The first 4-day weekend is the wild one.
The second 4-day weekend is the great basketball one.
And the final four it typically a let down.
Well when the biggest upset is an 11 over a 6, this first round was anything but wild. And there weren't even that many close games either. The two 11 seeds to advance, were hardly surprises as VCU and Winthrop were projected sleepers.
With a lackluster first round, it will be hard for the second round to have that many exciting matchups. Unless a 1 or 2 goes down, or either of the 11's advance, it will be hard to have a 2nd round upset. As for great upcoming games?
Hmmm...Winthrop/Oregon? Butler/Maryland? I can hardly contain myself.
Seriously, Kansas/Kentucky could be interesting, as could VCU/Pitt, UNC/MSU, USC/Texas, BC/Georgetown. But they all rely on the underdog showing up. Probably the best game over the next 2 days will be...
Louisville/A&M
It's in Lexington, even though Texas A&M is the higher seed. Louisville is explosive and A&M has Acie Law. Oh yeah, and I have Texas A&M in the final four--partly because if they can get past Louisville, they will go to the Regional in San Antonio.
The game is at 2:40 Central, 20 minutes after the tip of Butler/Maryland...hopefully they don't stick Chicago in the Butler market.
It doesn't really seem like I missed a whole lot, not being able to see hardly any of the games. I'm glad I didn't see the Illini take a poop the last 4:30 of the game. The team this year, from across the Atlantic, seemed awful. How disappointed would we be if this were our senior year?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, have patience for some March Madness. You never know where it's going to come from. With almost all higher seeds moving on, maybe the quality of the games will be really good. I guess this is what happens when the NBA has an age limit. The big programs load up even more, making it harder for the mediocre schools to win.
Interesting theory on the age limit, but that has only affected a handful of players -- Oden, Durant mostly. And they aren't the reason not a single 12 seed won. Come on!
ReplyDeleteI had two 12 seeds winning, and I didn't even pick Illinois.
About the 12 seeds, it only seems like they're a good bet, when, in reality, the statistics show that they aren't as popular as we think they are.
ReplyDeleteThe 11 seed is the new 12 seed.
Oh, I just came up with a theory. The top mid-major teams are getting better and better (and more exposure), with the worst major teams in the field getting worse. The 12-16 seeds that we're used to seeing pull some upset are now seeded lower. In the past SIU and Butler would not be seeded where they are today. Maybe that's why we're not seeing as many upsets. Good job selection committee.