2011 NCAA Tournament Picks:
Sweet 16 Redo | East | West | Southwest | Southeast | Final Four | Winning Tips | 2011 NCAA Tournament Home
2011 NCAA Tournament Bracket Breakdowns:
West | East | Southwest | Southeast | Final Four | Schedule
2011 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Breakdowns:
West | Southeast |
2011 NCAA Tournament Preview:
ACC | Atlantic 10 | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Mid-Majors | Mountain West | Pac 10 | SEC
2011 NCAA Tournament: West Bracket Picks
2011 NCAA Tournament: West Bracket First Round
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Hampton
Remember the episode of Seinfeld when George Costanza lied about having a place in the Hamptons? Good times. I’ll be laying the points with Duke.
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 1 Duke
No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 9 Tennessee
As I wrote in my preview, Michigan head coach John Beilein has made four NCAA Tournament appearances since 1996. He has won at least one game in each run. Bruce Pearl, meanwhile, always struggled in the NCAA Tournament prior to last year. The Vols are undisciplined and don’t take inferior competition seriously.
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 8 Michigan
No. 5 Arizona vs. No. 12 Memphis
Memphis stinks. They have a sub-par defense (61st) and an awful offense (134th). They can’t win on the road. They have only one consistent scoring option. They’re extremely young. And they have a freshman point guard.
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 5 Arizona
No. 4 Texas vs. No. 13 Oakland
Texas could easily lose this game. If they don’t take Oakland seriously, this will be an upset. Untouched by Al Davis, this Oakland squad has balanced scoring and a terrific offense (15th). Center Keith Benson (18.0 ppg, 10.1 rpg) will be playing in the NBA next year.
I’m not going to pick Oakland, however, because of their awful defense (200th). Texas shouldn’t have any trouble scoring against them.
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 4 Texas
No. 6 Cincinnati vs. No. 11 Missouri
Missouri’s going to be a popular upset pick – just not on this site. The Tigers play with a frenetic pace and force a ton of turnovers, but Cincinnati does a good job of taking care of the basketball.
The Tigers have a ton of flaws. Their defense isn’t very good (53rd). They were just 2-7 on the road this year. And they’re slumping going into the Big Dance (1-3 previous four).
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 6 Cincinnati
No. 3 Connecticut vs. No. 14 Bucknell
Bucknell is a talented team, but they’re young. Four of their top six scorers are underclassmen. Plus, they have to go up against Kemba Walker.
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 3 Connecticut
No. 7 Temple vs. No. 10 Penn State
Call this a homer pick, but Temple head coach Fran Dunphy is 1-12 in the NCAA Tournament. One and twelve. Yes, many of those losses came with Penn, but isn’t it convenient that an Ivy League team (Cornell) finally won a game (actually two games) once Dunphy moved on to Temple? And besides, Dunphy has been upset as Temple’s head coach in the NCAA Tournament.
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 10 Penn State
No. 2 San Diego State vs. No. 15 Northern Colorado
This is a matchup between two great players. Everyone knows about Kawhi Leonard, but Northern Colorado’s Devon Beitzel (21.4 ppg) is extremely clutch.
In the end though, San Diego State’s defense is third. Northern Colorado’s? 139th.
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 2 San Diego State
2011 NCAA Tournament: West Bracket Second Round
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 8 Michigan
Of the 36 No. 1 seeds since 2002, 32 have advanced to the Sweet 16. I don’t see Duke losing to either Michigan or Tennessee.
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 1 Duke
No. 4 Texas vs. No. 5 Arizona
I don’t like Texas very much – I’ll get into that in the next round – but I wish they were going against a better second-round opponent so I could call an upset. Arizona’s defense is a pedestrian 67th, and they have only one consistent scorer.
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 4 Texas
No. 3 Connecticut vs. No. 6 Cincinnati
I guess the Big East Tournament isn’t over. Kemba Walker didn’t get a chance to debaclize Cincinnati at Madison Square Garden, so he’ll have the opportunity to do so in Chicago.
Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin has never won an NCAA Tournament game, so I’ll take Jim Calhoun in this matchup. Plus, the Huskies beat the Bearcats at Cincinnati in late February, so I don’t think they’ll have much trouble with them on a neutral site.
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 3 Connecticut
No. 2 San Diego State vs. No. 10 Penn State
As much as I’d like to have Penn State going to the Sweet 16, I don’t think the Nittany Lions have what it takes. Their defense is pretty pedestrian (58th). They have a sluggish offense (63.1 ppg) and they have no quality road wins (3-8 away record).
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 2 San Diego State
2011 NCAA Tournament: West Bracket Sweet 16
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 4 Texas
I said that I would get into why I don’t like Texas, and I’m a man of my word.
Rick Barnes is an overrated coach; the Longhorns underachieve in the NCAA Tournament ever year. Also, Texas has a freshman point guard (Cory Joseph) and a very young team overall. Duke’s experience will carry them into the Elite Eight.
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 1 Duke
No. 2 San Diego State vs. No. 3 Connecticut
This is essentially a road game for Connecticut, as San Diego State doesn’t exactly have to make a long trip up to Anaheim. However, unlike most East Coast coaches, Jim Calhoun thrives out West. I don’t think travel will be a problem for his team.
As you can tell, I’m taking the Huskies. I can’t bet against Kemba Walker this early. Plus, Mountain West teams tend to underachieve in the Big Dance.
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 3 Connecticut
2011 NCAA Tournament: West Bracket Elite Eight
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 3 Connecticut
Pick your poison: Do you want to go against Nolan Smith or Kemba Walker? It’s a tough choice. I really like Jim Calhoun’s ability to win on the West Coast, but I love Duke’s experience even more.
Connecticut’s a really young team. As the ESPN guys said, “It’s Kemba Walker and a bunch of freshmen.” While it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Huskies move on to the Final Four, I’m just not comfortable advancing an inexperienced squad over seasoned Duke.
And one more thing: I’m not really sure how Connecticut’s Big East Tournament run will affect them in the Big Dance. We’ve seen teams that go four games in four days struggle. But five games in five days? That’s just insane.
2011 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 1 Duke
2011 NCAA Tournament Picks:
Sweet 16 Redo | East | West | Southwest | Southeast | Final Four | Winning Tips | 2011 NCAA Tournament Home
2011 NCAA Tournament Bracket Breakdowns:
West | East | Southwest | Southeast | Final Four | Schedule
2011 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Breakdowns:
West | Southeast |
2011 NCAA Tournament Preview:
ACC | Atlantic 10 | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Mid-Majors | Mountain West | Pac 10 | SEC
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