ncaa picks

socalogo.gif (8739 bytes)
SoCalHoops NCAA Tourney News

NCAA Tourney: Second Day, First Round
Picks: Who & Why--(Mar. 14, 2002)

Can we have been more wrong? Sure....we're still 11-5 overall, and today we have a chance to monumentally muck things up in our bracket. So we've picked all the wrong teams. Really, none of the teams we pick will win. So don't take them whatever you do. Here's who we picked so you know who to avoid in these games.....

Game 1: No. 10 Michigan State vs. No. 7 NC State--East Region 9:15 a.m.

Our Pick: North Carolina State. Why: Herb Sendek has Anthony Grundy, an All-ACC selection who will help guide this team, the same one that beat Maryland in the ACC semis. They've won 22 games, and have some real talent, including a very talented freshman forward, Ilian Evtimov. It's their first time in the tourney since 1991, but they're ready. The loss of Charlie Bell and Andre Hutson have really hurt, as did the loss of Jason Richardson and Zach Randolph. They have Marcus Taylor who will match up nicely with Grundy, but we really like NC State. Izzo is a genius so maybe that will count for something, but we're going with the Wolfpack on this one.

Game 2: No. 14 Central Conn St vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh--South Region 9:25 a.m.

Our Pick: Pitt. Why: We've been burned badly by first day matchups, so we're not overlooking anyone today. Central Connecticut State is a school most people don't know a lot about, but they won 27 games this season, while only losing 4. Admittedly, their conference consists of a number of former D-II and D-III schools, and it may not be the toughest league around, but the Blue Devils have beaten a couple of quality opponents. They have won 19 games in a row, have a tremendous power forward in senior Corsley Edwards, and while we won't overlook the hot hand again (see Kent State), we still believe Pitt is the school to go with in this game. Pitt has set a record for wins this season, Howland is the flavor of the month, and they have a tremendous defense. Brandin Knight (Brevin's brother) is the team leader, and it could hurt that his knee is sprained (he couldn't play the last minute of the Big East Tourney), but if he can move, this game should go to Pitt. Oh, and we also like the fact that Howland has some really strong SoCal ties, including the fact that he played high school ball at Cerritos, and was a former UCSB assistant coach.

Game 3: No. 12 Creighton vs. No. 5 Florida--Midwest Region 9:30 a.m.

Our pick: Creighton. Why: Forget the seeding. These are two teams with identical 22-8 records, and if you forget their respective RPI's (Creighton has an RPI of 44, Florida has a 15 RPI), these are pretty evenly matched teams. Florida has Udonis Haslem, a huge inside presence, and the Bluejays have Kyle Korfer, who was the conference player of the year. Billy Donovan has the experience and pedigree in the tournament, but this is also a Florida team that lost Teddy Dupay....It's Creighton's fourth straight appearance in the tourney, so it's not like they haven't been here before either. We're going with Creighton. Call us crazy, call us silly, but that's who we like.

Game 4: No. 15 Ill-Chicago vs. No. 2 Oklahoma --West Region 9:30 a.m.

Our pick: Oklahoma. Why: We know Oklahoma. We don't know Illinois Chicago. But the Sooners (27-4) were ranked No. 4 after the regular season and beat No. 1 Kansas in the Big 12 tourney, and we know that they aren't going to lose to the Flames. They've beaten Maryland by 16, and we just don't see them losing to the Horizon League champ. Heck, before this year no one had even heard of the Horizon league (that's because it used to be called something else....). Hollis Price and Ebi Ere are the two who make the Sooners go, and we just don't see Kelvin Sampson losing this one, not to a team which finished 8-8 in conference play and got into the tournament on a buzzer beater in the conference tournament. We like Martrell Baily and Cedric Banks, but not enough to see them winning this one.

Game 5: No. 15 Hampton vs. No. 2 UConn --East Region 11:40 a.m.

