Saturday, March 25, 2006

A Heart Attack Can't Be Far Off!

With the way this tourney has gone, I think I may have a heart attack before it's over. However, I don't think that would be such a bad way to go!

That three to tie it by Rashard Anderson had absolutely no business of going in the basket... and yet he drains the deep three with a man in his face... unbelievable. You wanna talk about clutch? How about that guy down the stretch? That was just utterly unbelievable. I stuck a fork in Connecticut with about a minute left, and they battled back. Just an incredible game.

This is like deja vu all over again, but Connecticut has to start playing better in the first 3/4 of the game. I think they racked up 24 turnovers by that point, and a 6'6'' post was dominating that game. This is not going to get it done in the Final Four or Championship.

Anyway, I have 6 of my Elite 8 teams in there (although I was 8 for 8 in my predictions a few days ago), and all of my Final Four teams left, but I'm not feeling really confident. I'll tell you what I mean with some quick Elite 8 picks:


Texas vs. LSU - My pick before the Tourney was Texas, but I have to reconsider. LSU is playing great ball right now, and I just don't think Texas will be able to get enough production from their guards. Both teams are enormously talented inside, but I think Darrel Mitchell will do enough for LSU to get the win.


Memphis vs. UCLA - Again, I picked UCLA before the Tourney, but now I'm having second thoughts. The Bruins have just struggled so much against the zone. Plus, UCLA has to be a little drained after the emotional comeback win over Gonzaga, while Memphis has had a relatively easy schedule so far, and they're coasting into this. I don't know if UCLA can quite match Memphis' energy for 40 minutes.


Connecticut vs. George Mason - Let's be honest here, Connecticut has not played well up to this point, and they're actually quite lucky they're still alive. Meanwhile, George Mason has played 3 excellent games thus far. Let me just say I think it will take a combo of Connecticut playing their worst game, and George Mason playing their best game if the Patriots are going to win here. I'm not saying it won't happen, but I'd be absolutely shocked if it did. Connecticut wins.


Villanova vs. Florida - I like this matchup better for Villanova than a potential Georgetown matchup. Florida plays a similar style to Villanova, but the Wildcats play it better. Joakim Noah will be solid, but Villanova has enough bodies to throw at him. Villanova wins.

Although as a side note, is there anyone more fun to watch than Kyle Lowry? Yes, the refs let him get a little too physical with his on-the-ball defense, but with his style of playing and going all out, he's just a joy to watch.

Couple other notes: Human beings are just simply not supposed to do what Sean Williams did to block Kyle Lowry's shot at the end of regulation. He came from the other side of the lane to block that thing. One of the better blocks I've ever seen. Lastly, let me at least call out Allan Ray for a marvelous pick on Jared Dudley to get Will Sheridan open for the bucket. Very nice play.

And with that, I'll see you tomorrow as Texas takes on LSU, and UCLA takes on Memphis. Hopefully the games stay exciting!

2 comments:

Pradamaster said...

Memphis reminds me of the Arizona teams in 97 and 98 that effortsly ran the fast break and used their athletic superiority. The difference is that those Arizona teams had Mike Bibby, a true point guard. But this Memphis team is twice as athletic and twice as good defensively than those Arizona teams.

If UCLA is going to beat Memphis, Ben Howland should have them study the game film from the 1998 Utah-Arizona regional final. In that game, Rick Majerus elected to drop 2 guys back at all times after their offense to negate the Arizona fast break. Majerus may be an idiot analyst on ESPN, but his strategy propelled the upset over a team with much more talent. UCLA may need to do something similar if they want to go to the Final 4.

Anonymous said...

I couldn't believe that block either. When he setup for three I totally thought he had a clear look. Then i wondered why the shot went way short? Man Williams has some long arms.

I'm hoping for a Florida win. I think they can pull off this upset!