South Region

Moving to the other side of the bracket now, the South Region starts in Kansas City. Kansas had an eventful season in conference play this winter. Kansas suffered its first 3 game losing streak in over a decade, including an embarrassing loss to TCU. Coach Bill Self had some angry remarks about the team after the game. Self said this was the worst Kansas team since Dr. Naismith (the inventor of basketball) was at Kansas. The turning point of the season was an overtime win at Iowa State on February 25. Self had a discussion with Elijah Johnson before the game and his senior delivered, leading Kansas with 39 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists. Kansas starts 4 seniors with one of the most talented freshmen in the country, Ben McLemore. However, Kansas has suffered a series of upsets in recent years. It is tough to trust this team.

Loaded Competition:
This region is loaded. 2 Seed Georgetown is led by player of the year candidate Otto Porter. An alarming stat: Georgetown is 247th in the nation in scoring offense. Georgetown has won 13 of its last 15, though, including impressive wins against Syracuse (twice), Louisville, Marquette, and Notre Dame.  Georgetown has an impressive resume but their offense could go dry and cause an early exit.

3 seed Florida is the computer favorite to advance out of this region. Nate Silver, who correctly predicted the 2012 Presidential election, used a computer formula to determine likely champions (attached at bottom). Surprisingly, Florida came out of the projection as the third most likely team to win the championship! I don't buy the strength of the SEC this season and Florida has yet to win a game by less than 10 points this season. A champion has to win close games in March.

4 seed Michigan and 5 seed VCU both pose gigantic threats to Kansas as well. Michigan has likely player of the year, Trey Burke, in addition to an athletic lineup. They really are their own problem. Michigan has the most talented lineup in this region. Yet, Michigan slipped up this season to Penn State and couldn't close the deal against Indiana, costing OSU, MSU, and themselves a share of the Big Ten regular season title. Michigan followed that up with a disappointing loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten quarterfinals. Like the elite teams, Michigan is good, but its hard to say how good. VCU is more talented than the team that Shaka Smart took from the play-in game to the final 4 as an 11 seed. It is hard to ignore the Rams in this region.

The Rest of the Region:
UNC is a threat as an 8 seed. Roy Williams has a new 4-guard lineup that is clicking. A potential Roy Williams matchup against Kansas would be a great game to watch. 9 seed Villanova had 3 upsets against top 5 teams (Louisville, Syracuse, Georgetown) and also had a victory over Marquette. They could also be a threat in this region. 11 seed Minnesota out of the Big Ten is another team that many like, including Las Vegas; Minnesota is the favorite in their matchup vs 6 seed UCLA.

The Verdict:
My gut says Georgetown survives the group of death. Don't be surprised to see Kansas, Michigan, VCU, Florida, or even UNC or Villanova in Atlanta though.



Nate silver's projection: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1575342-nate-silvers-ncaa-tournament-formula-arrives-to-solve-march-madness

West Region

      The breakdown of the NCAA tournament continues with coverage of the west region. The favorite of this region is actually the 2 seed, Ohio State. OSU is an easy team to figure out. If DeShaun Thomas gets hot and the role players complete their jobs effectively (Craft penetrating, Smith and Ross shooting, Thompson chipping in with his athleticism, Williams playing solid down in the post) then this team probably will not lose. However, they can find other ways to win. Aaron Craft and Shannon Scott are both 1st-team Big Ten defenders that set the tone for the rest of the team. While OSU may struggle to score, their defense can keep them in games and produce some offense in the transition game. If Ohio State does lose, it will be because Thomas goes cold and the lack of a second scorer prevents the Buckeyes from scoring enough points.

Threats to Ohio State:
1 Seed Gonzaga is tough to figure out. Gonzaga went undefeated in West Coast Conference play, including three victories over play-in game winner St. Mary's. Kelly Olynyk is an athletic 7 footer who can score from anywhere on the floor. He has terrific ball handling skills for a big man due to a growth spurt in high school (he used to be a guard). Gonzaga has not lost since a meltdown in the final seconds at Butler on January 19. They also lost on the road to Illinois back in December. Every other game has been a W for Gonzaga, the most impressive of which is their road win at Oklahoma State. Gonzaga is very untested, clearly, and it is really tough to gauge just how good this Gonzaga team is this year. The tournament will show us if Gonzaga is deserving of their number 1 ranking in the latest AP poll.

