By: David K.
Overview: This is hands down the toughest bracket. North Carolina and Oklahoma are the #1 and #2. If Blake Griffin didn’t suffer a concussion a couple weeks ago, odds are the Sooners would have been a #1 seed. What I hate about this bracket is that it has three teams I was considering Final Four sleepers; Syracuse, Gonzaga, and Arizona State. I am giddy at the thought of watching two of my favorite teams Cuse and ASU go at it in the second round.
This all hinges on the fact that UNC point guard Ty Lawson is healthy. Lawson was held out of the ACC Tournament and the Heels barely beat Virginia Tech in the first round and then lost to Florida State in the Semifinals. Cuse spent a lot of energy in getting to the Big East Tournament Finals, playing eight overtimes in four games so people are questioning how fresh they will be for the tourney. Judging by their will and desire, I doubt that will be a concern. Cuse makes it to the Elite Eight because they are a more balanced team than Oklahoma and have the bigs who can bang with Griffin down low.
Sleeper: (6) Arizona State
I have not and will not hide my affection for James Harden. He has the ability to take over a game with not only his scoring, but his ability to distribute the basketball. For the Sun Devils to make a run, he will need to be a very aggressive scorer and the complimentary players around must knock down their open shots. Their pesky 1-2-2 zone with mantoman principles tends to bother teams and will need to be effective.
Early Exit: (5) Illinois
Not having their senior floor leader and defensive sparkplug Chester Frazier hurts them. They are in the dreaded five seed and have a very tough first round match-up against Western Kentucky. WKU made a run into the Sweet 16 as a 12 seed last season so they know what it takes to pull off an upset or two. Even if the Illini get past the Hilltoppers, there is no chance they knock off the four seed Gonzaga.
Most Intriguing First Round Match-Up: (8) LSU vs. (9) Butler
The committee obviously didn’t think very high of the SEC as the top team in the conference, LSU only got an eight seed. Despite a 26-4 record, Butler also got little respect, receiving a 9 seed. The Bulldogs only lost at Ohio State by three and won at Xavier by nine so they have played decent competition outside the Horizon League. Keep an eye on Butler freshman swingman Gordon Hayward if you have yet to see Butler play, and LSU shooting guard Marcus Thornton who is a big time scorer.