Are you ready?
“March Madness” is a coined term that refers to the pandemonium and high intensity in the NCAA Tournament. Those two words may not be enough to describe what th2013 edition of the tournament could be. The top four overall seeds in the tournament, Louisville (29-5), Kansas (29-5), Indiana (27-6), and Gonzaga (31-2), lead the way in the 68-team field. All of them have had their many highs, with conference tournament championships for Louisville, Kansas, and Gonzaga, and the regular Big Ten season champs in Indiana. The top seed in the tournament is coveted, as these four will be hunted on the dance floor. Gonzaga has only gotten as far as the Elite Eight (1999), whereas Kansas, Louisville, and Indiana have combined for 31 final four appearances. In the grand scheme of things, I thought that the committee did a solid job with the selecting. Although their schedule wasn’t the toughest of the bunch by any means, the Bulldogs of Gonzaga still went undefeated in their conference. Ironically, their two losses come to two teams who were ranked #13 in both match-ups going into the (Dec. 8 vs. Illinois, Jan. 19 vs. Butler). Out of the four #1 seeds, I feel that the Midwest is really tough, but that the Cards of Louisville had a turning point in the Big East Tournament Championship.
Tuesday: NCAA Tournament Gets Underway With First Round Action (Play-In Games)
Before I begin talking about these contests, I want to make it known on this blog that I in no way support the NCAA’s decision to call these play-in games first round games and this Thursday and Friday second round games. So, 64- teams get a bye in the first round? This needs to be changed back to the regular format.
#16-Seed North Carolina A&T (19-16, MEAC Tournament Champion) vs. #16-Seed Liberty (15-20, Big South Tournament Champion) – Winner vs. Louisville on Thursday
Tip-off at 6:40 pm on TruTV at the University of Dayton
If you would have said that the Liberty Flames would win the Big South to people down there, they would have shaken their heads. Liberty fell in their first eight games of the season, but they have reeled off five straight to surge into the Dance. North Carolina A&T normally takes a back seat to North Carolina and Duke, but not tomorrow. Liberty is only the second team in history to make the tournament with 20+ losses. Forward Adrian Powell and guard Lamont Middleton combine for 25 points per game on average. The Flames are led by John Caleb Sanders, a 6’0’’ guard who averages 14.2 points per game. Consider it a national title game for these two teams
PREDICTION
Both are riding momentum, but I go with the team that gets the best of North Carolina A&T in points per game and on the boards. I like the 15-20 Liberty Flames to move on because they are on an absolute roll.
#11-Seed Saint Mary’s (27-6, WCC At-Large) vs. #11-Seed Middle Tennessee (28-5, Sun Belt At-Large) – Winner vs. Memphis on Thursday
Tip-off at around 9:10 pm on TruTV at the University of Dayton
Two teams who are both at-larges will square off in Dayton on Tuesday night. Middle Tennessee slid in as the final team in the field, as their 11-3 road record was a key factor and wins over SEC Tournament Champ Ole Miss and Vanderbilt are the main focal points. The Saint Mary’s Gaels lost to Purdue in their first round match-up last year to Purdue, 72-69. They look to avenge for that, as the Gaels are chippy and have a leader in Matt Dellavedova (6’4’’ senior guard, 16 ppg). Saint Mary played a really effective game on February 23 when the Gaels topped Creighton, 74-66.
PREDICTION
This a match-up between two physical, hard-nosed squads. Middle Tennessee is a good team, there’s no doubt, but Saint Mary’s is not happy about losing to the Zags . They will make up for it in my opinion. St. Mary’s is dangerous.
The NCAA did release their TV guide for the tournament. Here is a schedule of what we will see this week.