3 Seed New Mexico is a team that flew under the radar this season. New Mexico went 13-3 in an underrated Mountain West conference before winning the conference tournament. 4 of the 5 New Mexico losses were to tournament teams, with the 5th loss being on the road to Air Force after the conference title was clinched. Guard Tony Snell has been hot lately, averaging just under 20 points per game over his last 5 games. Expect coach Steve Alford to get Snell involved in the offense heavily.

The Rest:
This region features many interesting teams. 4 Seed Kansas State failed to beat Kansas this season but looked pretty good versus the rest of their schedule. Wisconsin is a trendy 5 seed. The Badgers went 4-0 against Indiana and Michigan (3-0 on road/neutral court) and also were the last team to beat the buckeyes, winning by over 20 points at home. The Badgers are hard to figure out with a great defense, and avery streaky offense. The team seems poised for a deep run, but could lose to 12 seed Ole Miss. The Rebels won the SEC tournament with a comeback victory led by Marshall Henderson. Henderson is an incredibly outspoken leader for the Rebels, who has publicly stated he is ready to carry Ole Miss in this tournament much like Steph Curry carried Davidson. Henderson is one of the most hated players in the game, but he is also one of the most talented, so watch out for Ole Miss. 11 Seed Belmont also has a solid group of four seniors leading them, creating potential for complete chaos in this region.

The Verdict:
OSU returns to the final 4. Gonzaga and Wisconsin suffer early exits and New Mexico runs into a hot Buckeye team (if Belmont doesn't take care of New Mexico first). Expect a lot of chaos in this region and potentially a wild elite 8 run for a team like Ole Miss, if Henderson can deliver on his promise.

Midwest Region

      It's the time of the year that everyone dreams of- Christmas! Well, not exactly. It is time for March Madness though as we start to kiss winter goodbye and move on to summer. Here are some tips for your bracket pool as we dive into the midwest region.

Louisville:
Louisville is the number 1 overall seed and is coming off a title win in the final Big East tournament. Louisville is an experienced team that reached the final four last season before falling to Kentucky. They are a favorite due to strong leadership in their backcourt from Russ Smith and Peyton Siva. Gorgui Dieng leads an impressive interior defense and is a strong rebounder averaging 9.9 RPG. Since suffering 3 straight losses in late January, Louisville has won 13 of 14 (with the loss occurring @Notre Dame in 5OT) and 11 straight. Rick Pitino is an experienced coach and Louisville is a legitimate contender for a championship.

Standing in the way:
Duke and Michigan State are obvious threats to Louisville in this region. Duke has only suffered one loss since the return of Ryan Kelly. They went undefeated in non-conference play and suffered 4 road losses in ACC play in addition to their loss to Maryland in the ACC tournament. Coach K will have the Dukies well-rested and refocused for a tournament run. They have something to prove this year as well, coming off a loss to Lehigh in last season's tourney as a 2 seed. Good news for Louisville: no team has ever won a national title after losing its first game in its conference tournament.

Michigan State has the Big Ten freshman of the year in Gary Harris leading the Spartans into the tournament. The Spartans can also expect production from their two big men down low in Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix. Keith Appling is their most experienced player. However, Appling has disappeared in Michigan State's four biggest games this season. One stat worth noting: Tom Izzo owns a 35-13 record in the NCAA tournament.

The rest:
Saint Louis has been very impressive out of the A-10, winning both the regular season and conference tournament titles. They have won 15 of their last 16 games. Oklahoma State has played Kansas tight this season and has one of the best players in the region in point guard Marcus Smart. The 6 seed Memphis went undefeated in conference play and 7 seed Creighton returns to the tournament with the nation's 2nd leading scorer, Doug McDermott (23.1 PPG). The 8-16 seeds in this region are probably the weakest of the field, but 12 seed Oregon is a team to look out for. The Ducks started the season hot and seem to be on the right track after winning the Pac-12 tournament this past weekend.

Verdict:
I like the upset. I like Duke to advance out of this bracket, but it is because I expect Louisville to stumble against Saint Louis. Louisville is one bad game from Peyton Siva away from an early exit. Duke advances to Atlanta by playing every game as the favorite.

Next up: West Region

The Miami Heat are on Fire

      Last night at The Garden, the Heat extended their winning streak to 23 games by beating Boston 105-103. In a game where nearly everything went right for Boston, Miami was still able to win. With their comeback win last night, Miami has reached its final checkpoint before chasing down the '71-'72 Lakers win streak of 33 games. Entering the contest, Miami had beaten its opponents by an average of 11.7 points per game. This game went far differently.

