Bracket Blogging & Bragging

My Final Four picks contain two number one seeds and two Big 12 teams. Pittsburgh and Kansas are teams I favor every year. I am a sucker for Jayhawk and Panther basketball. I am also a supporting fan of both coaches, Jamie Dixon of Pitt, and Bill Self of Kansas. So, it’s no surprise to me I’ve selected both to represent their regions in the NCAA Final Four in Detroit.
My other two teams with the best chance to reach the finals are North Carolina and Missouri. I chose the Tigers out of the West region based on a gut feeling. Their road to the Final Four is tough because they face a potential meeting with the best defensive team in college basketball, Memphis, in the Sweet 16. If Missouri can shoot and squeeze by Cornell and the winner of Marquette-Utah State, their foe will most likely be Memphis. I believe Missouri can beat Connecticut if they face the Huskies too.
The Tarheels were an easy choice and the odds they win the championship are 7-1 last time I checked. Those are the most favorable odds of all teams, including the number one overall seed, Louisville. I am hoping for a N.C.-Syracuse match in the Elight Eight round. The South region has strong teams in Gonzaga, Syracuse and Oklahoma, but N.C. is a battle-tested, experienced squad. They do not play very good defense so that may set their chances of winning a championship back. What sets the Tarheels apart from the rest of the field is their excellent coaching and veteran players.
I always hesitate when picking the Pittsburgh Panthers in big situations, but this year’s team is just great. I liked Louisville as the overall Big East favorite team coming out of the conference championship and at the end of the season, the Cardinals got hot at the right time. I am hoping Kansas can pull of the upset and be Rick Pitino’s roadblock to a Final Four appearance. The Jayhawks just may be motivated to shut down the Cardinals in a thrilling bird basketball bloodbash. Wake Forest is a team that will challenge the Cardinals in the Midwest bracket too. Michigan State is a force as well and a team trying to earn more respect coming from the Big 10. They do not scare me, but still have the talent to compete with any of the higher seeded teams in their bracket. I am entirely excited about a second round West Virginia-Kansas pairing if it happens. WVU is underrated and mad, coming off a loss to Syracuse in the Big East semifinals. I would have enjoyed having the Mountaineers go deep into the tournament if it didn’t mean knocking of Kansas. But the luck of the draw has them meeting in the second round. I still like the chances of the defending national champion Jayhawks.
One team with an outside chance to make a run is Florida State. I think the Seminoles are a sleeper team with one of the top ACC players in point guard, Toney Douglas. Despite losing to Duke in the ACC title game, they know how to beat teams in a bunch of ways and are defensively enjoyable to watch. I don’t see Florida State getting by DuJuan Blair and the problem-posing Panthers though. Blair has a knack for knocking anyone in his way and when he is on his game, there is no one that can stop Pitt. North Carolina’s chances of beating Pitt rest on the status of Ty Lawson. He is expected to play in the tournament. Without Lawson, N.C. doesn’t stand a chance against the Panthers.
I chose Missouri to reach the Final Four because I liked what I saw from the number 3 seed coached by Mike Anderson. It will be Anderson’s first trip to the tournament so perhaps I crave a feel-good story too. The confident Tigers have a deep bench and led the nation in assists and steals. Their two leading players are forward studs, DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons. Remember those names because I think they will be impact players this March. The Tigers won the Big 12 championship and never lost two straight games during the season. Missouri is a team that likes to take risks, and that will either make or break them. The further they advance in the tournament, the more focused they have to get. They start strong and best when dictating tempo and applying pressure. The Tigers’ forte is forcing opponents to turn the ball over. J.T. Tiller is an excellent defensive guard and is perfectly capable of holding off players like Kansas’ Sherron Collins. That being said, I still can’t pick against Self and Kansas. The Jayhawks lost to Baylor in the Big 12 quarterfinals. Interestingly, Missouri had no trouble handling the Bears. But Kansas’ ability to rise to the occasion will help them master mighty Mizzou. Playing far from home could help Kansas keep distractions at a minimum. They cannot try to do too much but must stick to their game plan of consistency. Center, Cole Aldrich and guards Collins, Conner Teahan, Tyrel Reed and Tyshawn Taylor are key Kansas cogs. My concerns are their inexplicable early season losses to Arizona, Syracuse and Michigan State. They also fumbled down the stretch but so did Pittsburgh. The Panther especially disappointed during the Big East tournament. Neither team has any momentum heading into March Madness, but I am gambling on them acquiring some fairly quickly.
My final assessment is the Jayhawks facing off against the Panthers in the title game. But Kansas will not be repeat national champions. Pitt will recover in time with their frequent firepower and ball-handling to put away Kansas in the final quarter. The final score won’t even be that close. The Panthers’ up front, physical presence will be too much for Kansas. LeVance Fields runs the show in Pittsburgh and every athlete on the team, from Blair to Sam Young to Jermaine Dixon, knows how to bring it.
Last year, I correctly predicted Kansas would win it all. Not to brag, but I was right. Let’s see if the Panthers can make me look good again.

Parting points: Here’s hoping Martin Brodeur breaks Pat Roy’s record tonight against the Blackhawks.
Song of the day- “No You Girls”- Franz Ferdinand