Each Region's Final Four could be Real Final Four

I think that this is the first time that I can really say we have the best teams remaining in the NCAA tournament after the opening weekend.

Whatever way you play it out from here, it's going to produce great basketball and a worthy champion will emerge. The Final Four in each of the four regions could very well be the Final Four of the entire dance. Let me break it down one by one:

Midwest - LOUISVILLE, ARIZONA, KANSAS, MICHIGAN STATE
Arguably the worst team remaining in the tourney is Arizona, yet they have 3-5 players on their roster who will be dribbling on the NBA hardwood soon. If I was presented these four teams as the "Final Four", I would be satisfied. On the contrary, Louisville is the only real worthy Final Four team out of this bunch. The other three teams may be talented enough to play their way in, but they aren't as deserving.

West - UCONN, PURDUE, MISSOURI, MEMPHIS
This "Final Four" would be alright. Memphis and UCONN could completely play of the title and I would be OK with that. I think that UCONN has a lot to hurdle with the recent allegations over recruiting violations. I really don't see a favorite in this region.

East - PITTSBURGH, XAVIER, VILLANOVA, DUKE
The East's version of the "Final Four" would be the most outstanding in my opinion. Before the seeds were handed out, I might have even said these four teams could be cutting down the Elite 8 nets and heading to Detroit. There is a lot to like about PITT, but they'll have their handsful with a Sean Miller lead Xavier bunch. Miller was an old player for the Panthers and would love to get over his Sweet 16 hump, as much as PITT's Jamie Dixon would. Duke's gonna have to shoot over 50% and protect the ball if they want to get past Nova -- I picked Duke, then changed my mind about 10 times and pen'd Nova before the tourney started. Duke v Nova could be the best match-up of the Sweet 16.

South - UNC, GONZAGA, SYRACUSE, OKLAHOMA
Did I just say that Nova and Duke would be the best sweet 16 match-up? Well, consider the Oklahoma/Syracuse grind the second best. It wasn't until the game against Arizona St. that I started to truly respect the Orange big men. Blake Griffin may be in for his toughest contest yet. This region's four teams are all deep enough and prestigious enough to be called "Final Four" teams.


What a great Sweet 16 -- probably the deepest of any sweet 16 I've witnessed. I hope that the actual games produce action that lives up to the potential!

"It's the most wonderful time of the year...."

NBA: Forget Repeat, What about winning the East?

Boston lost last night to the Orlando Magic and in the process lost the No. 2 seed in the conference.

Forget having to get past Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the Finals -- because the Celtics may not even get past their competition in their own conference.

I have a really hard time seeing Boston as this year's NBA champs. I don't even know if I can confidently put them in the NBA Finals after what Dwight Howard did to the Boston Three Party last night. And what LeBron has done to EVERYONE on his home court all season.

What this ultimately tells me is that Boston will need to win on the road in not only the Finals and ECF but in the ECSemiF as well. Good luck!

Lakers over Cavs in 6...

Sweet 16 Rankings

There are only 16 teams remaining in the NCAA tournament. And out of the remaining teams, each of them could easily win it all. Here is the order of which team I thinks has the best chance:

1. UNC
2. UCONN
3. Memphis
4. Louisville
5. Pittsburgh
6. Duke
7. Oklahoma
8. Michigan State
9. Syracuse
10. Kansas
11. Missouri
12. Villanova
13. Xavier
14. Gonzaga
15. Purdue
16. Arizona

CLICK TO SEE MY COMPLETE BRACKET...

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MY FINAL FOUR: UNC, Louisville, Purdue, Pittsburgh

REGIONAL PREVIEWS/PREDICTIONS SCROLL DOWN......

