Saturday, March 19, 2005

Upset City

My name is Matt. I went to MSU and graduated last May. I love the tournament. I think it is one of the best sporting events in America. There is always a few teams that slip by the radar and make it to either the Sweet 16 or Elite 8. Gonzaga used to be that team. Now it does not want to lose to that team. Thats what makes March Madness so fun to watch. Who will fit the glass slipper this year. We will just have to wait to find out.

Wow, lots of upsets last night. The big one being Vermont beating Syracuse in OT. It should be a MSU v Duke matchup to see who goes to the Elite 8. Duke should win, but if MSU is on their game that night, Duke can be in trouble. I can not believe Kansas lost to Bucknell as well. They had a chance to pull off a win but Bucknell took the lead with about 3 seconds to go. Kansas had a last second shot fall just short and bounched off the front of the rim.

On to the next round of games

I will just go over todays games and come back later with Sundays matchups.

1. Illionios over 9. Nevada: Illionios is a powerhouse and will not have much trouble until later in the tourmament if at all. They are just too strong overall. If Brown is on his game, Illionios is hard to beat. Ohio State showed Illionios they can be beat. Will that lose make them stronger or will it give a team like Oklahoma State some hope. I think if any team can beat Illionios before the final it would be the Cowboys. Illionios by 10

4. Boston College over 12. Wisconsin Milwaukee: This came I can see going to to Wisconsin Milwaukee. Boston College did not have much trouble with Penn, but Wisconsin Milwaukee beat a good Alabama team. Boston College is the better team and should win. If they can not control the tempo of the game, Wisconsin Milwauekee will win. I really see it going either way. My money is on Boston College. Boston College by 2. You know what, I am going to go with Wisconsin Milwaukee with the win by 1 over Boston College.

3. Arizona over 11. Alabama Birmingham: Arizona will not have a easy time with UAB. UAB has a solid defense and will force Arizona to beat them shooting longer shots. UAB has some big men that can cause matchup problems throughout the game. They have won in the Big Dance before but I think Arizona will be on their game and will not fold. Arizona by 9

1. Washington v 8. Pacific: I still do not like Washington but the Huskies will win this game. They are just a better team. After this round, I think they will be on a flight back to Washington. Pacific looked good against Pittsburgh, but will not have enough in this matchup. The worst 1. seed in this years tournament will still be around in the Sweet 16.

3. Gonzaga over 6.Texas Tech: Boddy Knights will not be enough for Texas Tech to get out of this round. Gonzaga has made a point to go far in the past few tournaments. Now that they are not a underdog, will they have what it takes to make it to the Sweet 16. Gonzaga will let Texas Tech stay in the game the first half, but will come up full force in the second and put the game away. Gonzaga by 13.

2. Wake Forest over 7. West Virginia: Wake Forest should have probably been a 1. see ahead of Washington and it will show in thi matchup against West Virginia. The ACC is a great conference and it will show tonight. Wake will keep winning until it runs into either Oklahoma State or Illionios. Wake Forest by 15.

6. Utah over 3. Oklahoma: Utah is a team that when they get on a roll they are hard to beat. Although their roll players are not as good as Oklahoma's, Oklahoma will fall apart do to poor shooting. Utah will force the Sooners to take poor shots and to put Utah on the line too much. Utah wins this close matchup by 5.

2. Kentucky over 7. Cincinnatti: This has the makings to be a really close matchup. Both teams are very good and if they win this game should make it to the regional final. I just think Kentucky is a better team and will be down the stretch of the game. Because of a few late loses Kentucky is a 2. seed. They have the team that can go to the Final Four. The Wildcats win by 6.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good picks with Milwaukee and Utah. I also agree that Kentucky is a final four team. My only beef is that Washington is a much better team than you think. They absolutely ripped Pacific apart, and I don't see them slowing down any time soon. I think they'll have a tough time with Wake Forest, assuming both teams win out. Overall good job, and keep up the good work.

Mad Mike said...

I agree with everything you said Matt, except for what Joe pointed out. Washington is flying way under the radar for a #1 seed. What are your resrvations?

Anonymous said...

why don't you people talk about real sports ? and like the superbowl and the red sox..you might not live in the area but it is still a national n sport cometion .... i might not be a sports freak , but i could follow the competions ! you should think about it !

Brian P. Foley said...

I would have said that Bucknell over Kansas in Oklahoma City was a bigger upset. The UVM-SU game was in Worcester MA and Burlington is only 2 hours away.