March Madness, 2006 (Remixed! For a 3rd Time!)

(Note from Jordan Green: A friend of ours, Jonathan Adams, sent us an article about March Madness shortly after I’d already posted an inferior article written by myself. I decided to scrap my piece and post Jonathan’s instead. He will also offer updates throughout the weeks of the tournament, so keep checking back for further wit and wisdom regarding the greatest annual tournament in sports.)

The madness. The mayhem. You can feel it. You can breathe it in. March is here and with it comes the Men’s NCAA tournament. It’s time to get out your brackets and hope the shots fall in your favor, as this weekend marks the tip-off to a month filled with great college basketball.

For each region I’ll tell you what teams could make it to Indianapolis, players you should look out for, and a dark horse team that could make some noise.

Atlanta Region
The mighty Duke Blue Devils bring their potent all-around game to Atlanta, and shouldn’t face too much adversity on the road to Indianapolis. J.J. Redick is the lynchpin in an offense that doesn’t ever seem to slow down. Their outside-in offense features the combo of Redick and Shelden Williams who combine to average roughly 45 points per game. The Dookies will be a handful for anyone.

The Texas Longhorns will also make a strong bid for a trip to Indy, as they bring tough defense and three big-time players to the tournament, P.J. Tucker, LaMarcus Aldridge and guard Daniel Gibson. The ‘Horns are coming off a big loss to Kansas in the Big 12 tournament and they don’t have a deep bench beyond their big three of Tucker, Aldridge and Gibson. Fatigue could become a factor for Texas.

The Dark Horse in the Atlanta region has to be #5 Syracuse. Gerry McNamara has been incredible in the last two weeks. His clutch three pointer to force overtime against Connecticut in the Big East tournament, a game that Syracuse ended up winning, was an amazing feat of leadership and will. Syracuse went on to win the Big East tournament with wins over Georgetown and Pitt. McNamara won’t blow anyone away with his stats, but he finds a way to keep the Orange in the game so he can make those big shots.

Players to Watch: Pops Mensah-Bonsu, George Washington; Greg Brunner, Iowa; Jeff Horner, Iowa; Leon Powe, California; Darrell Mitchel, LSU; Glen Davis, LSU; Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia

Oakland Region
The Memphis Tigers are the #1 seed in a deep bracket that features several teams that could make a run to the Final Four. Rodney Carney and Darius Washington spearhead Coach John Calipari’s offense, and they are bolstered by freshman Shawne Williams.

Adam Morrison is the nation’s leading scorer and is capable of putting #3 Gonzaga on his back and carrying them to Indianapolis. Morrison shoots nearly 50% from the field, which is extraordinary for a perimeter player with that many attempts. When you add J.P. Batista’s interior play (19.3 ppg, 9.5 reb/g) the ‘Zags become a match-up nightmare for any team.

The #2 seed UCLA Bruins are a good team that is not raising as many eyebrows as they should be. Jordan Farmar has the ability to make plays that instantly turn momentum in the Bruins favour, and though they are a young team, they are relentless on defense. UCLA enters the NCAA tournament having won their last seven games, in which they did not allow their opposition to score 60 points, and they held those teams to 38% shooting from the floor.

The Dark Horse in Oakland is the Kansas Jayhawks. Though inexperienced, with three starting freshman, and sophomore role-players who weren’t a part of last season’s early tournament exit, the Jayhawks pounded Texas to win their first Big 12 championship since 1999. Kansas relies a great deal on Brandon Rush, a rangy freshman guard who averages 13.6 points and 6 rebounds per game.

Players to Watch: Julian Wright, Kansas; Arron Afflalo, UCLA; Carl Krauser, Pitt; Ronnie Brewer, Arkansas; Marco Killingsworth, Indiana; Major Wingate, Alabama

Washington, D.C. Region
The #1 ranked Connecticut Huskies boast five starters that average double figures in scoring. The Huskies are potent, with sophomore sensation Rudy Gay possessing arguably the best all-around game in the country, and junior Josh Boone’s dominant presence inside. UConn has a good mix of wing players and athletic big men that allow them to play any-style, much like the Illinois team we saw go to the championship game last year. Connecticut will not only make it to Indianapolis, I think they’ll be the team to cut down the nets and win their second national championship in three years.

The #2 Tennessee Volunteers have gone about their business quietly this season. Despite being a top-25 ranked team all season long, they lack a household name to draw attention to their program. They’ll come into the tournament having lost four of their last six games, including the SEC tournament opener to South Carolina and could be ripe for the first big upset of the tournament.