West Regional Predictions

West Regional - GLENDALE

The West is where I see things getting interesting. I have UCONN as the first top seeded team to topple. I really want to put CAL past Memphis, also. I love Purdue as a No. 5 seed and I love their path to the Final Four. Purdue has to go through tough competition with Washington, UCONN and Memphis in order to get there. But I think they are budding at just the right time. This could compete with the Midwest as the toughest region. But let me explain more of why I like Purdue. The Boilermakers just finished a stretch of 3-0 vs tournament teams. Their defense is ranked as one of the best in the country (5th in efficiency), it will carry them in the first couple of rounds. They played against Duke, Oklahoma and Michigan State twice this season (1-3). THE ROSTER: E'Twuan Moore is the leading scorer with nearly 14 ppg. JaJuan Smith and Robbie Hummel put in 13 and 12 a night. I just see a lot of Big Ten basketball and the Big Ten network airs games all the time. This team just has what it takes to come together as a squad and put on a slipper.

Sweet 16:
Purdue over Connecticut
Memphis over Missouri

Elite 8:
Purdue over Memphis

NOTES: I am taking No. 11 seed Utah State to win against Marquette in round one. Utah State has 30 wins (Memphis is the only other team in the tourney with 30+ wins) and they are up against a battered Golden Eagles team fresh off a heartbreaking loss to Villanova in the Big East tourney. Despite not playing any team ranked in the Top 25 all season, the Aggies are the 13th most efficient offense in the nation. They are also in the top 15 in FG% and 3pt%.

South Regional Predictions

South Regional - MEMPHIS

The South is where I have this year's champion emerging. Some experts are saying that the Midwest is the "best" region, I have to say that the South is the weakest -- favoring UNC. North Carolina will have a cake walk to the Elite 8 which will give them a couple second halves to rest Mr. Lawson. But seriously, take a look at this region and tell me this isn't the "easiest". Without Syracuse's magical run last week, they'd probably have been cool with getting a No. 5 seed (they are a No. 3). Some people said (including me) that Oklahoma should have been a No. 3 seed (they are the No. 2 in the South), Gonzaga is a weak No. 4 seed, and Illinois is a weak No. 5. I'm having a hard time deciding if I want to gamble on either Arizona State or Clemson to beat Oklahoma...maybe neither. Either way, Congrats UNC!

Sweet 16:
North Carolina over Gonzaga
Oklahoma over Arizona State

Elite 8:
North Carolina over OK

NOTES: If the Tar Heels are without Ty Lawson for the critical part of the tournament (sweet 16 and beyond), you can forget their chance at winning it all. Lawson means everything to the UNC offense as well as to the tempo of the game. Lawson's speed combined with his amazing court vision have been the main reasons that UNC has been ranked in the top 10 all season. As they say: where Lawson goes, so go the Tar Heels.

East Regional Predictions

East Regional - BOSTON

The East regional could produce the best match-ups. Pittsburgh and Duke should emerge to face each other, but this is the region where things could get really screwed up. You might think that this is an easy region to predict, but I could see Pitt, Tennessee, FSU, Xavier, UCLA, Villanova, Texas and Duke all cutting down the nets in Boston -- that's 9/16. I'm looking forward to seeing Florida State against Xavier, UCLA against Villanova and the winner's vs PITT/DUKE. As much as everything could get screwed up here, I'm taking all of the top seeds to last the longest with Scottie Reynolds shooting Duke out of the tourney.

Sweet 16:
Pittsburgh over Xavier
Villanova over Duke

Elite 8:
Pittsburgh over Villanova

NOTES: If UCLA can somehow find its way out of this region and into the Final Four it would be their fourth straight appearance. Pittsburgh has a lot of opportunity to get upset in this region which is why I really think having Duke is the better gamble. Pitt potentially has to get past Tennessee, Xavier and Duke -- winning those three straight would prove they are truly worthy of winning it all.

Midwest Regional Predictions

Midwest Regional - INDIANAPOLIS

The Midwest regional is the toughest on paper. The No. 1 Overall seed of the tournament has to go against the talented rosters of Ohio State, Utah, Arizona, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Dayton, Kansas, North Dakota State, BC, USC and Michigan State. If Louisville can make it out alive from this deep of a region and win it all -- they may be considered one of the greatest teams ever. Do they deserve that title? Probably not. But they could still make it to the title game.