Our pick: UConn. Why: This is one very hard game to pick actually, because Hampton is a lot better than most people are willing to admit. The Hampton Pirates compiled 26 wins and only 6 losses this season, and were the first to beat North Carolina...ok, so that's not such a big deal, because who hasn't beaten the Tarheels. But other than that seeming upset, this is a team no one really knows. We'd like to go out on a limb, but even Tommy Adams, their senior point guard who is leading the scoring with 19 ppg doesn't do it for us. They have a history of upsetting No. 2 seeds (they beat Iowa State last year in the first round), but can lightning strike twice? We don't think so. UConn has Caron Butler, and was the conference player of the year (actually co-POY with Brandin Knight of Pitt). This is a team which has won 24 games and lost 6, but they have played much tougher competition than Hampton, to the extent any of that matters.

Game 6: No. 11 Penn vs. No. 6 Cal--South Region 11:55 a.m.

Our Pick: Cal. Why: No. 6 Cal was one of two teams in the West region who have to play first round games in the East as a result of the "pod" people taking control of the tournament.... And Penn gets a virtual home game in this one. Cal finished 22-8 this season, made it to the semifinals of the conference tournament, and finished in a four-way tie for second in pre-tournament conference play. This is a team which, like UCLA, has lots of talent, but can be wildly inconsistent, either blowing out tough teams, or losing to tough teams big, like their last pre-tournament game against Arizona.. Joe Shipp from Fairfax, is the scoring leader with 14.8 ppg, and they have two SoCal point guards, Shantay Legans from Dos Pueblos and A J. Diggs from LB Poly and St. Anthony's in Long Beach. Heck, just about everyone except Israeli freshman Amit Tamir is from SoCal on this team. Cal has a crushing defense when they want to play hard, and they only allowed opponents 63 ppg, a conference best. We like Penn too, but not as much as we like Cal. The Quakers have won the last 10 straight games, including a 77-58 victory over Yale in the second game of the Ivy League's two-game playoff. Pasadena Poly alum and SoCal product Koko Archibong had 21 points and 16 rebounds while Ugonna Onyekwe finished with 16 points in the Ivy final. Penn has played and beaten Georgia Tech, Iowa State and Villanova, but hasn't won in the NCAA since 1994. As smart and as hard as Penn will play, and even with the "homecourt" advantage, we still like Cal in this one. Heck, did you expect an "Old Blue" to pick anyone else besides the Bears?

Game 7: No. 10 Hawaii vs. No. 7 Xavier --West Region 12:00 p.m.

Our pick: Hawaii. Why: We love the Rainbows, and we love Pedrag Savovic, a 6'-6" powerfully built shooter who masquerades as a guard, and who will one day be playing in an NBA arena near you as a small foward. Riley Wallace has put together a great team, and he's got momentum working for him. Travel won't bother them a bit, and while Xavier has height and good inside play from someone like David West (6'-8" Jr. PF/C), we just don't see the Musketeers pulling out the win.

Game 8: No. 13 San Diego St vs. No. 4 Illinois --Midwest Region 12:00 p.m.

Our pick: San Diego State. Why: This is the year of the underdog. Forget Gonzaga. Forget USC. Forget Illinois. This is another Cinderella team from the West, with some great SoCal players, the Aztecs beat Wyoming in the conference tourney, and then beat UNLV to get into the NCAA. And we all now know just how good Wyoming is, don't we Zag fans??? The Aztecs have Randy Holcomb inside, Tony Bland, DeAndre Moore, Chris Walton, and a bunch of really talented guys, and they've also got one of the best coaches in the business in Steve Fisher, a coach who has won this thing before and knows how to do it. Can they really beat the Illini? Probably not, but the Aztecs will go out fighting, and we're going to pick them anyway. Why not? We've been wrong more than we've been right in this crazy tournament, so what diffrerence will it really make. In the long run, a hundred years from now, no one will remember it anyway.

Game 9: No. 9 St Johns vs. No. 8 Wisconsin--East Region 4:40 p.m.

Our pick: Wisconsin. Why: It's the cheese, silly. Wisconsin has the coach of the year in the Big Ten, they have some great outside shooting, and they can beat just about anyone, including St. John's, a team that lost 7 of it's last 14 games. Heck, remember that 20 point loss to Notre Dame last week? We don't have a lot of time to think about this one, and maybe that's best. We're going with Wisconsin. Period.

Game 10: No. 16 Boston Univ vs. No. 1 Cincinnati --West Region 4:40 p.m.

