There not a more nerve-wracking time than the final hour before the start of the tournament. Should I really have Memphis going that far? Is Baylor really capable of reaching the Sweet Sixteen? O.J. Mayo or Michael Beasley? I have disciplined myself to not look at my bracket and make sudden changes right before the 12:20 tip-off of Georgia-Xavier. I had a hard time finding the upsets in this draw and Cinderella seems to be going the way of Sleeping Beauty, resting peacefully, maybe her prince will come this time next year. There is one game most people want to see and that is UNC-UCLA. Most of the time our collective wishes do not come true, but 2005 serves as an example that it can happen (UNC over Illinois). There are a few "upsets" that I see, which are:
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--Baylor over Purdue-I cannot claim to know a whole lot about either team, but Baylor was among the top echelon of the Big 12 for the first half of the year before sputtering at the end and Purdue seemed to overachieve by all standards. I like the Baylor story, seemingly rising from the dead to make the tournament.
--Kansas State over USC-Mayo v. Beasley. Mayo has not enjoyed as much attention as some of the other hyped freshmen, but he has been fantastic this season. Beasley will secure his position as the #1 overall pick with a big showing on the big stage. I am not sure this is really an upset.
--Arizona over West Virginia-This really is a coin-flip game. Arizona should be better than they played this year, but I like them here for one reason-Jerryd Bayliss. If Mayo is not getting as much press this guy is getting none. When it comes to freshman guards, he might be the best of the bunch.
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It is almost time to settle in for the best 12 hours on the sports schedule...
1 comment:
We agree on Kansas State over USC. I also thought UGA would get one more bit o' magic for one round- not to be. I'm with you, always a mess for the hours leading up to Super Thursday.
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