Monday, February 27, 2012
Bracketology by Shuskey
College basketball. As soon as you think you've got it all figured out, it smacks you right in the face. March is quickly approaching and so is the "madness" it brings with it. So I'm here to talk #1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, and why they may not mean much. Here goes:
#1- Kentucky. Unbelievable young talent. This team could be the best young team John Callipari has ever assembled. And unlike some of his teams before, this team is truly interested in defending the basketball. It may not show in the final boxscore every night, but ask any opposing player who has tried to drive through the paint against them. As good as this team is though, the question is will the youth that makes them so much fun to watch be the downfall? We've seen this story play out for Coach Cal a few times before...
#2- Syracuse. I honestly can't find many holes in this team. Yeah, they've let a couple of sub-par teams hang around in games this year, but speaking of defense, this team can be lights out. Quite possibly the most tested team of my #1 predictions, weathering a schedule in the BigEast that will probably include 8-9 tournament teams. Probably my favorite #1 seed this year.
#3- Duke. Say what you want about this pick, but as of right now it's for them to lose. Head to head wins against UNC, MSU and Kansas have them in this spot for now. Still one meeting in Cameron Indoor with arch-rival UNC, and the ACC tournament (FSU, UVA), but for now this spot belongs to Duke. Unfortunatly for my Blue Devils, they will probably be the weakest #1 seed, and possibly the weakest #2 seed as well, if they end up there. This is one of the worst defending teams Duke has ever fielded. And they aren't exactly playing an elite schedule in the ACC this year. Other than UNC, FSU, and Virginia, the conference is pretty weak. The major factor for the Dukies will be freshman Austin Rivers, and the play of the big men. If the Plumlees don't start playing up to their size, it could be a short month for the Blue Devils.
#4- Michigan State. Arguably the best conference in the country. The BigEast may get 8-9 teams in, but the B1G won't be far behind. And this Sparty team has been blistering in conference play. Losses to UNC and Duke early in the season don't mean much for a Tom Izzo coached team. After finding their identity, this team has been hot. And was I the only one that caught the Ohio State game? Possibly the best defensive performance I've seen all season long. And remember this, this Sparty offense finds a way to win against some of the best defenses in the country. A balanced attack, and one of the best late season coaches of all time, Michigan State is my 2nd favorite #1 seed this year.
Longshot NCAA Tournament winners:
UNC- If they learn how to defend the perimeter, and find a little offense from out there, this team will be unbeatable.
Kansas- They have the Player of the Year (in my opinion). Don't underestimate how far one guy can take a team... And the rest of his team is pretty doggone good.
Murray State- Ever tournament has it's Cinderella. I like these guys.
Wisconsin- Holy defense Batman. And defense wins... You know the rest.
Enjoy the rest of the season. I'll be back with more after Conference Tournaments conclude.
-Shuskey
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I need bigger font, and double spacing!!
ReplyDeleteOh, and the content was pretty good.
I'll work on that for you MB!
ReplyDeleteI will have to agree with you on almost everything. kentucky and Syracuse are by far the best two teams in college basketball. I am not sure that Duke and MSU will both get the remaining number 1 seeds left. First off I think Duke will get beat at least once and probably twice before the tournament begins. MSU will win out here in the regular season but I could see them getting upset in the Big 10 tourney just because the conference is so well rounded and it wouldnt be that much of a suprise. I honnestly think at least one of two remaining number 1 seeds will be either Kansas or Missouri if not both. Mizz gave that game away the other day is prolly the closest team to KY or SY. This is going to be one of those years where people will be lucky to have more than two teams that they pick in the Final Four. I could see about 12 teams with a shot at making a big splash in the tourney. All it takes is a team to get hot at just the right time. Dont your remember when Florida lost 5 out 7 before winning the whole dam thing. Right now KY and SY maybe the favorites but it is anyones game. I will be excited to see how the brackets look at the beginning and at the end.
ReplyDeleteGonna disagree with you about Duke and MSU. Two games remaining against Wake (terrible) and UNC at home (I think they win that one). With two wins against UNC, wins against Kansas and MSU head to head, ACC Tournament won't matter. The tournament commitee does a good job of giving the regular season it's due versus rewarding conference tournaments. Also, look at RPI and SOS. Duke is #2 in RPI and #3 in SOS. MSU is #4 in RPI and #2 in SOS. Kansas is close, but losing to Davidson, Iowa State, and the head to head loss to Duke will kill them. Mizzou SOS is #73, lost twice to K State (one was a blowout and K State is 13-15) and lost to Oklahoma State (19-9). Not to mention gave up a HUGE lead against Kansas last week. Duke has losses to tournament teams (yes, I include Miami as of now). Besides UNC and Duke, MSU's only losses are to Illinois and Northwestern. That would seem bad except you're talking about games where they barely broke 40 points on either side, because in the B1G they actually play defense. I agree though that a team can get hot and wreck brackets, but nobody seems to be doing it. Every time a team starts showing flashes of greatness, somebody jumps up and gets them (FSU for example). I think Syracuse, Kentucky, and MSU could very well roll to the Final 4. Duke maybe not as much, but with a good draw in their bracket it could work out. Don't see much hope for Cinderella...
ReplyDeleteWell the B1G should that it is by far the toughest and most well rounded conference once again with IU having a big win at home against MSU. I will agree with you on some of the RPI and SOS but for some reason the voters keep Mizzou at the top. Honnestly I think the besides KY and SY the winner from the BigXII B1G and ACC will be the next top two seeds. One conference is going to be left out and I can honnestly say I think it will be the B1G because if MSU doesnt win the tournament and someone like OSU, Wisconsin or even IU wins it things will be thrown out of wack in the B1G. So if the Dukies and Kansas just take care of business I think they will get the number 1 seeds. Thats why we call this March Madness because it gets crazy.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the loss to Indiana hurts that much. I mean, they've got two wins against top 5 teams already this season. I think the regular season championship means more as far as seeding than the conference tournament, at least for your top seeds. I still say MSU and Duke are good as long as they finish off their respective conferences, but I will grant you that another MSU loss or a Duke loss to UNC gets KU a #1. Kansas has a stellar resume with wins against 3 top 5 teams as well. Mizzou won't get one.
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