NCAA March Madness Preview

NCAA Tourney Preview

March Madness is upon us yet again. With this year’s field announced on Sunday night, the national debate will begin. Who is this year’s Cinderella? Who will make it to Indianapolis for the Final Four? The Kansas Jayhawks certainly are the favorites to take home the title and I believe it is their tournament to lose. With the rest of the field very mediocre, it should be a very unpredictable tournament with many upsets. Here is a breakdown of each region:

Midwest Region
The number one overall seed Kansas Jayhawks cannot be happy with their bracket. Without a doubt Bill Self and the Jayhawks have the toughest road to Indianapolis. The Midwest region is loaded with quality teams with experienced coaches who know how to win in March. Ohio State, Maryland, Georgetown, and Michigan State are all storied programs that have all made the Final Four in this decade. Kansas will have to get by three quality teams before that can set their sights on Indianapolis. From top the bottom, the Midwest region is the most talented and the team emerging victorious will definitely have to come to play every night.

Most Intriguing Matchup: 7th seeded Oklahoma State vs. 10th seeded Georgia Tech. This game will feature two of the best players in the country in the Cowboys swingman James Anderson and the Yellow Jackets star freshman Derrick Favors. The Cowboys finished in the middle of the pack in a very deep Big XII conference and picked up a home win versus Kansas. Georgia Tech has been struggling of late but made it to the ACC Finals. The key to this game will be Georgia Tech’s ability to control Anderson, the 3rd leading scoring in the NCAA. Georgia Tech should control the glass and has to use its size down low to expose the smaller Oklahoma State team. I’m looking for Georgia Tech to come away with the mild upset in a close contest.

Players to Watch: Evan Turner- the National Player of the Year fills up the stat sheet and can do it all for the Buckeyes. Turner is the go to guy and has proven to be clutch in late game situations. Turner has the ability to play the point, play in the post, and drive to the basket. Turner is extremely efficient from the field and does an exceptional job getting his teammates in the flow of the game. Turner has the ability to put his team on his back and lead them to the Indianapolis.

Sherron Collins: the senior leader from the best team in the country knows what it takes to win. He was a member of the 2007 national championship team and is a proven winner. Bill Self has complete confidence in him to take the game winning shot. Collins can get to the basket at will and shoots a high percentage from behind the arc. When Collins is on his game the Jayhawks will be difficult to beat.

Cinderella: I think Georgia Tech has the pieces to make a deep run in the
tournament. The Yellow Jackets are long and very athletic lead by freshman forward Derrick Favors. Other forwards Gani Lawal and Iman Shumpert provide them with a strong presence on the glass and always a certain advantage on the boards. If they get past Oklahoma State in the first round I believe they match up well against Ohio State in the 2nd round. Look for the Yellow Jackets to make some noise this year.