The NCAA Tournament is down to the Sweet 16, and anyone could have predicted at least 14 of the 16 teams. I know; Kentucky and Duke are a shocker!
Its too bad that things are getting so predictable. My bracket had Northern Iowa getting to this point so far *¹. That was an easy call. Kansas was very overrated. And obviously, St. Mary’s was expected to advance to Round 3 *¹. Villanova can’t shoot the ball! Washington was a gimme to beat Marquette and New Mexico – the Pac-10 is perhaps the greatest conference in America *¹! And easily the clearest cut choice to reach the round of 16 was Cornell *¹. They have a team who can shoot lights out and also pound the ball inside. Please!
So, with 16 teams left, what will happen? The Gaels of St. Mary’s have to defeat Baylor, right? Perhaps. If Omar Samhan can establish himself early on, and stay out of foul trouble, and the 5 Aussies can contine to play at a high level, then there is no reason that they cannot get past Baylor. The Bears came out of the Big 12 – how has Kansas, Texas A&M, Texas & Oklahoma State performed so far? I called all four *¹.
Purdue should defeat Duke as well, I would think. I told you that the Boilermakers were a solid team, even without Robbie Hummel. Everyone knew they would get by Siena and Texas A&M *¹. Why can’t they beat Duke – its not like they have three big scorers or anything!
This is so easy
Xavier should knock off Kansas State – the Wildcats are from the Big 12! I knew the X-men were a great team – it was so obvious that they would beat Minnesota and upset Pitt *¹. Also in the West bracket, Syracuse and Butler were just destined to meet. It is a match made in Heaven.
Since we all knew Northern Iowa would get to this point to face Michigan State, how can they not keep going? Without Kalin Lucas, the Spartans are a totally different team. Everyone knows that. Unlike Purdue *¹, MSU was not chosen to advance if their star was not on the floor. Most likely, UNI will face Tennessee this weekend. The Volunteers were such an easy pick to get to this point! Who else would you have picked – Georgetown? Who would have done that *¹?
Finally, Cornell will easily defeat Kentucky. I called the Ivy League winners to get to the Elite Eight, and maybe even further *¹. They will probably face Washington, who is from the elite Pac-10. What, did you think West Virginia will win? Who would pick so many teams from the Big (L)East (7) to reach the Sweet 16 *¹? C’mon, man!
You can all thank me for helping you fill out your brackets up until this point. Since you must be far and away in first place *¹, you should have built up an insurmountable lead in your pool if you took all of my advice. I like money, beer, pizza, and cars. So, in advance…you’re all welcome!
OK, OK! The NCAA Tournament is highly unpredictable. You should always go with your gut and fill out your own bracket! I have won 4 or 5 of these things, so I usually do have a very solid track record. This is not my year!
Going forward, anything truly can happen, and nothing will surprise me. Clearly, Kentucky and Duke are two of the heavy favorites. So is whoever comes out of the West, with Syracuse and Kansas State the odds on favorite. But could this years Final 4 feature Cornell, St. Mary’s, Butler and Northern Iowa? Why not? Its not like I haven’t been saying it for awhile now *¹!
*¹ – (no need to check back on any other posts on this site or www.si.com)
