Who else's bracket is completely busted? Mine is for sure. I had St. John's in the Elite 8, Pitt in the Final Four, Duke in the Final Four, and Ohio State losing in the title game. Kansas, my national champion, is still alive, but that won't salvage much glory for me. Luckily, March Madness is awesome anyways. The men's Elite 8 starts today with two games today and two games tomorrow. Here are my picks.
4:30
Butler vs. Florida
Butler won its first two games of the tourney by a combined three points. They should have been knocked out by Old Dominion, which missed a number of open looks. Then, they should have been knocked out by Pitt who was virtually handed the win, or at least a chance at overtime, with two free throws with a couple seconds to go. Pitt stupidly fouled on a miss and Butler made two free throws for an improbable win. Thursday, the Bulldogs built a sizable lead on Wisconsin and won by seven. At this point, I'm beginning to think Butler is a team of destiny like last year. Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard don't let the Bulldogs give up easily. Florida, meanwhile, stopped the legend of Jimmer on Thursday and knocked BYU pout of the tournament in overtime. The Gators crushed UCSB in the first round and then edged UCLA in the second. Chandler Parsons, Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker lead the Gators but Alex Tyus had a solid game with 19 points against BYU. If the Gators can get contributions from multiple players, they should move on. That said, I just have a feeling about Butler. I read a story that said Butler coach Brad Stevens called up Florida coach Billy Donovan during the season when the Bulldogs were going through a rough stretch. Now, the student can use some of that advice and knowledge on the teacher. I think Butler is going to find a way to get it done. Bulldogs over Gators, 67-66.
7:05
Arizona vs. Connecticut
The legend of Jimmer is dead, but the legend of Kemba lives on. Kemba Walker now has Connecticut on the brink of the Final Four. The Huskies have won their past eight games, dating back to the beginning of the Big East tournament. UConn eventually won five games in five days to capture the Big East crown. The Huskies will have to get a lot out of each player to get win over Arizona, which looked awfully impressive in dismantling Duke during the second half Thursday. Kemba won't be enough. And he's got to be due a subpar game. I think we will lose another player of the year candidate today. The Huskies fall, and Derick Willams and the Wildcats move on. Arizona wins 84-79.
Sunday
2:20
VCU vs. Kansas
I recorded and watched VCU's win over Florida State last night. The Rams played an incredibly tough-minded and physical game. It was an entertaining contest to watch. If the Seminoles could have shot better, they would have easily won. They got a ton of offensive rebounds. The Rams are a cool story for those of us in Virginia. If they can win any more games from here on out, it would be one of the best underdog stories of all-time. No one, including me, thought they belonged in the dance. I did a double take when I saw a double-digit loss mid major was included in the field of 68. But Joey Rodriguez and the rest of the Rams have proved they do belong. But VCU has beaten USC (who didn't belong in the tourney), Georgetown (who was banged up), and FSU (3rd place in a down ACC) so far. The Rams' most impressive win in the tournament came over Purdue, which was a No. 3 seed. VCU handled Purdue by 18. I don't know if the Rams have another performance like that in them. And they will need as good a performance and then some to beat Kansas. The Jayhawks have mostly rolled through the tournament with ease, winning every game by double digits. Last night, they stopped the city of Richmond's other Cinderella, U of R. The Morris twins will be too much down low for VCU but I think the Rams can make it interesting for awhile. But Kansas widens its lead near the end of the game. VCU gets it back to single digits before the game is over but never threatens to take the lead late. Jayhawks win 82-73.
5:05
Kentucky vs. North Carolina
Youth vs. Youth. Kentucky's sensational freshmen Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight battle the Heels' upstart crew of Kendall Marshall and Harrison Barnes. Kentucky vs. North Carolina--sounds like a classic matchup. The game could be won down low. Mostly unheralded Kentucky big man Josh Harrelson has played solidly in the tournament. He helped disrupt the rhythm of Ohio State's Jared Sullinger on Thursday. Sullinger had 21 points, but seven came from the line. It will be interesting to see how Harrelson contends in the paint with UNC's John Henson and Tyler Zeller. There aren't many teams in the country who have been playing better than UNC the past couple months. The Wildcats have also recently found their stride, winning the SEC tournament. UNC destroyed Marquette in their last game though, and Kentucky has been prone to struggle in the tournament, having a hard time dispatching both Princeton and West Virginia in the first two rounds. I like the Tar Heels to advance, 82-77.
