WEST REGION: Anaheim, California
Opening Rounds – FIRST and SECOND
(1) Oregon v (16) Holy Cross/Southern
The Oregon Ducks come in with
their 1st ever #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Behind this momentum
is an 8 game win streak capped off with their PAC12 regular season and
conference tournament championships. Dana Altman has the Ducks rolling since
coming to Eugene in 2010. Now with their 4th consecutive tourney
appearance, they look to improve from their (28-6) record. First up a matchup
between play in game winner of Holy Cross or Southern. The winner of that
respective game will see a high flying Oregon team who can score at will. Quack
Quack. OREGON
(8) St. Joseph’s v (9) Cincinnati
Head coach Phil Martelli’s Owls
have been a pesky group all season. Temple (27-7) comes off an A10 tournament victory
and are not to be slept on. They are guard heavy and seasoned with Isaiah Miles
(18.3 ppg), DeAndre Bembrey (14.7 ppg), and Aaron Brown (10.3 ppg). The Bearcats
are no stranger to defense as they rank in the top 10 in defense effieceny. The Owls will be a big
challenge. Even after their 4OT debacle in their American conference semis, Nick
Cronin’s bunch is in their 6th straight tournament appearance. That
stingy Cincy defense has allowed opponents to just shoot around 40% from the
field. St. Joes will have their hands full but I believe too much talent in the
backcourt will prevail. ST. JOSEPH’S
Oregon and St. Joseph’s: The Ducks score fast and at a high pace,
almost 80 points a game. They have scored (90+) at least 5 times this season. Both
teams have their own mini BIG 3 and will rely heavy on them to produce. St.
Joes has length and size, so does Oregon. I believe these two teams match up
well versus each other. Isaiah Miles of St. Joes and Dillon Brooks of Oregon will be a
matchup to watch on the wings. Oregon has firepower and should contain the Owls. I look for a shootout. OREGON
(4) Duke v (13) UNC Wilmington
2006 was the last time UNC
Wilmington was in the tourney, but that won’t stop them from having upset on thier mind when they play in state foe Duke. The Blue Devils (23-10) has had an up and down season thus far. Not your
usual Coach K team with a variety of losses and on court troubles. UNCW
currently with a 4 game win streak after winning the CAA championship has also
had an 11 game win streak earlier this year. Junior guard Chris Flemmings leads
the way for the Seahawks. He is averaging 16 points a game while shooting 51%
from the field. Duke likes to score as well. Grayson Allen leading the way with
(21.6 ppg / 4.5 rpg / 3.6 apg); as the Blue Devils have 5 players scoring in
double figures. UNC Wilmington can score at will and will keep the pace up with
Duke. Duke just needs to not get behind. The Blue Devils are (11-9) in the
tournament as a 3 seed or lower. UNCW will keep it tight but ultimately I believe
Duke will be to strong down the stretch for the Seahawks. DUKE
(5) Baylor v (12) Yale
The Baylor Bears now in their 3rd
consecutive tourney appearance looks for another run in the big dance. A (22-11) record, the
Bears shared the ball extremely well this season, ranking 6th in the
NCAA with almost 20 assist per game. Senior Taueran Prince led the way with 16
points per, as a collective Bears group looked well all season in a deep BIG12 conference.
Ivy League winner Yale is in the tourney for the first time in over 60 years.
Yale posted a (22-6) record running through the Ivy League this season. The Bulldogs
rebound well and defend. Another game I believe that will be close like
Duke/UNCW. Do not sleep on Yale, their post presence was on display all season
however; Baylor counters that with their own size in the paint. Yale will keep it close but not close enough. BAYLOR
Duke and Baylor: Can never count out Coach K but sometimes you can.
Duke is known for their early exits and this may be no different. The size Rico
Gathers brings for Baylor will be something Duke will have to tassel with all game which may cause disadvantage in the frontcourt. The Blue Devils seem to rely on Grayson Allen and freshman Phenom Brandon
Ingram a little too much at times. Baylor
ended their season early last year. With some seniors on this year’s team, I
look for them to keep the Bears focused and calm under pressure. Baylor has 8
players with at least 19 postseason games experience. That says a lot. Besides Amile Jefferson
and Matt Jones, not a lot of experience behind Grayson Allen for the defending champs. I like the depth
of Baylor behind their veteran leadership to be the difference. Bears keep
dancing. BAYLOR
(2) Oklahoma v (15) Cal State Bakersfield
I had to see what conference CSU
Bakersfield won to really see how they made it in the dance. The Roadrunners
(24-8) won their WAC tournament title and making their first appearance in the
tournament. Just in 2006 CSU transitioned from Division II to D-I basketball.
