By Brett Jager And Brandon Davis

No. 1 and Well Deserved

The University of Louisville (28-5, 18-2) men’s basketball team was seeded as the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament after winning both the regular season and conference tournaments in the Big East. The Cards defeated Syracuse 76-66 in the finals of the conference tournament held at Madison Square Garden.
“These guys have bought into total team,” Rick Pitino, U of L head coach, said. “We did it in the toughest year in the history of the Big East to sweep both. I’m gushing with pride.”
Saturday night’s victory over the Orange made the Cards the only team from a BCS-affiliated league to win both the regular season and conference tournament titles.
“Someone asked how does it feel to finally win it and I said ‘We’ve been here for only four years,” Pitino said.
Their first game will play against the winner of the play-in game between Morehead State and Alabama State on Friday in Dayton, Ohio in the Indianapolis Bracket of the Midwest Region.
For as much hype as the Big East had coming into the season, the league lived up to the billing by becoming the first conference to ever have three teams picked as No. 1 seeds in the tournament. The Pittsburgh Panthers were named as the second overall No. 1 seed in the East Region and Connecticut was named the No. 1 in the West.
“The four teams who received number one’s were the clear four best teams with the best resumes and overall bodies of work,” Luke Winn, “Sports Illustrated” college basketball writer, said.

East Region
Top four Seeds
1.  Pittsburgh. Throughout the season, many experts felt Pittsburgh was the best team in the country, although they were only able to hold their number one ranking for a week each time they had it. The Panthers played consistent basketball all year long finishing with a 28-4 record in the tough Big East Conference. Pitt was led to their number one seed by sophomore forward and Co-Big East Player of the Year DeJuan Blair who averaged 15.6 points and 12.2 rebounds a game. Pitt has been to four Sweet 16’s since 2002, and has not made the Elite 8 since 1974 and the Final Four since 1941.
2. Duke. The Duke Blue Devils history in college basketball continued this year as they captured their eighth Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title in the past eleven seasons defeating Florida State 79-69. Duke, the two seed in the East region finished with a 28-6 record and is led by athletic junior swingman Gerald Henderson averaging 16.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
3. Villanova. The Wildcats finished the season 26-7, and defeated Pittsburgh at home on Jan. 28, 67-57, which could make for a possible interesting re-match. The Wildcats are led by senior forward and Big East Most Improved Player, Dante Cunningham, averaging 16 points per game, and 7.2 rebounds per game.
4. Xavier. The Xavier Musketeers come into the tournament along with Gonzaga, the highest seeded mid-major team. Looking to build on last season’s Elite 8 run, the Musketeers earned quality wins over Memphis and Missouri this season. Xavier finished 25-7 and were led by senior forward B.J. Raymond averaging 14 points and 4 rebounds per game.

Sleepers
Two possible sleepers in the East region are Villanova and Florida State. While they both have high seeds, both teams are legitimate threats to do some damage. Villanova, located in Philadelphia, PA, will essentially play two home games in the first two rounds, as they are slated to play in Philly. Florida State made it to the ACC Championship game knocking off number one seed North Carolina, only to lose to eventual champion, Duke. The Seminoles are led by senior guard Toney Douglas who carried them this season.
“Without Douglas, the Seminoles would be sub-NIT,” ESPN.com columnist, Pat Forde said. “He’s been tremendous all season but was not fully appreciated until the ACC tournament, where the Seminoles’ only double-digit scorer racked up three 20-point games.”

Upset Alert
No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth over No. 6 UCLA. The VCU Rams shocked the world two years ago knocking off perennial powerhouse, Duke in the first round of the tournament. They are led by now senior guard Eric Maynor, who was the key to the upset two years ago. They have the firepower and experience to knock off a very underachieving UCLA team this year.

Best First Round Match-up
No. 7 Texas vs No.10 Minnesota. A contrast of styles exist as the up-tempo Texas of the Big 12 takes on the slow down pace of Minnesota of the Big Ten. Combine this factor with a match-up of two good coaches in Texas’s Rick Barnes and Minnesota’s Tubby Smith.