First Round
Tuesday, March 19
6:40 p.m.: MW16a. North Carolina A&T vs. MW16b. Liberty at Dayton, Ohio (truTV/Marv Albert, Steve Kerr and Craig Sager) 9:10 p.m. (approx.): MW11a. Middle Tennessee State vs. MW11b. Saint Mary’s at Dayton, Ohio (truTV/Marv Albert, Steve Kerr and Craig Sager)
Wednesday, March 20
6:40 p.m.: E16a. LIU-Brooklyn vs. E16b. James Madison at Dayton, Ohio (truTV/Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Tracy Wolfson) 9:10 p.m. (approx.): W13a. Boise State vs. W13b. La Salle at Dayton, Ohio (truTV/Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Tracy Wolfson)
Second Round
Thursday, March 21
12:15 p.m.: MW3. Michigan State vs. MW14. Valparaiso at Auburn Hills, Mich. (CBS/Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery and Rachel Nichols) 12:40 p.m.: E6. Butler vs. E11. Bucknell at Lexington, Ky. (truTV/Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel and Allie LaForce) 1:40 p.m.: W8. Pittsburgh vs. W9. Wichita State at Salt Lake City, Utah (TBS/Spero Dedes, Doug Gottlieb and Jamie Maggio) 2:10 p.m.: MW4. Saint Louis vs. MW13. New Mexico State at San Jose, Calif. (Brian Anderson, Dan Bonner and Marty Snider)
2:45 p.m. (approx.): MW6. Memphis vs. MW11a. Middle Tennessee State or MW11b. Saint Mary’s at Auburn Hills, Mich. (CBS/Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery and Rachel Nichols) 3:10 p.m. (approx.): E3. Marquette vs. E14. Davidson at Lexington, Ky. (truTV/Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel and Allie LaForce) 4:10 p.m. (approx.): W1. Gonzaga vs. W16. Southern at Salt Lake City, Utah (TBS/Spero Dedes, Doug Gottlieb and Jamie Maggio) 4:40 p.m. (approx.): MW5. Oklahoma State vs. MW12. Oregon at San Jose, Calif. (TNT/Brian Anderson, Dan Bonner and Marty Snider)
6:50 p.m.: MW1. Louisville vs. MW16a. North Carolina A&T or MW16b. Liberty at Lexington, Ky. (TBS/Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel and Allie LaForce) 7:15 p.m.: S4. Michigan vs. S13. South Dakota State at Auburn Hills, Mich. (CBS/Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery and Rachel Nichols) 7:20 p.m.: W6. Arizona vs. W11. Belmont at Salt Lake City, Utah (TNT/Spero Dedes, Doug Gottlieb and Jamie Maggio) 7:27 p.m.: E5. UNLV vs. E12. California at San Jose, Calif. (truTV/Brian Anderson, Dan Bonner and Marty Snider)
9:20 p.m. (approx.): MW8. Colorado State vs. MW9. Missouri at Lexington, Ky. (TBS/Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel and Allie LaForce) 9:45 p.m. (approx.): S5. Virginia Commonwealth vs. S12. Akron at Auburn Hills, Mich. (CBS/Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery and Rachel Nichols) 9:50 p.m. (approx.): W3. New Mexico vs. W14. Harvard at Salt Lake City, Utah (TNT/Spiro Dedes, Doug Gottlieb and Jamie Maggio) 9:57 p.m. (approx.): E4. Syracuse vs. E13. Montana at San Jose, Calif. (truTV/Brian Anderson, Dan Bonner and Marty Snider)
Friday, March 22
12:15 p.m.: MW2. Duke vs. MW15. Albany at Philadelphia, Pa. (CBS/Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, Reggie Miller and Lewis Johnson) 12:40 p.m.: W5. Wisconsin vs. W12. Mississippi at Kansas City, Mo. (truTV/Marv Albert, Steve Kerr and Craig Sager) 1:40 p.m.: E8. N.C. State vs. E9. Temple at Dayton, Ohio (TBS/Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Tracy Wolfson) 2:10 p.m.: E2. Miami vs. E15. Pacific at Austin, Texas (TNT/Tim Brando, Mike Gminski and Otis Livingston)
2:45 p.m.: MW7. Creighton vs. MW 10. Cincinnati at Philadelphia, Pa. (CBS/Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, Reggie Miller and Lewis Johnson) 3:10 p.m.: W4. Kansas State vs. W13a. Boise State or W13b. La Salle at Kansas City, Mo. (truTV/Marv Albert, Steve Kerr and Craig Sager) 4:10 p.m.: E1. Indiana vs. E16a. LIU-Brooklyn or E16b. James Madison at Dayton, Ohio (TBS/Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Tracy Wolfson) 4:40 p.m.: E7. Illinois vs. E10. Colorado at Austin, Texas (TNT/Tim Brando, Mike Gminski and Otis Livingston)