Sweet 16:
Louisville over Wake Forest
West Virginia over Michigan State

Elite 8:
Louisville over WV

NOTES: The toughest team to figure out is Wake Forest. I have seen them as a Final Four team at times, and other times I have seen them out in the second round to Arizona. Another great game will be between Kansas and West Virginia -- two teams who went different directions to end the season. I have WV (hot) because I think that Kansas (cold) might be too shallow and inexperienced. I feel like Michigan State could be the first No. 2 seed to lose, I'm not taking them too far.

TOP 20 NCAA TEAMS (3/14/09)

1. Louisville -- A Big East regular season title and a conference tournament title? There is no way you can deny that Louisville is the best in the country after all is said and done. No. 1 overall seed.

2. North Carolina -- Without Ty Lawson leading the offense, UNC just isn't the same. It will be up to the conference player of the year to carry the Tar heels to Detroit even if he has to play on a busted up toe.

3. Pittsburgh -- An early exit from the Big East tourney has given the Panthers a week of rest and preparation. If PITT can keep Blair out of foul trouble they should be Final Four bound.

4. Connecticut -- UCONN was taken down in 6 OT's and nearly lost their No. 1 seed because of it. Connecticut could be the first of the top seeds to fall, but it probably won't be until the Sweet 16. In each of the last four seasons, the No. 1 seeds are 16/16 on reaching the third round.

5. Duke -- Duke can flirt with a No. 1 seed with a win in the ACC championship game tomorrow against Florida State. The key for the Blue Devils is whether they can hit from deep. Don't overlook Duke making it to the Final Four. Duke is playing in their 10th ACC title game in 11 years.

6. Memphis -- Memphis will feel "snubbed" they weren't awarded for a perfect C-USA season with a No. 1 seed, but maybe the chip on their shoulder -- and the fact that they were in the title game last year -- might give them motivation to win the 'Chip.

7. Kansas -- I'm going to avoid putting any Big XII team very far in the big dance, especially the Jayhawks. Kansas has the third youngest roster in NCAA history in terms of experience, so I think the travel, hotel rooms and madness of the big dance will get to the young guys. OR on the other hand they might be too green to realize what's going on and make a nice run. But I'll be thinking "Baylor" when putting KU past round two.

8. Michigan State -- Michigan State and the rest of the Big Ten are overrated. I feel like Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Penn State make good NIT teams, but not tournament teams. As for MSU, I wouldn't be surprised if Tom Izzo is able to get a couple wins in the tournament, but I don't see them making a Final Four run.

9. Oklahoma -- Having one dominant player isn't good enough when it comes to trying to get to the Final Four. The Sooners will need their supporting cast to step up if they are looking to cut down a net or two.

10. Florida State -- A run in the ACC tournament and a victory over UNC has put FSU in line for a three seed. Toney Douglas is the man. Florida State will be making its first ever appearance in the ACC championship game tomorrow, a win and they could even be a two seed.

11. Syracuse -- Syracuse boosted their value with a nice run through the Big East tournament. But will they have enough gas to last in the tournament that actually counts for something? Me, I don't think they'll have anything left in the tank. I'll be putting the Orange in round two, but probably not in round three.

12. Missouri -- Missouri redeemed their season, which was falling apart quickly, with a Big XII conference tournament championship. I like the consistency from the Tigers and could see them finding their way to the Sweet 16. Then again, I'm not too high on the Big XII teams.

13. Wake Forest -- Wake has some talent, but they might be too young. And their coaching might be too inexperienced. Wake makes a sexy 'outside the box' pick, they did wear a No. 1 ranking during the regular season, but I'm shying away from jumping on this bandwagon.

14. Villanova -- The Wildcats play a great team game, but it will be up to their star Scottie Reynolds to step up if they expect to win more then two games in the tournament. Reynolds was held to just two points in the loss to Louisville in the Big East semi-finals.

15. Purdue -- Purdue is my dark-horse team, the team that I'll probably take to upset a top seed and make an Elite 8 appearance. They are well-rounded and have talented players looking to play for the name on the front of the jersey before looking for their own.

16. Washington -- The Huskies could be dangerous as they were one of the Pac-10's best teams all season. If Washington gets out in front, you can bet they'll keep the lead with solid defense.

