La Salle hot at tourney time

By Max Orenstein
Collegian Staff
March 21, 2007

Some people call it a miracle. I just call it another day at the office.

Having a perfect bracket through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament is pretty impressive. You can’t overthink it—it’s all about feel. Like when I just “felt” that Winthrop would upset Notre Dame in the first round. I was sensing a little tingle about VCU doing the same to Duke, so I was all over that one, too.

It’s been beautiful to watch. I’m not talking about the actual games, of course, but how I’ve chosen all 48 of them correctly. My success has not come without grace or modesty, which has made victory even sweeter. The rest of the tournament should be a cake-walk…for me, anyway.

Some people are givers and others are takers. I’m a giver. I thought I’d share some knowledge about the remaining 16 teams in the tournament. They are ranked below from best to worst:

1) Kansas. Hot off of winning the Big 12 Championship over Texas, Kansas has torn through their first two opponents in the NCAA tournament by an average of 26 points. The Jayhawks don’t show any signs of slowing down. The combination of Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Julian Wright and Russell Robinson is frightening for coaches to prepare defenses against. At this point in the tournament, Kansas is the frontrunner to win it all.

2) Florida. Despite coming out lethargically and uninspired in their first two games, the Gators are finally firing on all cylinders. Joakim Noah’s enthusiasm is responsible for bringing back the swagger to the defending national champions. Florida has the easiest path to the Final Four. With four starters who could realistically be starting in the NBA this season, Florida is still sitting pretty to make a run for the repeat.

3) North Carolina. UNC has been all business so far in this tournament. Winning the ACC Championship provided a huge boost of confidence, and Tyler Hansbrough is back to his old self after putting up 33 points in the second round against Michigan State. When the Tar Heels control the pace of the game, no one in the country can run with them.

4) Southern California. USC stomped all over a solid Texas team in the second round. Although Kevin Durant scored 30, the Trojans were able to contain him enough to waltz to a 19-point win. Doing the same to all of UNC’s firepower is a formidable task, but if anyone’s up to it, it’s USC.

5) Georgetown. The Hoyas have shown their ability to score AND play defense. Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green are a couple of rising stars to keep your eyes on.

6) Ohio State. The most overrated team in the tournament (and possibly on this list), Ohio State is just plain soft. Greg Oden’s lack of offensive production is going to ultimately bring about the Buckeyes’ downfall.

7) Memphis. You’re lying if you say that Joey Dorsey doesn’t give you nightmares. He makes Joakim Noah look like Michelle Kwan. The man’s got a fever, and the only cure is to stuff a basketball down your throat. What makes Memphis even more frightening is that they seem to have cured their free-throw problems. However, the Tigers’ leading scorer, Chris Douglas-Roberts, left their last game with an ankle sprain and is questionable for the third round.

8) Oregon. Living and dying by the three-ball in the NCAA tournament is an exciting yet risky way to play. But Oregon proved they belong up there with the big boys after beating UCLA and Arizona earlier this season.

9) Texas A&M. The Aggies have an extremely balanced offense, and they are led by the talented Acie Law IV. It will be interesting to see if Texas A&M has the goods to slow down Memphis in the Sweet Sixteen.

10) Tennessee. After an impressive win over Virginia, Tennessee looks poised to upset Ohio State. The Big Ten has been proven weak so far in the tournament, so it would only be fitting for an SEC team to dismiss the Buckeyes. However, matching up against Oden will be difficult for the Vols.

11) Butler. Although Butler’s tournament run will come to a close against Florida, they deserve recognition for their outstanding season and tournament play. Florida’s size and overall superior talent will be too much for Butler to handle.

12) Pittsburgh. Since UCLA will not be able to match up against seven-footer Aaron Gray, Pitt should find themselves in the Elite Eight, where their run is likely to end against Kansas.

13) UCLA. UCLA has been inconsistent and complacent. They will not find themselves in the National Championship game for the second year in a row.

14) Southern Illinois. SIU doesn’t wow me, and they aren’t getting past Kansas.

15) UNLV. Everyone knew that Wisconsin was trash by the time the tournament started, so don’t consider UNLV’s second-round win over the Badgers to be anything significant. There’s nothing intimidating about these Rebels.

16) Vanderbilt. Even if the Commodores somehow upset Georgetown in the Sweet Sixteen, they’re still going nowhere fast.

You can thank me now or later. I just can’t miss. This isn’t Greg Paulus making these claims, so something has to hit iron.

orensteinm1@lasalle.edu