6:50 p.m.: S2. Georgetown vs. S15. Florida Gulf Coast at Philadelphia, Pa. (TBS/Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, Reggie Miller and Lewis Johnson) 7:15 p.m.: W2. Ohio State vs. W15. Iona at Dayton, Ohio (CBS/Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Tracy Wolfson) 7:20 p.m.: S8. North Carolina vs. S9. Villanova at Kansas City, Mo. (TNT/Marv Albert, Steve Kerr and Craig Sager) 7:27 p.m.: S3. Florida vs. S14. Northwestern State at Austin, Texas (truTV/Tim Brando, Mike Gminski and Otis Livingston)
9:10 p.m.: S7. San Diego State vs. S10. Oklahoma at Philadelphia, Pa. (TBS/Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, Reggie Miller and Lewis Johnson) 9:45 p.m.: W7. Notre Dame vs. W10. Iowa State at Dayton, Ohio (CBS/Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Tracy Wolfson) 9:50 p.m.: S1. Kansas vs. S16. Western Kentucky at Kansas City, Mo. (TNT/Marv Albert, Steve Kerr and Craig Sager) 9:57 p.m.: S6. UCLA vs. S11. Minnesota at Austin, Texas (truTV/Tim Brando, Mike Gminski and Otis Livingston)
MIDWEST REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
That’s the TV schedule, but I have Thursday’s games and predictions of every single game in the tournament on Thursday.
#1-Seed Louisville vs. #16-Seed North Carolina A&T or #16-Seed Liberty at 6:50 pm on Thursday: With a momentum high, the Cards will cruise easily in this one. Rick Pitino’s team has won ten in a row with Tom. Russ Smith and Gorgui Dieng have improved into tough, skillful all-around players.
PREDICTION: Louisville
Before I predict the 8-9 game between Colorado St. and Mizzou, I want your readers to see it and comment on my thoughts. It would be available to close it up.
#8-Seed Colorado State vs. #9-Seed Missouri at 9:20 pm on Thursday: The second-best team in rebounds per game (41.5), the Wildcats of Mizzou will meet the Rams from Colorado State, who are the fourth-best team in rebounding per game (40.4). The battle on the class is going to be very fun to watch. They were 2nd in the Mountain West regular season conference race, and now they meet their match in the quick Tigers. Leading the way for the Tigers is Laurence Bowers and, as for the Rams, they look to win the hustle ball battles and senior forward/center Colton Iverson is the true teller of how Colorado State.
PREDICTION: Speed and the ability to out-hustle you lifts Mizzou over Colorado St. The Tigers have hung right in there. It’s been a decent year, at best, for the problem. Mizzou wins!
#5-Seed Oklahoma St. vs. #12-Seed Oregon at 4:40 pm on Thursday: The Pac-12 champion Ducks went on a magical run to seal the bid with an auto conference tournament championship. Oregon averages 71.4 points per game, whereas Oklahoma St. averages 72.4. This should be a down-to-the-wire game, because the Ducks were more worthy over a #12 seed. E.J. Singler averages 11.6 points per game and is a stout forward. For the Cowboys of Oklahoma St., they lost in the conference tournament semis to Kansas State, 68-57. Marcus Smart and Markel Brown make a really sweet tandem. They average for over 30 of Oregon is going to do that. I agree, as the Ducks’ basketball hasn’t been well known.
PREDICTION- UPSET: I think that Oregon will keep riding their momentum from the Pac-12 tournament title. Oklahoma State had some real issues against a good team in Bruce Weber’s Wildcats of K-State. They must wear the Wildcats down in the paint if they want, especially defensively. It takes team defense, or else this K-State team can get it in the open floor and win. We do not want that.