Our Pick: Cinncinnati. Why: Because there is no other team in the tournament that has won 30 games this season, not Duke, not Kansas, not even Maryland (they've all won 29). Because the Bearcats won 20 games in a row this season. Because they only have 3 losses. Because they have Steve Logan leading the team at the point. And because they are going to win this game. They are going to win because Boston University may have won the America East Conference's automatic bid by blowing out Maine, but hey, it was Maine, and they only managed to pull it off at the buzzer. Because BU has a player named Stijn Dhondt. How do you even pronounce that? Because BU lost to Boston College and Iowa this year, and because Billy Collins' wrist is broken...

Game 11: No. 11 Southern Ill vs. No. 6 Texas Tech --East Region 4:50 p.m.

Our pick: The Salukis. Why: Because it's a really, really cool mascot (the LA Times tells us that a "Saluki" is a "tall slender dog, originally bred in the Arab world." The Salukis are going to win because no matter how good a coach Bobby Knight is, and how well he's managed to pull off a miracle at Texas Tech, the Red Raiders still lost to Kansas by close to 50 a week ago, and while So. Illinois isn't Kansas, they aren't chopped liver either. We see chairs flying here....

Game 12: No. 14 McNeese State vs. No. 3 Mississippi State--Midwest Region 4:55 p.m.

Our pick: Mississippi State. Why: Heck, we don't know but someone who is supposed to know about these things put these guys in a No. 3 seed, so that ought to count for something. They have Mario Austin, won a bunch of games (26 to be exact, with only 7 losses) and they won the SEC tournament over Alabama, defeating the Crimson Tide twice. McNeese State lost to Alabama by 29, so that also ought to say something about this matchup against a common opponent. Fred Gentry is really good, but we like Miss State.

Game 13: No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 8 UCLA --West Region 6:55 p.m.

Our Pick: UCLA. Why: Because it's their t-i-m-e.....Tournament time. The Bruins have been paying attention. They have watched the same games we've all watched in the first round on Thursday. They have seen the upsets and they know how to win. Remember, this is a Bruin team that beat Alabama, beat No. 1 Kansas, and they are a team that doesn't want to end their season, at least not yet, not without getting to take a whack at Cinncinnati. So they under-achieved? So what. Tell it to Wyoming. This is a team with Jason Kapono, Matt Barnes, Dan Gadzuric, and some really talented freshmen who are about to wake up from their collective nightmare and finally get it done. We don't think this is just wishful thinking either. The Rebels are really a very good team, having beaten Alabama and Florida both this season, but they have only won 6 of their last 9 games. They are more consistent than the Bruins, but in a bad way....They don't have the kind of inside presence, and they've also got this 5'-5" point guard. But the Bruins are going to win this one and advance.

Game 14: No. 16 Siena vs. No. 1 Maryland --East Region 7:05 p.m

Our pick: Maryland. Why: The Terps could win this whole thing, and they aren't going to lose to the No. 64 entry into the tournament. No way, no how. The Terrapins have a record of 26-4, and they've got every position covered, no weaknesses at all. Great coaching with Gary Williams and Jimmy Patsos, great players with Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, Chris Wilcox, and a ton of talent surrounding them. Sienna isn't going anywhere except home, with a nice memory of having beaten someone in the tournament. But it's not going to be Maryland.

Game 15: No. 14 Murray State vs. No. 3 Georgia --East Region 7:15 p.m.

Our pick: Georgia. Why: Because even though we don't much care for Jim Harrick's style of coaching, his team is going to kick Murray State's butt, big time. The Racers managed to upset Tennessee Tech in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament final but they're not pulling that kind of stunt here. Sure they are on a run, winning 10 of their last 11, but this is a team that also lost to Western Kentucky by 34. The Bulldogs have Jarvis and Jonas Hayes and they are going to win this one. Period.

Game 16: No. 11 Boston College vs. No. 6 Texas--Midwest Region 7:20 p.m.

Our Pick: Texas. Why: Rick Barnes has TJ Ford, who could be the best freshman point guard on the planet right now, maybe the best point guard in any class, and they have Royal Ivey, and they've beaten teams like Stanford, Missouri, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. Because they are a big time team and Boston College is going to be a bit out of it's element here, despite 20 wins this season. Troy Bell is good, but he's not going to take out TJ Ford.