-2011 SOUTHWEST REGION PREVIEW-
(1) Kansas
(16) Boston University
FRIDAY, 6:50 EST - Tulsa, OK - (TBS)
(8) UNLV
(9) Illinois
FRIDAY, 9:20 EST - Tulsa, OK - (TBS)
(5) Vanderbilt
(12) Richmond
THURSDAY, 4:10 EST - Denver, CO - (TBS)
(4) Louisville
(13) Morehead State
THURSDAY, 1:40 EST - Denver, CO - (TBS)
(6) Georgetown
(11) VCU
FRIDAY, 9:50 EST - Chicago, IL - (TNT)
(3) Purdue
(14) Saint Peter's
FRIDAY, 7:20 EST - Chicago, IL - (TNT)
(7) Texas A&M
(10) Florida State
FRIDAY, 4:10 EST - Chicago, IL - (TBS)
(2) Notre Dame
(15) Akron
FRIDAY, 1:40 EST - Chicago, IL - (TBS)
Top seeds
1. Kansas (32-2) - Fifth in the country in scoring, second in assists and first in field goal percentage, the Jayhawks roll into Tulsa with just two blemishes on their schedule, the last of which came over a month ago. The Morris brothers may be the best frontcourt duo in the nation and guards Tyrel Reed, Tyshawn Taylor and Josh Selby also put together one of the best backcourts in the country. Bill Self is an
experienced coach, bringing KU to a national championship victory three years ago, and they are the favorites to advance to yet another Final Four.
2. Notre Dame (26-6) - The Fighting Irish quietly and surprisingly earned themselves second place in the Big East this season. Senior guard Ben Hansbrough is tough to stop, maintaining a 18.5 points per game average this year and the Irish's hopes fall
squarely on his shoulders to lead them to the promised land. It also helps that they start five seniors, a rarity in today's college basketball with the amount of "one-and-dones" we've witnessed over the past five or so years. Experienced and focused on the goal, Notre Dame has a legitimate chance at reaching the Final Four for the first time since 1978.
3. Purdue (26-9) - For the second year in a row, the Boilermakers enter the dance without star Robbie Hummel - this time, however, they've had some time to figure things out, as he was injured at the beginning of the season. Led by two of the most premier scorers in the nation in seniors JaJuan Johnson (20.5 ppg) and E'Twaun Moore (18.2), Purdue is actually entering the tourney on a bit of a cold streak, having lost to Iowa in their regular season finale and laying an egg in the Big Ten Tournament with a blowout loss to Michigan State. Still, Purdue boasts experience and a ton of defensive tenacity, and they are no slouch as a No. 3 seed.
4. Louisville (25-9) - The Cardinals come into the Tournament on the heels of a close loss to UConn in the Big East championship, and have been over-achieving all year without star power and with a balanced, team game. Preston Knowles leads the attack alongside Kyle Kuric and Peyton Siva, and of course hall-of-fame coach Rick Pitino - who hasn't lost a Sweet 16 game in his career - calls the shots from the bench. The
'Ville will surely have the hardest time getting out of the first weekend of the top four seeds, but Pitino has been here before, as well as his senior leaders, and won't go down without a fight, as they have shown all season long.
Most Intriguing Matchup
(7) Texas A&M v. (10) Florida State
Defense wins championships, and both the Aggies and Seminoles can get at it on the defensive end. A matchup with leaders in FSU's Chris Singleton and A&M's Khris Middleton should be intriguing, and this game will find itself in the 50s. The winner of this matchup will have a very good chance at slowing down Notre Dame's offense and upsetting them in the second round (I'm refusing to call it the third round). Watch out for this one.
Best Player
Ben Hansbrough, guard, Notre Dame
In simple terms, when he's on the floor he takes over games, and when he's on the bench the Irish look flat out lost. The senior guard can slash and score with the best in the country, and also step back and be a dominant 3-point threat. He's the clear leader for the Irish and without him they are nothing.
Best Coach
Rick Pitino, Louisville
The most experienced tournament coach in this bracket has done a very commendable job in building Louisville this season through injuries and less talent than you would expect a Pitino-led team to have. As always, Pitino alone will keep Louisville in every game, but the Cardinals may have over-achieved this season and could see an early exit this year. Still, however, Pitino has been to this point several times and can never, ever be counted out.
Upset Alert
(13) Morehead State over (4) Louisville
If you haven't heard about him, you soon will. Morehead State center/forward Kenneth
Faried leads the nation in rebounding and also surpassed Tim Duncan's NCAA all-time rebounding record this season. The senior Newark, NJ native is averaging over 14 boards a contest to go along with his 17.6 points and will be a difficult matchup for any Cardinals player. The Eagles are a very solid, defensive team and are capable of pulling off the upset - they lost by six at Florida earlier this season. Outside of Faried, senior guard Demonte Harper is an NBA prospect, and is fantastic shooting the three at 39.9% this year. Watch out for Morehead to shock a Louisville team that may be overlooking them.Search for Cinderella
(12) Richmond
The Spiders have a very favorable mini-bracket in an unproven Vanderbilt in the first round followed by a potential matchup with Louisville or Morehead State that they can certainly win. Richmond is hot, having just rolled through the Atlantic 10 Tournament to take home that crown, and they are far from through, especially against a vulnerable Vandy team that was upset by Murray State last year. Justin Harper is a capable veteran as well. The senior big man scores about 18 points per game and can also take opposing defenders out of the paint to knock down the three, which opens the lanes for guard Kevin Anderson (16.5 ppg). Don't sleep on the Spiders.
The darkhorse
(6) Georgetown
Most of the recent troubles (four-game losing streak) for the Hoyas have stemmed from the loss of Chris Wright. Well, the senior guard will be back for their first round matchup and his presence will affect Georgetown immediately. Austin Freeman has been playing like a man possessed this year and Jason Clark is a big-time threat as well.
The Hoyas have an extremely tough path to reach the Final Four, but they are led by experienced seniors, and don't underestimate the addition of Wright back to the lineup. G'Town is tested and will be ready for battle.
-PREDICTIONS-
(1) Kansas over (16) Boston University
(8) UNLV over (9) Illinois
(12) Richmond over (5) Vanderbilt
(13) Morehead State over (4) Louisville
(6) Georgetown over (11) VCU
(3) Purdue over (14) St. Peter's
(7) Texas A&M over (10) Florida State
(2) Notre Dame over (15) Akron
(1) Kansas over (8) UNLV
(12) Richmond over (13) Morehead State
(6) Georgetown over (3) Purdue
(2) Notre Dame over (7) Texas A&M
(1) Kansas over (12) Richmond
(2) Notre Dame over (6) Georgetown
(1) Kansas over (2) Notre Dame
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