looked
very good in the last month, even though they laid a dud in the Big East Championship
game. As long as they run their offense
through Yancy Gates in the low post, they will be a tough out. By focusing on Gates, it enables the rest of
the team to get open shots and lanes to the basket. This team just beat Syracuse, the #1 seed in
their region, so I think they can handle other obstacles.
Floor: Win 1 game – I believe Cincinnati will
make quick work of Texas in the first round as the Longhorns are an average
team across the board. But a possible second
round match-up with Florida St. could prove troublesome. Not only are the Seminoles an excellent
defensive team, but they are shooting the ball extremely well as of late, as
displayed last week in which they beat both Duke and North Carolina.
Louisville Cardinals – 4 seed
Ceiling: Sweet Sixteen – Louisville has the coach
(Rick Pitino) and the point guard (Peyton Siva) that is needed to enjoy success
this time of the year; which was on display last week on their run to a Big
East Championship. The Cardinals will be
looking to ride that momentum for a few more weeks.
Floor: Lose first game – Louisville has
struggled shooting the ball all year, and besides Marquette in the Big East
Tournament, the Cardinals have not had a notable win in about two months. Davidson is not flashy, but they were good
enough to beat Kansas this year. And let’s
not forget Louisville’s early round struggles in recent years.
Georgetown Hoyas – 3 seed
Ceiling: Elite Eight – It is no secret that
Belmont over Georgetown in the first round has become a pretty popular upset
pick. It’s surely possible, but I have
been of the belief that Georgetown will significantly benefit by getting out of
the Big East. Their only non-conference
loss was to Kansas, and their defense has vastly improved over the course of
the season. They will no doubt be tested
as they are in a tough region, but a meeting with North Carolina would not
surprise me.
Floor: Lose first game – Not only can Belmont
score, but they may have the ideal style of play to handle Georgetown’s
effective defense. They will look to
speed up the Hoyas and make them uncomfortable.
Marquette Golden Eagles – 3 seed
Ceiling: Final Four – Marquette plays extremely
hard on both ends of the court and thrive in transition. As long as Jae Crowder and Darius
Johnson-Odom stay out of foul trouble, this team can keep up with anyone. They have lost two of three, but I believe
their first two match-ups are favorable draws before they will have a layoff to
prepare for Missouri. Marquette vs.
Missouri would be one of the most entertaining games of the tournament, and I like
the fact that the Golden Eagles would be the more physical team.
Floor: Sweet Sixteen – I don’t believe there is
a match-up that Marquette can’t adjust to, but Missouri’s four guard system may
prove to be too much to handle for the Golden Eagles, especially if Mizzou is
hitting their 3’s.
Syracuse Orange – 1 seed
Ceiling: Final Four – First off, if you are an
Orange fan, you have to be absolutely livid at Fab Melo for acting so selfishly
throughout the course of the season. As
a student/athlete, it is your responsibility to attend class and complete
whatever work/tests that are asked of you.
I was never a D-1 athlete during my tenure in college, but it is my
understanding that it is not very hard to attend class/study sessions a few
times a month and maintain a gaudy 1.8 GPA.
I understand that he has NBA aspirations, but show your respect/loyalty/commitment
to the team you’re currently on.
Secondly, this team
is still talented enough and is in a favorable region to make a Final Four
run. Dion Waiters and Kris Joseph will
probably be the best two players on the floor in their first three games. And speaking of Waiters, it seems obvious
that he will be leaving college early to head to the NBA after this year. If that is the case, I can see him blowing up
and singlehandedly taking the Orange to New Orleans for the benefit of his
draft position.
Floor: Win 1 game – A #16 seed has never beaten
a #1 seed and it is not going to happen in this game. However, if Syracuse lacks the motivation and
plays flat against Kansas St. in the second round, they could be beat. Syracuse struggles in the rebounding
department, while Kansas St. excels in it.
Even though Syracuse’s talent should prevail, it could be an ugly game
that the Wildcats sneak away with.
Twitter --> @shane_t_mac
