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Though all of my Final Four teams (Georgetown, University of Kansas, Texas A&M and Florida) are still alive, they are about the only teams I have left. So before I get to today's almost certainly unreliable picks, check out last week's notable blunders.
USC: I don't know what I was doing picking against the Trojans. I've trusted them throughout college; I'd be a father of five if they worked as poorly as I thought they would against Arkansas. That's not the case. Southern Cal is just as reliable as its namesake and scores just as smoothly. What really threw me off was coach Tim Floyd, who had a 93-235 record in the NBA. He blew it in the pros but now can he take a team to the Sweet Sixteen? Oh yea, that's how USC coaches do it.
Maryland: Got this one almost as wrong. I had these Terps going to the Sweet Sixteen, but desperately wanted to change my pick as soon as I saw Greivis Vasquez's playoff beard. Greivis and the Terps were slapped around in the second round by Butler and their J.J. Redick-esque guard, A.J. Graves, who went 4-9 from three-point range. With Vasquez returning, Maryland, should be a threat next season. That is, by then, all of Vasquez's patches in his beard will have filled in.
The State of Virginia: Maybe I'm a homer, but of the four Virginia teams that made the tournament, I had three heading to the Sweet Sixteen. Instead, they've all already made their way back to the Commonwealth and my bracket looks like it was picked by Patrick Henry.
The Hokies couldn't handle the Salukis, UVa couldn't beat a team whose head coach paints his chest for women's basketball games and VCU, after handling Duke, bowed out against Pitt. Old Dominion didn't even get out of the first round. Come on, this is just embarrassing. Our state seal is a guy killing someone else. We should be ashamed.
My East, South and Midwest brackets: Two teams left each
My West Bracket: Only team left. I should be fired.
Well, if you still want them, here are my picks
No. 5 Butler vs. No. 1 Florida: My opinions about Blowtler are pretty well known. At least now they're running into the best team in the tournament. Florida has cruised in its first two games, winning by an average of 25 points, though, that stat is slightly skewed by their 43-point win over Jackson State. The only shot Butler has is if Reddick-boy drops an inordinate amount of threes. Hopefully he doesn't, so we can see the true J.J. in him, crying after the Bulldogs lose. That'd make my day. Pick: Florida
No. 6 Vanderbilt vs. No. 2 Georgetown: The Commodores came into this tourney an unknown. Of course, if I'd actually researched it, I would have seen that Sports Illustrated picked them to go to the Sweet Sixteen and they have SEC player of the year, Derrick Byars. Vandy just won an emotional double-overtime game against Washington State. They'll be drained. Georgetown, on the other hand, coasted to the Sweet Sixteen. Give it to the Hoyas and the phenomenal nepotistic group of Patrick Ewing Jr., John Thompson III and Jahidi White IV. Pick: Georgetown
No. 7 UNLV vs. No. 3 Oregon: Well, Oregon knocked off my surprise Elite Eight team, Winthrop. UNLV knocked off my Sweet Sixteen team, Wisconsin. Now I'm knocking off both off them. Pick: No one
No. 5 USC vs. No. 1 North Carolina: Today's supposed Game of the Night. By beating Texas, the Trojans already managed to single handedly screw over themselves and 337 other teams for the 2007-2008 college basketball season. The second-round loss USC handed to freshman Kevin Durant could quite possibly convince him to return for a sophomore season and lay waste to every single team and win a national title, which, fittingly will be the year the Trojan's likely to contend. Ironic. Also, instead of letting us enjoy watching Durant slug it out with the now maskless Tyler Hansbrough, we have to watch UNC coast past a tournament newbie by 12. Pick: UNC
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