Hip Final Four Picks and Bracket Busters
Hip Picks for Bracket Busters and Final Four
Here they are, my top picks for bracket busters in the 2009 NCAA tournament – and of course you know my picks are the coolest, edgiest, most obscure of all. Oh wait, I’m thinking of Jay Bilas. Damn you BILAAAAAS!
Bracket Busters: This year it’s tough to pick busters, because there is a lot of parity at the top. All the teams that received at large bids are pretty close to each other in many ways. However, here’s a few to watch.
Mississippi State: Fresh off a hot run in the SEC tournament, Mississippi State has the biggest bracket busting potential. They are the quintessential “getting hot at the right time” cliche team.
Maryland: They’ve got a tough draw after the first round, but they are proven giant killer this year. Gary Davis’ teams seem to find a way to be involved in buzzer beating wins.
Final Four Picks: Kansas. Memphis. North Carolina. Pitt.
Kansas – If you don’t pick your favorite team to win the tournament, then you’re not really a fan. There is no two brackets – on with your “head” and one with your “heart” – there is one bracket, and I will have the Jayhawks winning it all every time.
And guess what, sometimes it works.
Memphis – After a monster CHOKE last year, and a pair of gigantic stones from MArio Chalmers, they narrowly missed a national title. And despite losing 3 of their major reasons for making the title game run, Memphis is still an amazing team. They didn’t deserve the one seed, considering their conference, but UConn simply doesn’t have the fire to get past them.
North Carolina – While it will be considered a CHOKE if Tyler doesn’t get his title this year, he will definitely give them enough to at least get to the final four. Even with Lawson out, Hansbrough is on too mighty of mission to exit any earlier than the Four.
Pitt – I don’t think I really need to argue this one. One of the toughest defensive teams in the country, they know how to grind out a win, which is essential in the Tournament. They may win 3-4 games by extremely narrow margins, but they’ll be walking tall at the end. (Not unlike the Rock.)
Championship Game and Winner:
Kansas will beat Memphis. It will happen again, Memphis just doesn’t have the guts. North Carolina over Pitt. Tyler will be too much for even them to handle.
And it what will hopefully become a series of all time great NCAA tournament matchups, Kansas will Meet North Carolina in Detroit. (And why, why oh why did they pick Detroit? Oooooops!)
Bill Self vs. Roy Williams has the potential to become one of the all time greatest sports rivalries. A friendly rivalry, but still.
And in keeping with what I said earlier, I’ve got Kansas as the back-to-back champs. But don’t be surprised if Lawson gets healthy “enough,” and Tyler unlocks his game to another, somehow higher, level. Pitt is strong, very strong, but this is the 3rd year in a row for a UNC 1 seed, and you know, 3 is magic and all that crap.