17. Xavier -- During the regular season, the Musketeers made it into the top 10 in the rankings and proceeded to lose three of their next four games. It would have made it very easy for me to take Xavier to win a few games in the tourney if they had captured the A-10 conference tourney championship, but I'm still going to take a very close look at this squad getting to the Elite 8.

18. UCLA -- I would love to see the Bruins make a fourth straight Final Four. Even more, I'd love to see John Wooden witness one more banner raised before he leaves us.

19. Gonzaga -- I'm not sure that Gonzaga has what it takes to make it to the Elite 8. In fact, they may not be worthy of a No. 5 seed and a spot in this Top 20, but the Zags definitely took care of business in the WCC this season. It's prove it time.

20. Illinois -- The good thing about the Big Ten is that there really isn't many bad teams. Illinois has been playing quality opponents every night in conference play which could help them pass any test in the big dance.

CHE-Seeding the NCAA Tournament (March 14, 2009)

Unlike last year where the No. 1 seeds were clear and then they all went to the Final Four, this year it's really foggy. These seedings will help me determine who was under/over rated on tomorrow's brackets. I'll be blogging right after the picks are made public, but here is what I think we are about to see:

• EAST -- 1. Louisville 2. Michigan State 3. Oklahoma 4. Washington 5. Xavier
• WEST -- 1. North Carolina 2. Kansas 3. Florida State 4. Purdue 5. UCLA
• SOUTH -- 1. Pittsburgh 2. Memphis 3. Syracuse 4. Villanova 5. Gonzaga
• MIDWEST -- 1. Connecticut 2. Duke 3. Missouri 4. Wake Forest 5. Illinois
  

No. 1 seeds
1. Louisville 2. North Carolina 3. Pittsburgh 4. Connecticut

No. 2 seeds
5. Duke 6. Memphis 7. Kansas 8. Michigan State

No. 3 seeds
9. Oklahoma 10. Florida State 11. Syracuse 12. Missouri

No. 4 seeds
13. Wake Forest 14. Villanova 15. Purdue 16. Washington

No. 5 seeds
17. Xavier 18. UCLA 19. Gonzaga e 20. Illinois

No. 6 seeds
21. Marquette 22. West Virginia 23. LSU24. Clemson

No. 7 seeds
25. Arizona State 26. Texas 27. Tennessee 28. Ohio State

No. 8 seeds
29. BYU 30. Butler 31. California 32. Utah

No. 9 seeds
33. Dayton 34. Wisconsin 35. Oklahoma State 36. Texas A&M

No. 10 seeds
37. Minnesota 38. Michigan 39. Boston College 40. Maryland

No. 11 seeds
41. USC 42. Utah State 43. St. Mary's 44. Creighton

No. 12 seeds
45. Northern Iowa 46. San Diego State 47. Temple 48. Siena

No. 13 seeds
49. North Dakota State 50. Cleveland State 51. Western Kentucky 52. American

No. 14 seeds
53. Stephen F. Austin 54. Akron 55. Binghamton 56. Portland State

No. 15 seeds
57. Cornell 58. Robert Morris 59. East Tennessee State 60. Morgan State

No. 16 seeds
61. CS Northridge 62. Radford 63. Morehead State 64. Chattanooga 65. Alabama State


LAST FOUR IN:

St. Mary's, Michigan, USC, Temple

LEFT OUT:

Arizona, South Carolina, Florida, Penn State, South Carolina, Bowling Green, Rhode Island, Baylor, Auburn, UNLV, Tulsa

2009 TOURNAMENT DATES

March 17: Opening-round game in Dayton, Ohio

First and second rounds
March 19 and 21: Greensboro, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; Philadelphia; Portland, Ore.
March 20 and 22: Boise, Idaho; Dayton, Ohio; Miami; Minneapolis

Regional semifinals and final
March 26 and 28: Boston; Glendale, Ariz.
March 27 and 29: Indianapolis; Memphis, Tenn.

Final Four/Championship
April 4 and 6: Ford Field, Detroit