     Jeff Green exploded early in the game, powering the Celtics to an early lead. He helped lead the C's on a 17-0 run to close out the first quarter. Miami trailed by 12 at the end of the first period. Boston had won 11 straight at home (all since Rondo's injury), and 10 straight at home in the regular season against the Heat, including 5-0 since LeBron James joined Miami. It was all going Boston's way. They held this early lead throughout the game, leading by 13 with 8:00 left in the 4th quarter. Since Paul Pierce was drafted, the Celtics were 316-2 when leading by that margin with eight minutes or fewer remaining. On the flip-side, LeBron's teams went 2-105 in such games.

      The Heat would not be denied. LeBron hit a pull-up jumper to give the Heat the lead and Paul Pierce missed at the buzzer to clinch the game. The Heat overcame a deficit of 17 points, the largest deficit they faced during the streak. LeBron had 37 points, 12 assists, and 7 rebounds; he was the first player to put up those numbers at the Celtics since Scottie Pippen in 1995. He also leads the NBA with 4 games of at least 30 points and 10 assists. Miami also withstood a career night from Jeff Green, who finished with 43 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals, and 2 assists (the first player to hit those benchmarks since, ironically, LeBron James in 2010).

      What does last night mean? The Celtics had a career night from Jeff Green and a lead that they had only blown two times in the past 15 seasons. Yet, Miami still was able to find a way to win. This begs the question: Can they keep streaking? The quick answer is yes. The Heat have a cakewalk through the rest of March playing Cleveland, Detroit, Charlotte, Orlando, Chicago, and New Orleans before a meeting at San Antonio to close the month. LeBron James is clicking and the league's frontrunner for MVP continues to make highlight reels on a nightly basis. The heat also have outscored their opponents by 70 points in the final 5 minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime during their win streak. With all these factors in play, the safe bet is that the Heat will still be streaking come April. If you have been betting on the Heat all along, you are a very happy individual right now. If you started with $100 on the Heat winning their first game of the streak and let it ride for all 23 games, you would have a paycheck of $55,500 sitting on your desk.

(facts and figures taken from @BleacherReport and @espnstatsinfo on twitter)

The Women's Volleyball Team Says Goodbye to Four Great Seniors

The Ohio State Women's Volleyball Team loses four key contributors for next year.

Mari Hole, an outside hitter from Oslo Norway, will never be forgotten in Columbus.  Not only was she Ohio State's best player for two years but she could go down as one of the greats, if not the greatest, in program history.

They call her an outside hitter, but Hole could have been dominate with any role on this team.  I am continuously impressed by her ability on the defensive side.  Not only is she talented but she is a hard worker, always showing off even more hustle than her teammates, which isn't an easy task.

Hole finished her senior year with 548 kills, 48 assists, and 18 aces on offense.  Defensively the Norwegian had 326 digs and 56 total blocks.

Along side Hole's All-American banner in St. John Arena is another banner with the name Emily Danks.  Danks is a truly fun player to watch, especially from the service line.  She will go down as Ohio State's best server ever as she broke the school's ace record mid-way through Big Ten play.

While she had hot and cold streaks throughout the year Emily Danks was always important and a big part of Ohio State's success this year.

Danks finished the season with 327 kills, 33 assists, and 50 (!) aces.  The outside hitter from Round Rock, Texas also added 178 digs and 93 blocks (1st on the team, more than any middle blocker).

Amanda Peterson was Ohio State's usual setter, and she may be my favorite player form this year's squad.  While there were times when she saw her self on the bench in favor of Taylor Sherwin, Peterson was a steadying force for the Buckeyes.

Out of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Peterson finished her final season in Columbus with 1,022 assists, 106 kills, and 14 aces.  She also chipped in with 237 digs and 53 blocks.

Mariah Booth is the final senior from this team.  Will over-aggressive at times, Booth is a player that Ohio State will miss.  When she is on Booth is one of the most dangerous middle-blockers around.  Very athletic and aggressive, in my opinion Booth was underutilized during the season.

Out of Kennesaw, Gergia, Booth had a productive senior year.  She tallied 241 kills, 11 assists, and 6 aces along with 66 digs and 85 total blocks.


Thanks Seniors!