Well I was going to give you picks for tonight and tomorrow's games but didn't make it in time. I came down with some strange cold leading to me completely forgetting about doing it right before class. Anyways, I would have been wrong on two of this evening's game both out west so lets go there.
West
Butler stuns Syracuse- A game that I believed wouldn't have been close because I felt even without Arinze Onuaku, the inside game of Syracuse would propel them. But they lost their heads, just a complete lack of focus. Here's looking at you Andy Rautins, Scoop Jardine (biggest offender), and Brandon Triche. The Big East continues their poor performance and the worst lost of them all (I will get to this in the next blog post). Hopefully, West Virigina can save face and lead to them to the Final Four.
Kansas State survives Xavier- Is their tougher team that Kansas State? I thought it would be a down to the wire game and a bad coaching mistake would cost one team. No coach screwed it up and honestly, the Wildcats had a little bit left in the tank for that overtime especially Jacob Pullen. I think Pullen could have played five overtimes with that three he hit in the second OT, I mean that thing was pure and looked like a first half shot. Big ups to Jordan Crawford, a guy I rode off because I saw him shoot 2/18 against Marquette in November and saw him as a selfish player. Totally wrong, didn't play well for most of the game yet stepped it up when it mattered the most. He hit big shot after big shot in regulation, overtime, and then you could tell ran out of gas in second overtime. He is a hell of a player and will be an NBA player.
Midwest
9. Northern Iowa vs. 5. Michigan State- The game I would argue everyone is talking about right now... the Panthers who are riding high with the cover of Sports Illustrated and all the media attention they could possibly ask for. The Spartans are figuring out how they deal without Kalin Lucas, but that game-winner could give Korie Lucious the confidence he needed to be a great player for the Spartans the rest of the way. The Panthers outsize the Spartans and that works to their advantage in terms of rebounding. I know people are high as Cheech on UNI but I cannot bet against Tom Izzo in these types of situations. MSU 65-62
6. Tennessee vs. 2. Ohio State- Two coaches that are familiar with being in the Sweet 16 and the Vols have been giant killers this year knocking off Kansas/Kentucky without four of their players including their best player, Tyler Smith. Guys like J.P. Prince and Wayne Chism have been able to shoulder the load of the team and I personally feel the Vols believe they are can beat anybody. On the other hand, Ohio State keeps motoring along with one of the best starting fives in the NCAA and Evan Turner will need one of the supporting guys (Buford/Diebler/Lighty) to win this game. I can't see Turner doing it alone, this comes down to what team stays out of foul trouble, both have depth issues big time. I will take Fightin' Titus in a classic. OSU 73-71
South
1.Duke vs. 5. Purdue- Interesting matchup of a two styles that are quite similar and the "Ewing Theorists" have begun with saying the Boilermakers are fine without Robbie Hummel. I think people are forgetting the eggs that Purdue has laid without Hummel this season and usually it's against teams who have more than one threat. The arsenal that the Blue Devils will shell out is pretty deep and I have no idea with their lack of depth how Purdue keeps up with the all the sudden double-double man Brian Zoubek inside. DUKE 73-60
3. Baylor vs. 10. St. Mary's- A couple of basic unknowns in this deep in the NCAA Tournament and to be honest, I think this game will come down to whoever has the last shot. The Gaels have a strong outside shooting force that can keep them in any game plus Omar Samhan has been the star of the tournament. Baylor can out run pretty much anyone in the tournament right now, but have they really been challenged yet? I like the athletic style of Baylor too much to think that the Gaels will have enough firepower to keep up with them the entire game. BAY 79-71
-Charlie.
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