South Region
Top four seeds
1. North Carolina. The undisputed number one team in the preseason, the Tar Heels dominated their non-conference schedule, only to lose their first two ACC games to Boston College and Wake Forest. They regained their form and ended up as one of the best teams at the end of the season as well. One thing that hurts the Heels is tht junior point guard, Ty Lawson, who did not play in the ACC tournament, is not at 100 percent health.
“They’ll need the engine behind their up-tempo attack to play at 100 percent if they’re going to win a national title,” Forde said.
The Heels (28-4) are led by last year’s National Player of the Year, senior forward, Tyler Hansbrough averaging 21.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
2. Oklahoma. As Blake Griffin goes, so do the Sooners. Griffin, the sophomore forward and likely National Player of the Year, is of utmost importance to his team. Averaging 21.9 points and 14.3 rebounds per game, Griffin has fueled the Sooners success. After starting the season 25-1, Griffin was injured and left their Feb. 21 game at Texas. The Sooners lost that game, as well as their next game against Kansas, also without Griffin. Oklahoma finished 27-5, and is coming off being upset in their first game of the Big 12 Tournament by Oklahoma State.
3. Syracuse. The question with Syracuse heading into the NCAA tournament is whether or not they have enough gas left in the tank? After the six overtime epic against Connecticut in the Big East quarterfinal, and their overtime game against West Virginia in the semis, Syracuse was simply outlasted by a much fresher Louisville team in the final, falling 76-66. The Orange (26-9) undoubtedly have the talent to play with anybody in the field, but it is unknown whether they will have enough stamina to do so. Syracuse is led by sophomore point guard and team leader, Jonny Flynn, who carried them to the Big East final, and averaged 17.5 points and 6.7 assists on the season.
4. Gonzaga. The Zags are a deep and athletic team with several different players that could take over a game on any given night. They have six players who average at least nine points per game led by senior forward, Josh Heytvelt at 14.9 points per game. They were highly rated earlier in the year before hitting the skids and losing four out of five games. The Zags (26-5) recovered to win their last nine games and go 16-0 in the West Coast Conference. They played a tough non-conference schedule, and have an experienced coach in Mark Few who can take them deep into the tournament.

Sleepers
Two possible sleepers in the South region are LSU and Western Kentucky. LSU, an eight seed, would have most likely received a higher seed had they not lost three out of their last four games. They played strong all season long, leading to a regular season SEC championship. If Ty Lawson is not healthy for UNC, LSU could possibly sneak past them in a potential second round match-up. Western Kentucky surprised people last season by making it to the Sweet 16 as a 12 seed. Facing a rather weak five seed in a banged up Illinois squad, WKU has several players from last year’s team with the experience to possibly make another run this year.

Upset Alert
No. 12 Western Kentucky over No. 5 Illinois. With an early season win over Louisville, WKU definitely has the talent to compete with high-level teams. Illinois senior point guard, Chester Frazier is only a week removed from having surgery on his broken hand. If he is not able to go, WKU has a good chance at pulling the upset, especially after the experience they gained last year from making it to the Sweet 16.

Best First Round Match-up
No. 7 Clemson vs. No. 10 Michigan. Michigan will undoubtedly be playing with increased energy as they make their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1998. Their tough 1-3-1 zone could create problems for the strong shooting Clemson Tigers, who were ranked in the top ten early in the season. Both teams have good athletes which should make for an exciting match-up.

Midwest
Top 4 Seeds
1. Louisville. The Cards enter the tournament having won nine straight and 20 of their last 22 games. Heading into opening rounds of the tourney, no other team in the country is playing better than Pitino’s squad. U of L ripped through Big East tournament opponents Providence, Villanova and Syracuse and won by an average margin of 14. Keep in mind that Syracuse and Nova received a No. 3 and No. 4 seed respectively in the tournament.
2.    Michigan State. No other team in the country has accumulated more wins over teams in the RPI Top 50 than the Spartans. MSU won the the regular season as the Big Ten conference champion for the fifth time under head coach Tom Izzo. Though they still are widely considered among the teams capable of reaching Detroit, the Spartans were knocked off in the second round of the Big Ten tournament 82-70 by Ohio State.
3.    Kansas. The defending national champion Jayhawks finished the regular season with their second consecutive Big 12 regular season championship. The team enters the tournament having lost two of their last four including a 71-64 loss to Baylor in their first game in the Big 12 tournament. KU is led by junior point guard Sharon Collins’ 18 points and five assists per game.
4.    Wake Forest. After being ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation at one point during the regular season, the Demon Deacons finished the season third in the ACC behind North Carolina and Duke despite splitting with both. Wake was bounced in their first game of the ACC tournament by Maryland 75-64. They are led by sophomore guard Jeff Teague’s 19 points, three rebounds and three assists per game.

