3/17/13 10 Bracket Busters
10 Bracket Busters
5 Underrated Teams
1. Oregon
Oregon ended the regular season badly, losing to Utah. But, they came back and won the PAC-12 title. Right now, they are rolling, and I think they could make an Elite Eight appearance. They will likely win in the 1st round, and if they win in the second round, they could win again to play in the Elite Eight. Jonathan Lloyd and Carlos Emory combined for 39 pts in their win against #23 UCLA. Both of them came off the bench. Dominic Artis is a great point guard, and Arsalan Kazemi can rebound as well as anyone in the country. Oregon has all the pieces of the puzzle, they just need to put them all together.
2. NC State
NC State is certainly talented. They just need to push the tempo a little more. Hopefully coach Mark Gottfried won't get fried again like he did in their loss to Miami (see what I did there!). Gottfried should push the tempo more with his team. He should be pressing, as he has guards and big men that can run the floor and play defense. Travis Leslie, Richard Howell and Lorenzo Brown can really play on both sides of the ball, and Gottfried should really take advantage of that.
3. North Carolina
North Carolina can shoot the 3, drive, and they are as athletic and talented as any team in the nation. PJ Hairston and Reggie Bullock can shoot and drive, which is all you need to be a star guard. Marcus Paige can handle the ball very well and James Michael McAdoo is a star. North Carolina now plays a small lineup, with McAdoo, a traditional 4 at the 5, and with Hairston, a traditional 2 or 3, at the 4. This lineup works like magic, and North Carolina is playing great. Although they lost to Miami, Miami is a great team and that loss is insignificant.
4. Mississippi
Mississippi is underrated. They won the SEC title, beating Florida by 3. Marshall Henderson's decisions may be questionable at times, but he is a great player and a great shooter. Murphy Holloway is also a great player, and he can rebound as well as anyone in the country, just like Kazemi. Mississippi played great against Florida and if they play that well in the tournament, they could surprise and make it to the Elite Eight.
5.Belmont
Belmont ruined my bracket last year. I picked them to beat Georgetown, and they did not. But this year, as an 11 seed, they could surprise. They are a great 3-point shooting team and Ian Clark is a great player. I think they might even be able to win 2 games in the tournament. Their coach is a very good motivator who has had many good teams.
5 Overrated Teams
1. Gonzaga
Gonzaga is very overrated. The Mighty Zags are talented inside, but have mid-major guards. The Olynyk clinic will be on display in the Big Dance and Elias Harris will play well, but the rest of their team is mid-major quality. David Stockton is no star (yes he is John Stockton's son) and neither is Kevin Pangos. Gary Bell is talented but inconsistent, and Mike Hart doesn't do much. If Gonzaga can establish themselves inside, they will be fine, but I think they will be stopped. The Mighty Zags might Zig this year instead of Zagging.
2. UCLA
UCLA lost Jordan Adams to a broken foot. In my opinion, he is the key to their offense. Without him, they will no longer be a great offensive team, and they are certainly not a good defensive team. This combination is bad. VERY BAD! Well maybe not that bad, but certainly bad. OK, OK, I will stop saying bad. In the tournament, that word which I will not say, will describe UCLA. They WILL lose their 1st game in the tournament.
3. Florida
If Florida had a tough 1st game, I would say they would lose. But they don't. They play N'Western St, who is well... bad. (oops said it again) But I think Florida will lose their second game. They are just not a great team (and no they are not bad). Kenny Boynton is inconsistent and he is not a great shooter at times. Rosario can be inconsistent as well, and if Florida has a bad night shooting-wise, they will lose (in the second round).
4. Memphis
Memphis hasn't beaten any good teams. They are not ready for the tournament, as in the tournament they will face GOOD teams very night instead of BAD ones. (I really should think of a better word to keep saying, bad isn't very descriptive). Joe Jackson and Chris Crawford are athletic and good players, but so far they have only been good enough. Same with their whole team. In the tournament, good enough is not good enough (isn't that a commercial?).
5. Marquette
Marquette seems good, they look good, and they sound good, so by the duck rule (if it looks like a duck, seems like a duck, and sounds like a duck, then it must be a duck) they must be good. But I'm not so sure. Are they really a number 3 seed? Can a team make it to the Sweet 16 without a great player? Marquette doesn't have any stars, and I think that they will lose close games because of this. They don't have a go-to guy. Without a go-to guy, they will suffer and lose in their 2nd game.
