Elite 8 Preview

Like uninvited party crashers, 11 seed Washington, 10 seed St. Mary's, and 9 seed Northern Iowa were given the boot in the round of 16.  Of the three only Northern Iowa actually looked like it belonged in losing to Michigan St. by a respectable 59 - 52 score.  Washington did its part to see if they, along with West Virginia, could set a record for turnover numbskullery in a single game (44 combined!), while St. Mary's laid a collective turd against the supremely athletic Berenstain Bears.

At least we have the Butler Bulldogs.  Led by a coach just 1 year my senior and players who look barely old enough to drive, the Horizon League champs upended the #1 seeded Syracuse Orange.  The "upset" tag is thrown around WAY to liberally this time of year (just because a lower seed beats a higher seed does NOT mean it's an upset), but in the case of Butler over Syracuse, it's DEFINITELY justified.

Sure, Butler has had a reputable program now for the last few seasons.  Sure, Butler has the nation's longest active winning streak at 23 games.  Sure, the Bulldogs came into the tourney ranked 11th in the AP poll and 8th in the coach's poll.  But they don't have a lottery pick in Wesley Johnson.  They don't have the inside beef that Syracuse's front court has.  They don't have a nerdy head coach who's won more than 800 career games and has a disproportionately hot wife (wait, yes they do!) :
http://www.jimboeheim.net/main.html
  
THAT was an upset.  Well done, Bulldogs. 

Just 8 remain dancing.  Who's gonna get sent home this weekend?  Not so fearless predictions below (I mean really, the worst I can get is ridicule)


#5 Michigan St. vs. #6 Tennessee

Sparty likes to muscle.  The Vols like to run and gun.  You gotta respect the way Tom Izzo gets his team to seemingly peak come tournament time year after year (aren't they always contenders?!?!)  From a fan's perspective, I much prefer the up and down tempo Tennessee brings, but rarely does such a style trump the bump and grind physicality that Michigan St. will bring.   Unless Bruce Pearl breaks out this sweet orange suit against the Spartans (rendering them all blind), I think Michigan State prevails. 

Mich St. wins 68 - 65







#5 Butler vs. #2 Kansas St.

Dogs vs. Cats but I think this match-up will end up being more like spunky golden retrievers vs. a hungry pack of lions.   Despite a double OT thriller in the Sweet 16 vs. the perpetually underrated Xavier Musketeers, you always got the sense that the Wildcats were gonna win.  State's backcourt combo of Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente have been tremendously effective and entertaining to watch (especially Pullen's beard.....that thing is fan-freakin'-tastic and is no doubt worth 5 points a game).  I'm rooting for Kansas St. in this match-up primarily because I fear another close one could cause coach Frank Martin's head to explode.

Kansas St. wins 71 -59


#1 Kentucky vs. #2 West Virginia  

No need for lucky in Kentucky as the 'cats slapped around Corny's Big Gingers on their way to the Elite 8.  Kentucky quickly found the holes in Cornell's D and exploited them the rest of the game.  Credit coach Calipari.  West Virginia, on the other hand, looked less than stellar on their way to 5,000 turnovers in a sloppy win vs. Washington.  While I really dig West Virginia's 1-3-1 zone (love that defense), I gotta believe Calipari will have a better game plan against it than the Huskies had.     

Kentucky wins 80 - 73


#1 Dookies vs. #3 Berenstain Bears

I didn't anticipate St. Mary's to fold so easily vs. the likes of Brother, Sister, and Papa Bear but it happened.  Baylor is supremely athletic and it could pose some problems for Coach K's crew.  However, I still like Duke in this one.  Duke's starting lineup consists of 4 seniors and 1 junior.  Coach K has been on this stage before.  They won't get rattled the way St. Mary's did.   Baylor, thanks for playing.  We appreciate your contributions of bringing names such as "LaceDarius" and "Tweety" to the masses.   

Bears get kicked in the dick and lose 73 -70