March Madness 2012 Bracket: Wild Tourney Will End with Predictable Champion
Although the 2012 edition of March Madness has not given us the heroic buzzer-beaters we have come to expect, it has certainly made up for it in another fashion: upsets. Considering the shockers we have observed so far, we are likely to see a champion who would not surprise anyone in the least.
We witnessed No. 2 seeds Duke and Missouri fall victim to their underrated competition within just a few hours of each other. We also saw VCU and Colorado pull off stunning victories early on in the tournament. Just a couple days ago, we saw Michigan State become the first No. 1 seed to go down in flames.
This madness has proven that anyone is vulnerable if they are unable to put together a solid 40 minutes of play, despite what their regular season produced.
Once the tournament begins, there is so much adrenaline pumping through the underdogs, along with considerable pressure hovering above the established favorites.
It is tough to highlight a traditional ‘Cinderella Story’ from the field, but perhaps Florida, who is currently leading Louisville at halftime, can qualify for the Final Four as a No. 7 seed, which would be very impressive even for a team with recent success in the tourney.
Regardless of the upsets and shocking results, it is likely that we will see two No. 1 seeds face off in the title game, and if not, there will probably be a No. 2 seed competing on April 2 in New Orleans.
The Kentucky Wildcats have played the part of pre-tournament favorites well, and should still be considered the most likely to win the championship. They are eight-point favorites in their game versus Baylor and should cruise to victory.
North Carolina and Syracuse have both overcome adversity so far, and they have a strong chance of qualifying for the Final Four if they can get by difficult competition against No. 2 seeds this weekend.
Hopefully this will add up to a more exciting championship game than we witnessed last season. Three No. 1 seeds and two No. 2 seeds remaining should provide some exhilarating basketball. We will just have to wait and see which powerhouse rises to the occasion.
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March Madness 2012: 12 Stories from This Tourney We’ll Never Forget
The Sweet 16 is over, but the 2012 NCAA tournament enters the Elite Eight tonight. Though we’ve only played four rounds of the 2012 NCAA bracket, we have been blessed with stories that we will never forget from this year.
With Lehigh and Norfolk State pulling off huge upsets, and injuries plaguing North Carolina, there is a broad spectrum of stories we won’t forget from this year.
Of those stories, these are the top 12.
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March Madness 2012: State of Ohio’s Tourney Dominance Will End in Sweet 16
The state of Ohio heads into the Sweet 16 with four schools still alive in tournament play.
They’ll enter the Elite Eight with only one team standing, and that will be the winner of the Ohio State versus Cincinnati clash in the East Regional.
I like Ohio State in that game, for what it’s worth.
The run for the Ohio Bobcats in the Midwest Regional has been a good one, with the upset over Michigan and victory over USF. However, the slipper won’t fit when the Bobcats face North Carolina.
This is a team that has too much talent for Ohio to overcome, whether the Tar Heels’ point guard, Kendall Marshall, plays or not.
Tyler Zeller, John Henson and Harrison Barnes will simply be too much for Ohio too handle.
It’s been fun while it lasted, Ohio, but sometimes Goliath (let’s see how many cliche underdog metaphors we can cram into this article) is simply too big for David.
In my opinion, Xavier has a better shot at upsetting Baylor in the South Regional. Tu Holloway (17.4 PPG) and Mark Lyons (15.0 PPG) have the ability to lead Xavier in the upset, especially if Baylor’s Perry Jones III continues to struggle like he has in the tournament so far.
Jones is one of the most talented players in the country, but he’s only managed a combined nine points and is 4-14 from the field thus far. However, Baylor still survived the first two rounds.
That’s in part because Baylor is incredibly balanced offensively, with five players averaging double-digit points this year. If Jones is able to get on track and has a big game—and he is certainly capable of doing so—Xavier won’t be able to upset the Bears.
The State of Ohio has owned the NCAA tournament thus far. Only three other states have multiple schools remaining—Kentucky (Kentucky, Louisville), North Carolina (North Carolina, NC State) and Wisconsin (Wisconsin, Marquette).
That being said, the Sweet 16 won’t be all that sweet for the Buckeye State.
Hit me up on Twitter—I’ve tweeted from Lehigh’s campus before. Seriously.
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No. 13 seed Ohio beats USF 62-56 in NCAA tourney (Yahoo! Sports)
Walter Offutt and Ohio are moving on in the NCAA tournament. Step aside, VCU. Enjoy your memories, Butler. The Bobcats are well on their way to becoming the mid-major darlings of this March Madness. Offutt scored 21 points, D.J. Cooper had 19 and No. 13 seed Ohio beat South Florida 62-56 on Sunday night to advance to the Midwest Regional semifinals.
View full post on Yahoo! Sports – NCAA Men’s Hoops News
NIT Bracket 2012: Washington Will Use Tourney Snub as Motivation to Win It All
The regular season Pac-12 champion Washington Huskies will use their NCAA Tournament snub as motivation to steamroll the NIT field this March and claim a different tournament championship.
The No. 1-seeded Huskies took down the Southland Conference’s University of Texas-Arlington in the first round before routing fellow NCAA Tournament snub Northwestern by 21 points in Seattle. Washington is now one win away from the semifinal and awaits the winner of Oregon vs. Iowa.
The Huskies split with the Oregon Ducks during the regular season, beating them by 16 points at home on New Year’s Eve before falling by 25 points on the road last month.
Washington will play host to the winner of Sunday’s matchup regardless, so advantage Huskies in the quarterfinal. The key to success in Washington’s next matchup: rebounding. The nation’s fifth-best rebounding team will likely overwhelm their opponent on the glass en route to the March 29 final.
Making Washington’s road to the NIT crown that much easier is the fact that only one other No. 1 and 2 seed remain in the field. Seton Hall, Arizona, Saint Joseph’s, Mississippi and Dayton all lost within the first two rounds, leaving only Tennessee and Miami as top seeds on the Huskies’ radar.
A team that ransacked the Pac-12 in 2012, the Huskies’ 14-4 conference mark make them the class of the NIT field, and their narrow losses to Marquette and Duke on a neutral court (by a combined eight points) early in the season suggest they are NCAA tourney material, despite what the committee’s selection would have you believe.
The fantastic trio of Terrence Ross, Tony Wroten and C.J. Wilcox will be tough to beat. The three combine for 46.2 points per game, and each shoot better than 44 percent from the field.
The Huskies have won seven of its past nine games overall including their disappointing, short-lived Pac-12 Tournament run which likely cost them a spot in the Big Dance.
They are a motivated and hot team right now, however, and will use their 2012 NCAA Tournament snub to get even with the selection committee and college basketball at Madison Square Garden this March.
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Midnight comes early: Indiana edges tourney darling VCU
VCU’s latest Cinderella run didn’t pick up much momentum, as Indiana rallied past the 12th-seeded Rams 63-61 in the third round.
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Midnight comes early: Indiana edges tourney darling VCU
VCU’s latest Cinderella run didn’t pick up much momentum, as Indiana rallied past the 12th-seeded Rams 63-61 in the third round.
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Saturday NCAA tourney roundup: What you missed
After Indiana squashed VCU and Kentucky blew past Iowa State on Saturday, we’re all set up for a Hoosiers-Wildcats rematch in the Sweet 16.
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Friday at the NCAA tourney: A historic day
The day belonged to underdogs. Across a suddenly twisted bracket, five more double-digit seeds moved on.
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Friday at the NCAA tourney: An historic day
The day belonged to underdogs. Across a suddenly twisted bracket, five more double-digit seeds moved on.
View full post on USATODAY.com Feed