5 Underrated Teams
1. Oregon
Oregon ended the regular season badly, losing to Utah. But, they came back and won the PAC-12 title. Right now, they are rolling, and I think they could make an Elite Eight appearance. They will likely win in the 1st round, and if they win in the second round, they could win again to play in the Elite Eight. Jonathan Lloyd and Carlos Emory combined for 39 pts in their win against #23 UCLA. Both of them came off the bench. Dominic Artis is a great point guard, and Arsalan Kazemi can rebound as well as anyone in the country. Oregon has all the pieces of the puzzle, they just need to put them all together.
2. NC State
NC State is certainly talented. They just need to push the tempo a little more. Hopefully coach Mark Gottfried won't get fried again like he did in their loss to Miami (see what I did there!). Gottfried should push the tempo more with his team. He should be pressing, as he has guards and big men that can run the floor and play defense. Travis Leslie, Richard Howell and Lorenzo Brown can really play on both sides of the ball, and Gottfried should really take advantage of that.
3. North Carolina
North Carolina can shoot the 3, drive, and they are as athletic and talented as any team in the nation. PJ Hairston and Reggie Bullock can shoot and drive, which is all you need to be a star guard. Marcus Paige can handle the ball very well and James Michael McAdoo is a star. North Carolina now plays a small lineup, with McAdoo, a traditional 4 at the 5, and with Hairston, a traditional 2 or 3, at the 4. This lineup works like magic, and North Carolina is playing great. Although they lost to Miami, Miami is a great team and that loss is insignificant.
4. Mississippi
Mississippi is underrated. They won the SEC title, beating Florida by 3. Marshall Henderson's decisions may be questionable at times, but he is a great player and a great shooter. Murphy Holloway is also a great player, and he can rebound as well as anyone in the country, just like Kazemi. Mississippi played great against Florida and if they play that well in the tournament, they could surprise and make it to the Elite Eight.
5.Belmont
Belmont ruined my bracket last year. I picked them to beat Georgetown, and they did not. But this year, as an 11 seed, they could surprise. They are a great 3-point shooting team and Ian Clark is a great player. I think they might even be able to win 2 games in the tournament. Their coach is a very good motivator who has had many good teams.
5 Overrated Teams
1. Gonzaga
Gonzaga is very overrated. The Mighty Zags are talented inside, but have mid-major guards. The Olynyk clinic will be on display in the Big Dance and Elias Harris will play well, but the rest of their team is mid-major quality. David Stockton is no star (yes he is John Stockton's son) and neither is Kevin Pangos. Gary Bell is talented but inconsistent, and Mike Hart doesn't do much. If Gonzaga can establish themselves inside, they will be fine, but I think they will be stopped. The Mighty Zags might Zig this year instead of Zagging.
2. UCLA
UCLA lost Jordan Adams to a broken foot. In my opinion, he is the key to their offense. Without him, they will no longer be a great offensive team, and they are certainly not a good defensive team. This combination is bad. VERY BAD! Well maybe not that bad, but certainly bad. OK, OK, I will stop saying bad. In the tournament, that word which I will not say, will describe UCLA. They WILL lose their 1st game in the tournament.
3. Florida
If Florida had a tough 1st game, I would say they would lose. But they don't. They play N'Western St, who is well... bad. (oops said it again) But I think Florida will lose their second game. They are just not a great team (and no they are not bad). Kenny Boynton is inconsistent and he is not a great shooter at times. Rosario can be inconsistent as well, and if Florida has a bad night shooting-wise, they will lose (in the second round).
4. Memphis
Memphis hasn't beaten any good teams. They are not ready for the tournament, as in the tournament they will face GOOD teams very night instead of BAD ones. (I really should think of a better word to keep saying, bad isn't very descriptive). Joe Jackson and Chris Crawford are athletic and good players, but so far they have only been good enough. Same with their whole team. In the tournament, good enough is not good enough (isn't that a commercial?).
5. Marquette
Marquette seems good, they look good, and they sound good, so by the duck rule (if it looks like a duck, seems like a duck, and sounds like a duck, then it must be a duck) they must be good. But I'm not so sure. Are they really a number 3 seed? Can a team make it to the Sweet 16 without a great player? Marquette doesn't have any stars, and I think that they will lose close games because of this. They don't have a go-to guy. Without a go-to guy, they will suffer and lose in their 2nd game.
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