The West: No way, San Jose!

[Dennis managed this West preview in between 3am feedings and 24/7 diaper duty]

Round 1 - Moving from the top of the draw to the bottom…

Kansas walks over the Play-In winner; no discussion necessary (although, I believe Whit has awarded me a bonus point for the play-in game because I’ve been in a time machine for 2 weeks – Socrates loves San Dimas…).

In the Cats production, I like the Nova variety. My boy Scottie Reynolds from Herndon High has proven he can win on a big stage as evident in his 29-point performance in his first trip to the Big Apple and the Garden last week. He will shame the NCAA for letting Kentucky in the dance just so Tubby Dickface can keep his job (really selection committee??…really??). Veteran guard Mike Nardi will be back from injury to give the squad some poise and experience, while Curtis Sumpter will use his all around game to shred the KU defense.

In the “bizarro” seeded game of the region, #5 seed Va Tech takes on #12 seed Illinois?? Strange, but this isn’t 1996 anymore when your William & Mary Tribe could hang with Ace Custis and Co. No, this Hokie team has elite and experienced guard play in Dowdell and Gordon that can control tempo against anyone. Playing in hostile environments doesn’t phase this bunch either - they have wins AT Duke and AT UNC!! Meanwhile, Illinois lacks experience and any true quality wins this season (and need I mention they almost lost to Penn State in the first round of the Big 10 tourney – yikes). No 12-5 upset here - Gobblers roll.

Southern Illinois pretty much rolled through the now-highly regarded MVC this year…til the conference tourney, where Creighton slipped one past them. Still, the Salukis have a load of quality wins and a power ranking of 12. Too much for Holy Cross, who comes out of a wimpy Patriot League…

Duke-VCU. This game gives me gas. If ever there was a year when Duke is vulnerable and primed to get bounced in the first round, this is it. The VCU Rams controlled a frisky CAA from start to finish winning their first 10 conference games with authority; and then held off last year’s Cinderella in the conference championship game. They are a balanced team with good chemistry, who most folks would love to see make a George Mason-like run this year….Howeva, let’s not start shining their balls just yet. This Duke team has come a long way since Greg Paulus looked like a high school Freshman against Ga Tech early in the season. He has emerged as a true leader on a team on the verge of a breakthrough. I think you’ll see Josh McRoberts assert himself like most thought he would earlier in the season, and you’ll see players like Scheyer and Nelson keep teams honest enough to give McRoberts room to work. Oh, and let’s not forget that Coach K is still the master of tournament preparation. Devils in a tough one.

I believe Aaron Gray has something to prove after his performance in Pitt’s loss in the Big East tourney. The Panthers go against a Wright St. team that won the Horizon in an unbelievable performance by DeShaun Wood. The truth here is that the Raiders are too one-dimensional to survive against a good defensive team as athletic and experienced as Pittsburgh. Panthers by a dozen.

Hoosiers and Zags…..I have much man-love for these programs, making this game more interesting to me that most. Kelvin Sampson takes his first IU team to the dance, and Mark Few wins the WCC to keep the committee’s mitts off his season. Gonzaga’s off-court issues appeared to be a serious dagger to the team, when Heytfelt went shrooming about town. Who shrooms and drives, anyway? Isn’t it more fun just to stare at a pool table til you actually see the shot angles rise up off the table and disappear into the chandelier above it? Anyway, the team made a statement by winning the conference tournament, and Derek Raivio has rallied the troops to give the team new life. Jeremy Pargo will look to elevate his game to Spokane white-boy status, as Matt Bouldin emerges as the next floppy-haired hero in the great state of Washington. Oh, and were you watching when this team took down North Carolina early in the year?? Go Zags!

UCLA annihilates Weber State.

Round 2 – Same drill as before…

Kansas-Villanova: The Jayhawks’ defensive acumen on the perimeter will be key in this matchup - not to mention their balanced scoring attack on the offensive side of the ball. They get up and down the court as quickly as anyone – yes, even Scottie Reynolds. KU eeks it out.

Virginia Tech will avenge it’s early season loss to the Salukis, and move into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1967. Their up-tempo style will force a bundle of turnovers (they are 27^th in the nation in total steals, so not sure if that argument really holds water, but that seems pretty good), which historically means points for the Hokies at the other end.

Duke’s string of 9 straight sweet 16’s ends this year at the hands of the Panthers. Pitt’s experience and defensive prowess will have Coach K’s worst offensive team in years struggling to reach 50 points. I will weep (and wipe my tears with Miles’ Blue Devil bib) as the Devils get drilled…

UCLA forgets all about its late season troubles and takes down Gonzaga here. Too much talent from the Bruins…

Round 3 – Sweeeeeet 16

Kansas breaks its recent curse and takes down a feisty Va Tech squad to move into the regional final. In doing so, Bill Self proves he’s worthy of running a big time program. Va Tech goes home feeling cheated/held down by the man, and each team member takes a tug on the hookah for every missed free throw down the stretch…off season misdemeanors ensue the moment the bus rolls into Blacksburg.

UCLA wins!

Round 4: Regional Championship

UCLA! I think the Bruin silky blue is much sexier than the Jayhawk royal...