Sleeper
No. 6 seed West Virginia enters the tournament as one of the rather hotter teams in the Big East. The Mountaineers reached the Sweet 16 last season and have won seven of their last 10, including a victory over No. 1 seed Pitt in their second game of the Big East tourney. Freshman forward Devin Ebanks has been outstanding down the stretch for head coach Bob Huggins. In his last four games, Ebanks is averaging 15 points and just under nine rebounds a game.
“I like West Virginia a lot,” Adam Neft, WKRD sports radio talk show host, said. “I think they play great defense and they have a couple of nice players in Ebanks and (Alex) Ruoff who can really shoot it.”

Upset Alert
No.12 Arizona over No. 5 Utah- Historically the 5/12 match-up always seems to work itself out in every NCAA tourney.

Best Match-Up
No. 7 Boston College vs. No.10 USC; the Trojans pulled off an unprobable run this past weekend by winning the PAC 10 tournament which they needed just to get in the tourney. They’re now matched-up with Boston College who knocked off then No.1 North Carolina on the road.
   
West Region
Top 4 Seeds
1. Connecticut. After spending the entirety of the regular season ranked among the top five, the Huskies earned the final No. 1 seed despite losing a heartbreaker to Syracuse in six overtimes. UConn is led by co-Big East Player of the Year Hasheem Thabeet. The 7-foot-3, 265 pound junior was also named Defensive Player of the Year because of his tremendous shot blocking and shot changing ability. Though they’ve gone just 4-3 since losing guard Jerome Dyson to a season ending knee injury, with senior guard A.J. Price healthy and the swagger 6-foot-7, 243 pound forward Jeff Adrien brings to their lineup, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to picture Jim Calhoun’s team cutting down the nets for the third time of his tenure.
2. Memphis. The Tigers play some of the stingiest defense in the entire country which has led them to 25 straight victories. Though they paid the price of playing in the mediocre Conference USA, John Calipari’s proven in the past his teams are capable of making noise in March. Last season Memphis was a few free throws away from being national champs and reached the Elite Eight the two years prior. Since Calipari moved freshman sensation Tyreke Evans to the point, the Tigers have been flat out amazing. Evans is averaging more than 16 points, five rebounds and three assists a game.
3. Missouri. Missouri laid claim to the Big 12 tournament title in dominant fashion over Baylor 73-60. Head coach Mike Anderson’s frantic pressing up-tempo style poses a difficult and unfamiliar predicament for most teams in the field. Led forward DeMarre Carroll’s 16 points and seven rebounds a game, the Tigers have what it takes to make a deep run.
4. Washington. The PAC 10 regular season champions closed out the season winning nine of their last 11, but bowed out in the conference tournament after losing to a formidable Arizona State team 75-65. The Huskies are led by an excellent pair of guards in senior Justin Dentmon and freshman Isaiah Thomas. Dentmon and Thomas combine for an average of more than 30 points a game. Along with senior forward John Brockman’s 15 points and 11 rebounds per contest, head coach Lorenzo Romar has a solid combination of talent and experience which play huge factors in deep tournament runs.
   
Sleeper
Mississippi State

Best Match-Up
No. 4 Washington vs. No. 13 Mississippi State

Upset Alert
No. 13 Mississippi State over No. 4 Washington

 

 

Brandon and Brett Break down the bracket

Brandon Davis

Final Four
Midwest
Louisville

West
Memphis

East
Villanova

South
UNC

Championship Game
Louisville over UNC

Brett Jager

Final Four
Midwest
Louisville

West
Memphis

East
Pitt

South
Gonzaga

Championship Game
Louisville over Pitt