Looking to break the trend and finally make some noise in your bracket pool this year? Well then you've come to the right place, because over the next day I'm going to preview each individual region. Upsets? Cinderellas? Favorites? Players to watch? You name it, it's all here. Enjoy...
Cinderella - Montana
The Grizzlies weren't even supposed to be here. Down by 20 at half in the Big Sky title game against heavily-favored Weber State, Wayne Tinkle's team fought back using 34 second half points from senior Anthony Johnson (more on him below) to pull off the most unbelievable comeback in conference history. Johnson threw down one of the best individual performances of the season, and only a small fraction of college basketball fans actually witnessed it live. This time, the entire country will be watching. If you're looking for a Cinderella pick in the East, start with these guys.
Best Matchup - Marquette vs. Washington
The selection committee deserves a big high five for scheduling this game, mostly because these two teams are normally so damn exciting to watch play. Marquette continues to defy all logic with their undersized starting lineup, and Washington might finally be living up to their lofty preseason hype after an impressive run in the Pac-10 tourney. The Eagles also love to jack up the three, and the Huskies love to jack up pretty much anything inside halfcourt. I'm looking for a high-scoring, wire-to-wire game here.
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Easiest Draw - West Virginia
Most would agree that West Virginia was robbed of a No. 1 seed, but things actually set up pretty nicely for Bob Huggins and his team at the moment. Second round opponents Missouri and Clemson are chronic underachievers, and WVU might not even have to beat a power conference team in order to reach the Elite Eight. Their favorable slate makes an early exit seem very unlikely. Believe it or not, the Mountaineers should be one of the safest picks out there during the first week of the tourney.
Toughest Draw - Temple
The committee showed an obvious lack of respect for the A-10 by lumping all three schools (Temple, Xavier and Richmond) in the 5-6-7 range. In actuality, the Owls deserved much more credit for winning the regular season and conference tournament in a league so rich with talent. Temple's proverbial snub leaves them with a pesky Cornell team to kick things off, an underrated Wisconsin squad in the second round, and then Kentucky, the scariest opponent of all, if they are able to reach the Sweet 16. Good luck, Fran Dunphy. You'll need it.
This Year's Stephen Curry - Anthony Johnson-Montana
Some players stray away from the spotlight. Others bask in it. If you watched the Big Sky Championship last weekend then you already know that Montana's Anthony Johnson clearly fits into the latter category. His 42-point performance was mesmerizing, and it actually made me think about Stephen Curry for a second while sitting in awe. The crazy part is that Johnson needed only 22 shots to score nearly twice as many points that night. Montana is still an extreme longshot to reach the second round, but at least we know Johnson won't go out without a fight.
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Bad Regular Season, But Tournament Potential - Texas
Getting seeded in an 8-9 game was far from ideal for Rick Barnes and his Longhorns, especially after they were ranked No. 1 in the country no less than two months ago. But with Damion James and Dexter Pittman, the Longhorns are one of the rare teams in college hoops that can actually match up with Kentucky's dominant frontline. Texas also has significantly more experience than Calipari's young Wildcats, and it's certainly possible that Kentucky's youth could catch with them early on in the tournament. If the Longhorns are somehow able to sneak by Kentucky, then they should be viewed as a legitimate Final Four threat.
Don't Bet Your Bracket On - New Mexico
After going 29-4 and 14-2 in the Mountain West, the Lobos deserved every bit of their No. 3 seed. But that doesn't necessarily mean that this current New Mexico squad is capable of making a deep run in the tournament. Sure, the Lobos have shown they can beat teams ranked 15-100 with regularity, but they still have not been tested against an elite program, and those are the types of schools they need to beat in order to emerge from the East. Can Steve Alford really find a way to knock off West Virginia and then Kentucky? Don't bet on it. Also, leading scorer Darington Hobson, despite being an absolute treat to watch, has never been on this stage before. Be careful here.
The Pick - Kentucky
Everyone likes to talk about how youth will eventually derail Kentucky at some point. I can't help but chuckle when I hear this. The problem with that particular mindset is that we've never actually seen a freshmen-led team play as well as the Wildcats have for an entire season. Think about it, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins would currently be in the NBA if David Stern had never altered the landscape of college hoops with an NBA age limit. Calipari just happened to snag both of them in the same recruiting class, throwing in fellow studs Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton for good measure. Nobody thought it was possible at the time, but Calipari's legendary group of signees have actually exceeded the hype. If Wall isn't the best player in the country, then he's lock for No. 2. And try to scan every roster in this tournament for big man combo that's even remotely close to UK's Cousins and Patrick Patterson. Find one? Now do they have a seven-foot freshman, a kid who will probably be a first round pick in the future, backing them up? How can you argue with all this talent? I know I can't, and that's why I honestly believe this is Calipari's year. The Cats have my full endorsement as your 2010 National Champs.
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