Pete
Fiutak
Q:
The Final Four and national champion will be ...
A:
East
Regional: Tennessee – After coming so painfully close to the big
show last year with the heartbreaking loss to Ohio State, the Vols and
their high-octane offense will roll through a not-that-bad part of their
bracket and will miss North Carolina (more on that in minute). Even if
the Tar Heels make the Regional Final I'm still taking the Vols.
Midwest Regional: Kansas – While the run is never as easy as it
appears, Kansas should roll through the Midwest. I'm not sold that
Georgetown can get by Wisconsin, and I'm certain the Badgers can't keep
up with the Jayhawks.
South Regional: Texas – Memphis will fold once it plays a real
team again, like Pitt, Stanford's a weak three-seed, and Michigan State
is an awful five-seed. The Longhorn guards will own the South getting
Rick Barnes back to another Final Four.
West Regional: UCLA - But I'm nervous. The Bruins needed some big
calls to go their way to beat some mediocre teams late in the year. I
would've liked to have seen them dominate more down the stretch and blow
everyone away, sort of like Kansas did, but all the pieces are there.
National Championship: Kansas over UCLA. Alright, I have
to admit it; I'm going with Kansas by default. I could tell you why and
how Davidson and Western Kentucky are sleepers to watch out for, and why
the Big Ten will do better than expected, and why St. Mary's really is
dangerous, but I'm not seeing the national championship. Kansas is
playing too well right now and is too easy a pick ... it's too obvious.
So, of course, it's not going to happen. With that in mind, my
alternative universe non-wussy national title call is Texas over
Wisconsin.
Biggest Upset: No. 8 Indiana over No. 1 North Carolina in
the second round. I'm also going with West Virginia over Duke in the
second round, Western Kentucky over Drake, and I think UNLV could make
life very, very interesting for Kansas before losing, but my call of the
tournament is the Hoosiers over the Tar Heels. UNC would've lost the ACC
title if Clemson actually believed it could win, and Virginia Tech
should've won the semi-final game. This is a team just begging to get
tagged, and I'm guessing D.J. White and the inside game for IU will be
control things, while Eric Gordon will be the best player on the floor.
Richard
Cirminiello
Q:
The Final Four and national champion will be ...
A:
East Regional: North Carolina – While it’s certainly up for
debate this season, the Tar Heels are the most complete team in the
tournament, with a 32-2 mark to back that up. F Tyler Hansbrough is a
6-9 beast capable of carrying a team on either end of the court.
Midwest Regional: Vanderbilt – The ‘Dores sort of disappeared
late in the season, but for a few weeks when it matters will look like
the team that started the season 16-0. They’re a veteran bunch that
shoots well from the stripe, and has a nice inside-outside scoring punch
with SEC player of the year Shan Foster and 6-11 C A.J. Oglivy,
respectively.
South Regional: Memphis – Yeah, the Tigers can’t shoot free
throws and play in a one-bid league, but underestimate them at your own
peril. Memphis has the depth, defensive pressure, and athletic ability
to overcome its shortcomings at the line and run the rest of an average
South bracket off the court.
West Regional: UCLA: C Kevin Love and G Darren Collison may not
be 100%, but don’t buy into the notion that their injuries will keep the
Bruins from winning four games, none of which will be a painful road
trip. UCLA is poised to make it to a third straight Final Four, playing
in a bracket that has a lot of good programs, but no true heavyweight to
knock out the top seed.
National Championship: UCLA over North Carolina. Coming
out of the toughest conference in the country, the Bruins are
battle-tested with the right mix of backcourt and frontcourt talent to
navigate the 65-team field and win six games. After coming close the
last two years, UCLA is ready to break through and win its first title
in 13 years.
Biggest Upset: No. 14 Cornell over No. 3 Stanford. One of
the only teams in the tournament with as many future CEOs as Stanford,
the Big Red is also pretty good at putting the ball in the basket.
Cornell comes in white hot, winners of 16 straight games, and has a slew
of players capable of logging important minutes. It’ll get killed on
the boards against the Cardinal, but it’ll also shoot well enough from
the field and the free throw line to deliver the biggest upset of the
first day of the tournament.
Matthew
Zemek
Q: The Final Four and
national champion will be ...
A: Final Four: North Carolina (East);
Kansas (Midwest); Texas (South); UCLA (West).
The South is the toughest region, with the regionals being in Houston,
the reason why Texas will have a huge, crucial edge. Otherwise, the 1
seeds got favorable draws, with Kansas getting a potential challenge
from Georgetown.
National Semifinals: Kansas over UNC, UCLA over Texas. Kansas plays
better defense. UCLA will have the advantage of seeking revenge against
Texas.
National Championship: Kansas over UCLA. The Jayhawks are hungry, deep,
and healthy. UCLA--who received a cake draw in the West--won't be as
healthy if the Bruins reach the title game.
Biggest Upset: No real big upset. Teams that occupy the 8-12 seed lines
are more mediocre than in past years. Temple (12) over Michigan St. (5)
is the biggest (technical) seed-based upset, but the Spartans have
lacked a pulse away from home this season, so it wouldn't be a huge
shock.
John
Harris
Q:
The Final Four and national champion will be ...
A: Memphis (South) – third time is a charm
Tennessee (East) – I still think
that the athleticism and ability to press and create chaos will give UNC,
in particular, all kinds of problems
UCLA (West) – best chameleon in
this tournament, the one team with the ability to adapt styles and
tempos better than any other
USC (Midwest) – the one underdog
I have here – not sure that I’m sold on anyone from the Midwest and
think USC could ride OJ Mayo for four games, at a minimum
National Championship –
Tennessee vs. UCLA – Tennessee’s depth shoots down USC, while UCLA’s
multi-faceted attack wears down Memphis in the final minutes.
National Champion – UCLA – The
Bruins’ discipline and Kevin Love are too much for Tennessee.
Biggest Upset – Western Kentucky
over Drake. The Bulldogs run has been improbable this season, but they
haven’t played since two Sundays ago. WKU has been strong all season
long and will take advantage of an inexperienced tournament team in
Drake.