Quick come up for the Roadrunners. Meanwhile Oklahoma lives by the three and
dies by the three. The Sooners led by Wooden Award Finalists Buddy Hield’s
(25.0 ppg / shooting [49% FG / 89% FT / 46% 3PT]) respectively. At least 5 players
shoot 37% or better from behind the arc for Oklahoma. The Sooners (25-7) are
elite and make a case for why the BIG12 was so good all season. Sooners in a
rout. OKLAHOMA
(7) Oregon State v (10) VCU
It has been since 1990 that Oregon
State has even thought about dancing. The (19-12) Beavers enter tournament as
the underdog in my mind to VCU. Oregon State is led by a former name on the back of the jersey
in Payton. Guard Gary Payton II leads them with (15.9 ppg / 7.9 rpg / 5.1 apg /
2.5 spg). The guy is an all-around
player, just like his pops was. The father of Tres Tinkle, Wayne Tinkle the head coach
of the Beavers will be without his son Tres with a foot injury. Tres is second
in scoring behind Payton. VCU has been dancing for 6 consecutive seasons now
and 8 times since their epic 2007 upset over Duke. The Rams (24-10) won the A10
regular season title but lost in the tourney finals. Will Wade in his first
season post Shaka Smart era, has kept the same concept for the Rams, winning. However back to back
overtime losses in the first round for VCU is something they are trying to change. VCU plays better as a double-digit seed though. Senior Melvin Johnson leads the way with
(17.4 ppg) and the Rams still play that stingy defense, I like the double-digit seed. VCU
Oklahoma and VCU: HAVOC will be needed to slow down Buddy and the
gang. The Sooners average around 80 points per while VCU stiffs opponents
around (66.7 ppg) defensively. Both teams balanced offensively and defensively
while leaning on their differences as their strengths. Besides shooting the
three frequently and well that is about the only similarities they have. Melvin
Johnson going against Buddy Hield in their offense/defense battle will be
interesting and a good one to watch. Too much Sooners down the stretch though, to much Buddy period. See ya alum VCU. OKLAHOMA
(3) Texas A & M v (14) Green Bay
Horizon League champs Green Bay
can score, and score fast. Their up tempo offense helped them win their tourney
champ and find a way to get into the tourney after a 20 year absence. The
Phoenix at (23-12) get up and down the court as good as anyone. With 3 players scoring over 12 points a
game, and the pace they like to play at, the Aggies will have to clamp down on
defense for this one. Green Bay’s (84.2 ppg) ranks 6th in all NCAA. Texas
A &M has formed themselves into a household name. The Aggies at (26-8) shared
the SEC regular season title for the first time and took Kentucky to the brinks
in the SEC tournament title game. A couple of seniors in Jalen Jones and Danuel
House lead the way for a deep Aggies team. A team I believe will go far in this year's tournament. TEXAS A & M
(6) Texas v (11) Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa took out Wichita
State in route to a MVC championship. The Panthers make back to back tournament
appearances for the first time ever. Northern Iowa (22-12) prides themselves on
the tenacious defense. Problem with that is they don’t score enough. As well as
they defend, their scoring output is relatively the same as they hold their
opponents too. Texas as you know prides themselves on defense. Shaka Smart in his
first season in Austin brings a new version of HAVOC to the Longhorns. Texas
looked lost and confused but when Cameron Ridley went out, they played a new tune.
Ridley was averaging almost a double-double before being injured. Guard Isaiah Taylor took over and
the rest in history. Resilience is what I would call this Texas team and with Ridley
in the fold for about 15-20 minutes per. Hook em Horns. TEXAS
Texas A & M and Texas: These two Texas teams are famillair foes
with the Aggies just leaving the BIG12 for the SEC just a few seasons ago. They will Texas two step in the second round. The Longhorns defense will counter
with the Aggies feisty offensive bunch. Texas A & M with a strong team, with depth on
bench and has won 8 of 9. Shaka Smart brings about the only experience for
Texas and he will not be on the court. With the way the Aggies have been playing for their head coach Billy Kennedy, I don't see A & M falling off the bracket quite yet. TEXAS A & M
MY WEST REGION SWEET 16 PREDICTIONS
Oregon v Baylor
Oklahoma v Texas A & M
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