Spring Break
From snubs to duds, a quick look at the bracket
JASON BUTT & FLETCHER PAGE
Issue date: 3/17/09 Section: Sports
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12-seed most likely to upset a 5:
Page: Western Kentucky over Illinois - Quite frankly, outside of Purdue and Michigan State, I'm not a big fan of the Big Ten. I watched Illinois live in Chicago when it dismantled Georgia by 34, but I still haven't bought in Bruce Weber's team. Western Kentucky made a run to the Sweet 16 last year, and although it only beat Georgia by four, guards A.J. Slaughter and Orlando Mendez-Valdez are dangerous.
Butt: Wisconsin over Florida State - Wisconsin was one of the last teams selected, and I'm still hearing chatter from a lot of folks saying they don't belong. I respectfully disagree. Bo Ryan's clubs are known for tough defense and ball control. Wisconsin holds opponents to 59 points per game and will be stopping a one-man ball club in Florida State. FSU's Toney Douglas averages 21.3 points each contest, with center Solomon Alabi second with 8.5. Florida State also has a tendency to turn the ball over, ranking 274th in the nation in assist to turnover ratio (15 turnovers a game). Look for Wisconsin to slow down the tempo and force someone other than Douglas to beat them.
Best potential second-round matchup:
Page: 3-seed Syracuse vs. 6-seed Arizona State - This could be the most entertaining game of the first weekend as both teams ended the season ranked in both polls in the top 25. Orange guards Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins are deadly, especially in transition. Forwards Arinze Onuaku, Rick Jackson and Paul Harris are solid down low. Six-seeded Arizona State should get by Temple, thanks to All-American guard James Harden. The sophomore guard averaged 21 points, six rebounds and four assists a game, easily designating him as a game-changer.
Butt: 6-seed West Virginia vs. 3-seed Kansas - Both teams rebound well, Kansas having the 11th best turnover margin in the nation and West Virginia the 23rd. It will be interesting to see who wins the battle on the glass between West Virginia's Devin Ebanks and Kansas' Cole Aldrich. For Kansas to recreate the success it had a year ago it will need guard Sherron Collins to pick it up an extra notch, and if this matchup holds up, the Jayhawks will need to defend the 3, as Mountaineers Alex Ruoff and Da'Sean Butler can drain it deep.
Biggest snub:
Page: Saint Mary's - One of college basketball's most electrifying players, Patty Mills, has been left out of the tournament thanks to this snub. The Gaels lost only two games with Mills in the lineup, but an injury at the end of January forced the play-maker to miss games down the stretch.
Still, Saint Mary's finished 26-6, with three of those losses coming against 4-seed Gonzaga. If Mills hadn't been injured, Saint Mary's would have made some teams nervous.
Butt: Penn State - After the Nittany Lions defeated Illinois (for the second time) on March 5, it appeared they were a lock for the big dance. What ultimately hurt Penn State was its terrible out-of-conference schedule.
My case for Penn State is that it went 10-8 in the No. 2 RPI conference, which had the No. 1 non-conference RPI. Penn State doesn't have the athleticism that a middle-of-the-road ACC team, say Clemson, has, but players such as Talor Battle and Jamelle Cornley have excellent basketball IQs on a team that strokes the ball well from 3.
Team that doesn't belong:
Page: Maryland - Yes, the Terps beat Michigan State, Michigan and North Carolina. But Maryland's total body of work should have pegged it as an NIT competitor. Losses to Morgan State, a down Georgetown team and a regular season ending loss at Virginia displayed glaring inconsistencies and incompetence on the offensive end. Maryland also lost at Clemson 93-64, and at Duke 85-44, showing an inept ability to play on the road.
Butt: Arizona - This was easy, as the Wildcats lost five out of their last six in a terrible Pac-10 to close the year.
There are no quality road wins, even if there are two good wins out of conference over Gonzaga and Kansas. The bad losses (UAB, Stanford, Washington State) shadow the accomplishments, and it seems the selection committee chose Arizona based on the brand name.
- Jason Butt is the sports editor and Fletcher Page is a sportswriter for the Red & Black.
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