I've done the South and West previews already. Today I'll preview the East. This regional is pretty weak in it's own right. West Virginia should be a tough team to play, but Bob Huggins is their coach. The 3 seed is New Mexico, while the 4 seed is Wisconsin. Not exactly the toughest bracket for the 1 seeded Kentucky Wildcats. I Don't Trust Bob Huggins Teams
Sorry, but I don't trust Bob Huggins coached teams. His teams routinely fold early in the NCAA tournament. Huggins teams have only made it to two Sweet Sixteen's in the past 10 years. Other than that, his teams have usually lost in the 1st or 2nd round. Huggins has only been to one Final 4 and that was back in the 91-92 season. Even though West Virginia has an easy path to the Elite 8, it wouldn't surprise me at all if West Virginia lost in the 2nd round or the Sweet 16.
That Being Said, Da'Sean Butler Is A Beast
In six West Virginia games this season, Da'Sean Butler has hit the game-winning shot. Two of those games came in last week's Big East tournament. Butler has routinely came through in the clutch all season and he's exactly the type of player every team wants in the tournament. He alone makes West Virginia a tough team in the tournament despite the presence of Huggy Bear.
Kentucky Plays With Fire
Out of all the 1 seeds, Kentucky is the team that could lose early in the tournament. They lucked out by having to play either the underachieving Texas or the imploding Wake Forest in the 2nd round. Kentucky could get caught playing either Temple or Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. If a game Kentucky plays is close, then they could be in real trouble. Kentucky has played in plenty of close games this year and their talent has always helped them win. In a tournament where experience matters in close games, Kentucky is trapped. They do not have an experienced team and could lose in a close game. Plus DeMarcus Cousins is crazy.
Most Intriguing 1st Round Game: Temple vs. Cornell
Shame on the selection committee for matching up these two teams in the 1st round. Cornell as a 12th seed is disgraceful. This is the same Cornell team that gave Kansas all they could handle in Lawrence. The Big Red should have at least been a 10th seed. Meanwhile Temple is 29-5 on the year and features one of the best backcourts in the nation with Ryan Brooks and Juan Fernandez. This is one of those games that I have a hard time which team to pick for my bracket.
Final 4 Pick: West Virginia
I'm going against my better judgment and picking West Virginia to be the Final 4 team out of this regional. And that's despite the fact that Bob Huggins is the West Virginia coach. I just don't trust Kentucky enough to make the Final 4. They have zero experience in the tournament while Wall and Cousins can implode at any moment. Also West Virginia has Da'Sean Butler who has been one of the better clutch players in the nation. And having a player like Butler on your team can take you a long ways.
I must admit that I hope Cornell somehow goes on a run. I've really enjoyed watching them play. That said, I think WVU is the pick here.
ReplyDeleteHere is the thing with the Cornell-Temple match up. For as much talk as there is that Temple got unlucky with Cornell, Cornell got just as unlucky by drawing Temple. Temple dominated a very good A-10 Conference, winning both the regular season and tournament championships. Most people thought that the Owls were going to be a 4-seed with some even going as far as saying they could be a 3-seed. These Owls are no joke and as good as Cornell may be (and I admit this is the best Ivy League team in the tourney in quite some time), the Owls are just as good. I know people love 5-12 upsets and they are no doubt common and while an upset is certainly possible in this game, if you are only going to pick one and only one 12 team to upset the 5, do not pick Cornell.
ReplyDeleteUnrelated to the above point, but an important stat of note for Temple-Cornell: Fran Dunphy's record against his former assistants is 22-1.
Go Owls!
P.S. I hate my life right now. The professor of my Tuesday-Thursday 12:30 ET class (you know, the one I was going to skip to watch Nova) decided just today that he messed up the syllabus and the midterm is now this Thursday. FML. So yeah. Look for me on Thursday to come in at the soonest during the back end of the 1st half and at the latest during halftime of that game.
To further my point, I am seeing and reading a lot from people who cover and blog about the Ivy League say that while Temple got a bad draw, Cornell ended up with their worst possible 1st round match up.
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