4:30
Butler vs. Florida
Butler won its first two games of the tourney by a combined three points. They should have been knocked out by Old Dominion, which missed a number of open looks. Then, they should have been knocked out by Pitt who was virtually handed the win, or at least a chance at overtime, with two free throws with a couple seconds to go. Pitt stupidly fouled on a miss and Butler made two free throws for an improbable win. Thursday, the Bulldogs built a sizable lead on Wisconsin and won by seven. At this point, I'm beginning to think Butler is a team of destiny like last year. Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard don't let the Bulldogs give up easily. Florida, meanwhile, stopped the legend of Jimmer on Thursday and knocked BYU pout of the tournament in overtime. The Gators crushed UCSB in the first round and then edged UCLA in the second. Chandler Parsons, Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker lead the Gators but Alex Tyus had a solid game with 19 points against BYU. If the Gators can get contributions from multiple players, they should move on. That said, I just have a feeling about Butler. I read a story that said Butler coach Brad Stevens called up Florida coach Billy Donovan during the season when the Bulldogs were going through a rough stretch. Now, the student can use some of that advice and knowledge on the teacher. I think Butler is going to find a way to get it done. Bulldogs over Gators, 67-66.
7:05
Arizona vs. Connecticut
The legend of Jimmer is dead, but the legend of Kemba lives on. Kemba Walker now has Connecticut on the brink of the Final Four. The Huskies have won their past eight games, dating back to the beginning of the Big East tournament. UConn eventually won five games in five days to capture the Big East crown. The Huskies will have to get a lot out of each player to get win over Arizona, which looked awfully impressive in dismantling Duke during the second half Thursday. Kemba won't be enough. And he's got to be due a subpar game. I think we will lose another player of the year candidate today. The Huskies fall, and Derick Willams and the Wildcats move on. Arizona wins 84-79.
Sunday
2:20
VCU vs. Kansas
I recorded and watched VCU's win over Florida State last night. The Rams played an incredibly tough-minded and physical game. It was an entertaining contest to watch. If the Seminoles could have shot better, they would have easily won. They got a ton of offensive rebounds. The Rams are a cool story for those of us in Virginia. If they can win any more games from here on out, it would be one of the best underdog stories of all-time. No one, including me, thought they belonged in the dance. I did a double take when I saw a double-digit loss mid major was included in the field of 68. But Joey Rodriguez and the rest of the Rams have proved they do belong. But VCU has beaten USC (who didn't belong in the tourney), Georgetown (who was banged up), and FSU (3rd place in a down ACC) so far. The Rams' most impressive win in the tournament came over Purdue, which was a No. 3 seed. VCU handled Purdue by 18. I don't know if the Rams have another performance like that in them. And they will need as good a performance and then some to beat Kansas. The Jayhawks have mostly rolled through the tournament with ease, winning every game by double digits. Last night, they stopped the city of Richmond's other Cinderella, U of R. The Morris twins will be too much down low for VCU but I think the Rams can make it interesting for awhile. But Kansas widens its lead near the end of the game. VCU gets it back to single digits before the game is over but never threatens to take the lead late. Jayhawks win 82-73.
5:05
Kentucky vs. North Carolina
Youth vs. Youth. Kentucky's sensational freshmen Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight battle the Heels' upstart crew of Kendall Marshall and Harrison Barnes. Kentucky vs. North Carolina--sounds like a classic matchup. The game could be won down low. Mostly unheralded Kentucky big man Josh Harrelson has played solidly in the tournament. He helped disrupt the rhythm of Ohio State's Jared Sullinger on Thursday. Sullinger had 21 points, but seven came from the line. It will be interesting to see how Harrelson contends in the paint with UNC's John Henson and Tyler Zeller. There aren't many teams in the country who have been playing better than UNC the past couple months. The Wildcats have also recently found their stride, winning the SEC tournament. UNC destroyed Marquette in their last game though, and Kentucky has been prone to struggle in the tournament, having a hard time dispatching both Princeton and West Virginia in the first two rounds. I like the Tar Heels to advance, 82-77.
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