The Dark Horse in the D.C. region is the #4 Illinois Fighting Illini. This years team is led by returnees Dee Brown and James Augustine. While they don’t pack the punch that last year’s squad had, they can still do some damage. Brown is the fastest man in college basketball, often dubbed ‘The one-man fast-break’ and Illinois will be looking to score in transition. The Illini will hope that Brown’s all-American play and the consistency of Augustine will be enough to catch some teams napping.

Players to Watch: Denham Brown, Connecticut; Hilton Armstrong, Connecticut; Marcus Williams, Connecticut; Paul Davis, Michigan State; Shannon Brown, Michigan State; Mo Ager, Michigan State; Brandon Roy, Washington; Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina; Reyshawn Terry, North Carolina; Squeaky Johnson, UAB

Minneapolis Region
The Villanova Wildcats are a #1 seed for the first time in school history. They’ve had successes in the NCAA tournament before, but how they handle the moniker of ‘team to beat’ remains to be seen. ‘Cats guard Allen Ray suffered an eye injury in the Big East tournament that will force him to wear protective goggles this weekend, which will no doubt require some getting used to. Even if Villanova doesn’t shoot the ball well, they rely on defense and rebounding to get their wins, and it should carry them to at least an Elite Eight bid.

Boston College made the switch to the ACC this season, and they come into the tourney with a #4 seed. BC plays a physical brand of basketball which can wear teams down at the end of a long season, and may take its toll on the Eagles as well. As long as Craig Smith can stay out of foul trouble, the Eagles will be able to compete with any team in the tournament.

The Dark Horse team in Minneapolis will be the #8 seed Arizona Wildcats. Lute Olsen has put many great teams in the NCAA tournament, and can’t be counted out. Senior Hassan Adams leads this Wildcat team, which has four starters averaging double figures in scoring, with 17 pts/g. Adams is a match-up nightmare with Dwyane Wade like athleticism to go with a 6-4, 212 lb. body. If Arizona can stifle the inconsistency they faced earlier this season, they could make a run in the tournament. People forget they were a pre-season pick to be a top-five team in the nation.

Players to Watch: Jared Dudley, Boston College; Randy Foye, Villanova; Kyle Lowry, Villanova; Marcus Williams, Arizona; Mustafa Shakur, Arizona; Taj Gray, Oklahoma; Joakim Noah, Florida; Taurean Green, Florida; Brandon Bowman, Georgetown; Nick Fazekas, Nevada

UPDATE #1

The first weekend of March Madness has come and gone. Fortunately, everything gets crazier from here on in. After some strong play from the #1 seeds, shocking upsets from small schools and a bevy of buzzer beaters—it’s time to get back at it for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight this weekend.

ATLANTA REGION
#1 seed Duke beat George Washington by 13 points, though they were not running as efficiently as Duke teams have in the past. In the second half, Duke gave George Washington several opportunities to draw within striking range, yet the Colonials were unable to capitalize on their chances.

Thursday night Duke plays #4 LSU, and they will have their hands full with a young but extremely hungry team. Tigers guard Darrel Mitchell, the only senior on the team, made a long three-pointer in the dying seconds of their second round game, and he combines with Glen Davis (21.5 pts, 10.5 reb) to carry the load offensively. Keep an eye on Tyrus Thomas, a 6-9 freshman who has drawn comparisons to a young Kenyon Martin.

LSU will give Duke fits with their defense, but the Blue Devils should advance to the Elite Eight, because of their countless weapons on offense. The Tigers will look to get Shelden Williams in foul trouble early, while Duke star J.J. Redick will attempt to exploit LSU’s lack of perimeter D with his extended three-point range.

The second Atlanta region match-up pits #2 Texas against #6 West Virginia. These teams couldn’t be more different. Texas plays an inside-out offense, featuring potential first overall NBA draft pick LaMarcus Aldridge and junior P.J. Tucker patrolling the paint at both ends of the court. Point guard Daniel Gibson complements the two big men with 13 points and four assists per contest.

West Virginia has knocked off #11 Southern Illinois and #14 Northwestern State to come this far. Led by Kevin Pittsnogle, the Mountaineers will combat UT’s inside presence with their three point shooting. West Virginia will live and die by the three as they are averaging 28.5 attempts from beyond-the-arc in the tournament thus far. Texas should move through to the Elite Eight, on the strength of Aldridge and Tucker’s inside play.

OAKLAND REGION
It’s safe to say that no one picked the #13 Bradley Braves to come this far, save for those who attend the small school in Peoria, Ill. Nonetheless, they have been riding the momentum created by sophomore seven-footer Patrick O’Bryant, whose timely career-high 28 points and seven rebounds led the Braves to a shocking upset over #5 Pitt.