#4-Seed Saint Louis vs. #13-Seed New Mexico State at 2:10 pm on Thursday: The Atlantic-10 regular season champion and the tournament champion, Saint Louis is a team that is carrying a lot of excitement with him in there. Dwayne Evans leads the way for the Billikens. Evans is a 6’5’’ forward who does not like to go down. On the other side, New Mexico State is the 46th team in rebounds per game and 46th in field goal percentage. The Aggies have reeled off five wins this afternoon. The competition canceled it this week due to snow, weather, time.
PREDICTION: Evans is some kind of talent, and I think we are just starting this lookout for him. Creighton is scrappy defensively, and they are a stout team of hustle. The Aggies do pose some offensive challenges to the Billikens, with guard Dan Mullings (14.0 points per game).
#6-Seed Memphis vs. #11-Seed St. Mary’s/Middle Tennessee State at 2:45 pm on Thursday
For info on the Gaels and Blue Raiders, look above. 30-4 Memphis found a way to win the C-USA Tournament Championship. The Tigers are dancing. They only have one loss since December 15, he is a special guy.
PREDICTION: Junior guard Joe Jackson averages 13.3 points per game and Memphis loves going to him when they run the floor. They can break teams down offensively with efficient ball movement, but I think they have definite holes.
PREDICTION- UPSET: I think that St. Mary’s will have momentum off their play-in game to be ready for a contest with the Tigers. The Gaels have played a lot teams with Memphis’ talent level. It would be a really intriguing match-up. Gimme’ the Gaels.
#3-Seed Michigan State vs. #14-Seed Valparaiso at 12:15 pm on Thursday
Coming off of a tough Big Ten Tournament Semifinal loss to Ohio State, the Spartans look to begin a tournament run meeting the Horizon League Tournament Champions, the Valparaiso Crusaders. Valpo is led by forward big man Ryan Broekhoff (16 ppg), who is 6’7’’ and unafraid to go up strong. He has to figure out a way to face Tom Izzo’s defense. Guard Keith Appling leads the Spartans offensively with 13.6 points per game. Junior forward Adreian Payne needs to set himself up strong and rack down the key boards to get Sparty revved up.
PREDICTION- Michigan State goes to the basket and brings enough pressure to roll through the Crusaders. Do not sleep on this Valpo team though. They are dangerous out of the Horizon League, and Tom Izzo knows how to get out with wins in these types of situations.
#7-Seed Creighton vs. #10-Seed Cincinnati at 2:45 pm on Friday
One name will be mentioned quite a bit on Thursday, and could be mentioned very often if the Bluejays of Creighton are around. The Missouri Valley Conference champs and the top team in field goal percentage per game meets the 22-11 Cincinnati Bearcats. Cincy is led by Sean Kilpatrick, who averages close to 17 points per game and is a 6’3’’ junior guard. He can score in a variety of ways, and leads Cincy on their transition run-outs. The key to this one is whether the Bearcats have an answer for McDermott. You can only contain him. I see Creighton wearing away Cincinnati in this one.
PREDICTION- Jays and McDermott fly to the Round of 32. I love this Creighton team and I see them making a lot of noise.
#2-Seed Duke vs. #15-Seed Albany at 12:15 pm on Friday
The America East conference tournament champs, Albany, will meet juggernaut Coach K and Duke on Friday. The Blue Devils are 27-5 and are looking to bounce from a tough day in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, with lots of drama and learning. Even this late. The Blue Devils are 18-1 with their stud 6’11’’ forward, Ryan Kelly. 6’10’’ center Mason Plumlee and 6’0’’ guard Seth Curry, both at our house, average out to 34 points combined a game. The Blue Devils are still one of the most efficient and effective teams. But, they can have some issues matching up defensively with strong backcourt players like Miami has.
PREDICTION-Duke hammers through Albany to earn a win on this Friday afternoon.
MIDWEST Regional Final Prediction- #1-Seed Louisville vs. #7-Seed Creighton
I see the Jays making a magical run in knocking off Duke in the Round of 32, moving past Michigan State in the Sweet 16, and advancing to the Elite 8, where they will meet #1-seed Louisville.
Tomorrow, I look at the West Regional, talk about the first two play-in games, and so much more.
