Collegiate Times

FIRST ROUND UPSET: NO. 11 VCU OVER NO. 6 UCLA

Star VCU point guard Eric Maynor (22.4 ppg, 6.2 apg) knows about giant-killing. In 2007, Maynor racked up 22 points and eight assists to defeat Duke in the first round.

This year, Maynor's play won't surprise anyone, but he will have another shot at taking down a traditional powerhouse in UCLA.

Aided by impressive sophomore forward Larry Sanders (11.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg) inside, the Rams have the guards to keep up with UCLA and the ability to clean up on the boards.

Senior Bruins guard Darren Collison (14.5 ppg, 4.9 apg) and freshman guard Jrue Holiday (8.5 ppg, 3.5 apg) could potentially cause problems for Maynor and Rams sharpshooter Joey Rodriguez (9.4 ppg, 2.5 apg), but the presence of Sanders down low should relieve some of that pressure.

Despite Maynor's NCAA success, don't discount Collison, either, who has appeared in three Final Fours since becoming a Bruin. Both are future NBA guards and should provide one of the more compelling match-ups of the first round.

As if drawing the Rams wasn't bad enough for the Bruins, UCLA must fly across the country to Philadelphia and will be up against a likely pro-VCU crowd.

In the end, expect the Rams to beat UCLA with a balanced inside-out game that will be too much to handle.

SLEEPER TEAM: FLORIDA STATE

After defeating North Carolina to reach the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament finals, Florida State solidified themselves as a top-tier team.

As a five seed, the Seminoles have a chance to cause some trouble for the top seeds in the East bracket. The 5 vs. 12 game always proves to be unpredictable, but FSU has the players to defend the Wisconsin swing offense.

When the Hokies played the Badgers in December, they took advantage of Virginia Tech's inability to guard the 3-point shot from their big men. Unlike Tech, the Noles have enough athletic post players that can guard on the perimeter as well as down low in the post.

In the second round, likely against Xavier, the 'Noles have standout guards Toney Douglas and Derwin Kitchen to contend with the Musketeers' guards and the excellent post defense to shut down their front line. I

f they get to the round of 16, FSU has the perfect team to give the Pitt Panthers serious trouble.

Both teams play tough, physical defense and are led by senior guards with plenty of experience running their teams. The 'Noles feature the size and depth down low to bang with Panthers forward DeJuan Blair and the athletic ability to move away from the basket to defend Sam Young.

Also keep in mind that even though Pittsburgh continues to develop its basketball tradition with its eight straight NCAA tournament appearances, the Panthers have struggled to advance far.

Pittsburgh received three No. 3 seeds, a No. 2 and a No. 4 seed in that time and could not get beyond the Sweet 16. Knowing that, the Seminoles appear to be in prime position to continue Pittsburgh's string of underwhelming tournament performances.

IMPACT PLAYER: TONEY DOUGLAS

Douglas (21.3 ppg, 2.9 apg) finished second in the ACC Player of the Year voting and also ended up second in scoring to propel FSU to a fourth place finish despite being picked to end up 10th in preseason polls.

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