For their troubles they match-up against #1 Memphis who have yet to be tested in the tournament. The Tigers don’t have a big-body to combat O’Bryant inside, but they will use their quickness to penetrate and attempt to put the big man on the bench with foul trouble. Rodney Carney and Darius Washington Jr. will be crucial to the Tigers success, as they will need to dominate this game from the perimeter.

As good as O’Bryant has been in the last two games, he won’t be able to topple the Tigers. Bradley’s magical run will come to an end against Memphis.

Also featured in the Oakland region is #2 UCLA against #3 Gonzaga in what should be the best game of the Sweet Sixteen. Gonzaga put up 52 points in the second-half of their 90-80 win over Indiana— remarkable considering the nation’s leading scorer Adam Morrison had only 14 points in the entire game. The Bulldogs had six players score in double figures, four of whom shot better than 50% from the field. If Gonzaga continues to get this production from their role players, and Morrison gets hot, Gonzaga could easily make it to the Final Four.

And yet, if anyone can stop this Gonzaga team, it’s the UCLA Bruins. They are young, but defense is their calling card, and their quickness at both ends of the floor could spell doom for the Bulldogs. Point guard Jordan Farmar is a wizard on the fast-break and Arron Afflalo has emerged as an efficient scorer, leading the team in the regular season with 16.6 points per game.

No doubt that Adam Morrison will have a strong game after his mediocre performance against Indiana. Morrison and J.P. Batista will simply be too much for the young Bruins to handle.

WASHINGTON D.C. REGION
#1 seed Connecticut survived a scare from Patrick Sparks and Kentucky, and in doing so, showed their ability to close out tough games. They will face #5 Washington, in what should be a great contest. Both teams rely on athleticism and attack the basket from the perimeter, but UConn gets more production from their big men, Josh Boone and Hilton Armstrong. Sophomore sensation Rudy Gay continues to show that he is as talented as anyone in the country, but the Huskies relied more on the scoring of Marcus Williams and senior Denham Brown in their previous two games. We have yet to see the best from Gay, Boone and Armstrong in this NCAA tournament. When they play at their potential, the Huskies are nearly impossible to beat.

#5 Washington was down 11 points in the second-half to Dee Brown and #4 Illinois, before mustering a huge comeback victory. Led by all-around-threat Brandon Roy (19.9 pts, 5.7 rebs, 4 asts) the Huskies will need him to have another big game if they are to beat UConn. If the Huskies don’t get a big game from Roy, they’ll have a hard time finding someone who can make up for his scoring.

Also in D.C. the #11 seed George Mason Patriots used their stifling defense to suffocate an inexperienced #3 North Carolina team. The Tar Heels simply couldn’t set up their offense, as the Patriots forced them into bad shots. On the offensive end it was all about capitalizing on a lack of UNC defensive awareness, which led to easy baskets in transition. The Patriots feature Jai Lewis (6-7, 275) inside and the team’s best shooter, guard Tony Skinn, who’s clutch free-throws in the closing seconds of the UNC game sealed the Patriots victory.

The Patriots run into #7 Wichita State, who applied a similar strategy for success in their 80-73 win over #2 Tennessee. The Shockers forced the Volunteers to take long, hurried three-point shots and Tennessee never found their range. Witchita State received timely scoring from P.J. Couisnard who dropped 20 points against the Vols—double his regular season scoring average.

Don’t be surprised to see George Mason come out on top of this battle of two Cinderalla teams.

MINNEAPOLIS REGION
#4 Boston College saw senior Craig Smith put up 22 points and 16 rebounds in the Eagles victory over #12 Montana. The Sweet Sixteen brings BC the #1 seed Villanova Wildcats, and Smith will be looking to put up similar numbers against the undersized ‘Cats. This leaves the duties of containing Craig Smith to Jason Fraser (6-9, 225) junior Will Sheridan (6-8, 238). Sheridan and Fraser will try to get Smith in foul trouble early, and force Boston College into a three-point shootout.

Villanova survived #8 seed Arizona, 82-78, thanks to 25 points from Allen Ray. The ‘Cats will look to use their talented guards, Ray, Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry, to play an up-tempo style, as the Eagles would rather it be a physical affair. As long as the Wildcats can keep the game in a run-and-gun style, they should emerge victorious.

The #3 Florida Gators won their two previous games by an average of 19 points. Joakim Noah (16.5 pts, 7.5 rebs, 6.5 assts, 4.5 blks) and Corey Brewer (16.5 pts) are leading the charge for the Gators. Thought they are not deep, Florida features a balanced attack, with four players averaging double figures in scoring. Sophomore guard Taurean Green has not played well in the tournament, despite averaging 13 points and 5 assists in the regular season. Look for him to be a factor in this game.

The Gators are in tough against a #7 Georgetown Hoyas team that no one seems to be talking about. The Hoyas knocked off #2 Ohio St. on the strength of 20 points and 14 rebounds from 7-2 centre Roy Hibbert. Georgetown dominated the glass with a +15 rebounding margin that included a 12-2 advantage in offensive boards. They’ll look to be physical with Florida, and if they can stop the Gators from putting up a scoring barrage, they could sneak into the Elite Eight.

UPDATE #2

For the first time in 26 years, the Final Four does not have a #1 seed. For the first time since Larry Bird’s 1978-79 Indiana State Sycamores, a mid-major school will attempt to cut down the nets on college basketball’s biggest stage. It has been an exciting tournament thus far and as LSU, UCLA, Florida, and yes, George Mason, descend on Indianapolis. There will be more great moments this weekend.

#11 George Mason vs #3 Florida
The #11 seed Patriots are probably sick of being called a Cinderella team. Who do you have to beat to be considered a legitimate contender? After toppling #6 Michigan State, #3 North Carolina, #7 Wichita State and #1 UConn, who was heavily favoured to win the entire tournament, you’d think the Patriots could get a little respect.

Instead of respect they are getting overlooked. No one is picking them to win in Indy. However, George Mason shot 50% from the field against Connecticut. They out-rebounded their opponent, they stayed out of foul trouble, and most importantly they made the Huskies work for every basket.

Here’s the scary thing about this George Mason team; they allowed UConn to shoot 47% from the field. They only caused 9 turnovers. They only had 13 assists. They didn’t outright dominate Connecticut in a single statistical category. And they still won. They were strong even when facing adversity. As Tony Skinn missed the free-throw that allowed Denham Brown to score and send the game to overtime, most thought that the Huskies would capitalize and emerge victorious. Instead, the unthinkable happened. The Patriots received balanced scoring, timely defensive stops and a little bit of luck to fell the giant that stood before them.

This should be enough to make Florida, and all of us, take notice.

#3 Florida beat a Villanova team that shot 24% from the field. Wildcat’s guards Allan Ray, Randy Foye and Mike Nardi combined to shoot 4-22 from three-point land, while the team shot just 24% in the contest. Meanwhile, the Gator’s Joakim Noah and guard Taurean Green managed to get to the free-throw line 28 times, making 25 of their attempts and combining for 40 points. Forward Al Horford was a monster inside, as he and Noah each pulled down 15 rebounds, with 8 of Horford’s coming off of the offensive glass.

Horford (6-8, 235) will have his hands full with Patriots big-man Jai Lewis (6-7, 275) which will leave the duties of stopping Joakim Noah to Will Thomas (6-7, 225), who gives up size and athleticism.

George Mason beat a UConn team that was playing below its potential. The Florida Gators are quite the opposite. This team is peaking at the perfect time, playing better now than they have all season. Neither team goes deep into their bench, with all starters logging heavy minutes. The Gators run-and-gun style should wear down George Mason, and the Gators will advance to the National final.

#4 LSU vs #2 UCLA
The LSU Tigers beat Texas with a two-man show. Tyrus Thomas and Glen Davis combined to score 47 of 70 LSU points, making 21 of the teams 28 field goals between them. Their contribution wasn’t limited to offense. Davis held Longhorns pivot LaMarcus Aldridge, a potential lottery pick, to 2-14 shooting, mainly by using his wide frame to keep the slender Aldridge out of the paint. The athletic Thomas added 13 rebounds and 3 blocks to his 21 points, showing he is a threat at both ends of the court.

UCLA and Memphis must have believed there was a lid over the basket. Neither team shot well from the floor, with the Tigers converting 2 of 17 attempts from beyond-the-arc. The Bruins only made 14 field goal’s but were able to get to the free-throw line 39 times. They made 20, which was five more than Memphis even attempted.

UCLA forward Ryan Hollins (7-0, 225) had 14 points and 9 rebounds and Arron Afflalo added 15 points to lead a Bruins team that will have to be much sharper against LSU.

The Tigers will look to control the pace of play by running a half-court offense using Thomas and Davis to take the bulk of the shots. LSU shouldn’t have trouble establishing position inside, as the Bruins lack size in their frontcourt. UCLA guard Jordan Farmer will look to get his team out on the break, and use their overall athleticism to make LSU run and try to draw the Tigers big-men into foul trouble.

Should Thomas or Davis get into foul trouble it would likely spell doom for LSU, as they have few other options that can consistently score the ball. In all likelihood, the team that takes good shots and puts themselves in a position to shoot well from the field will move on, and that team is LSU. Their production inside will be too much for the young Bruins.

Posted on March 15, 2006 12:00 AM