-The Jayhawks are led by the most experienced PG in the country in Sherron Collins (15/gm, 4.5 asst/gm). Having already been part of an NCAA Championship, he knows what it takes to get there.
-Loaded with experience, advanced to Sweet 16 last season
-Success from 3, averaging 41% beyond the arc
-Ability to defend, holding teams to 64/game
-Impressive ability to win on the road (9-2), with losses at Tennessee and Oklahoma State. Wins away from home include A&M, K-State, Mizzou, Texas, and Temple
WEAKNESSES:
-If there is one weakness this team has it is the fact that 3 of 5 top scorers come from underclassmen. However, everyone but X. Henry has previous tournament experience.
DESTINATION: Final Four/National Title Contender
-The Buckeyes are hitting on all cylinders since the return of one of the top players in the country, Evan Turner. They are also riding a ‘high’ with a dominating performance in the Big Ten Conference title game over Minnesota
-Along with Turner, Ohio State has 3 other players averaging double digit scoring in William Buford (14/gm, 5.5 reb/gm), Jon Diebler (12.5/gm), and David Lighty (12.5/gm)
-Success from 3 (averaging 38%), led by Diebler’s 42%
-Excellent defensively, holding their opponent to 60/game led by their stopper David Lighty
-Impressive on the road owning a 6-5 record, however 6-2 away from home WITH Evan Turner in the lineup, after his return from injury
-The Buckeyes poor shooting from the stripe could end up hurting them in the long run (69% from the FT line)
-Lack of depth could also hurt Ohio State if they get into foul trouble, as they only 6/7 deep
DESTINATION: Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight
-The Hoyas own one of the most balanced starting fives in the country, led by Greg Monroe (16/gm, 10 reb/gm)
-Aside from Monroe, Georgetown have received strong PG presence all season from Chris Wright, which as history has shown, is vital for long tournament runs
-Georgetown can win in hostile environments, as proven with their regular season wins at Pitt and Louisville
-There are a few question marks this team has to be somewhat worried about. What Greg Monroe are they going to see throughout the tournament, the passive or aggressive one like we saw glimpses of in the Big East Tournament? Also, the recent diagnosis of Austin Freeman’s diabetes hasn’t been a factor yet, but something to keep an eye on.
-No seniors are in the Hoyas’ starting line up.
-Maryland is led by an outstanding, experienced coach in Gary Williams, who hasn’t lost a first round game since ’97 season and ACC Player of the Year, Greivis Vazquez, who is averaging 19.5/gm, 4.5 reb/gm, and 6 asst/gm
-Aside from Vazquez, the Terps other top scorers are seniors. (Landon Melbourne 12.5/gm and Eric Hayes’ 11/gm)
-Maryland owns an 8-3 road record with impressive wins at Florida St. and Va. Tech
-Lack of size inside could hurt Maryland if they matchup with a team like Michigan State in the second round. Their struggles rebounding the basketball is something that I would consider a glaring weakness
DESTINATION: Upset alert/2nd round exit
-Like Maryland, the Spartans have an outstanding leader in Tom Izzo who has proven he can take his teams deep into the tournament this time of year with 5 trips to the Final Four in the past 11 seasons
-Coming off a trip to the Final Four last season, Michigan States returns a great deal of experience including last year’s Big Ten POY Kalin Lucas.
-Sparty has 4 double digit scorers in Lucas, R. Morgan, D. Summers, and D. Green
-MSU owns an 8-4 record away from home.
-One of the major weaknesses for this Spartan team is the problems they have had scoring the basketball (only shoot 33% from 3)
-Unlike Izzo’s previous teams, this squad turns over the ball way too much (14/gm)
DESTINATION: 2nd round exit/Sweet Sixteen
-The loss of star Tyler Smith could’ve wrecked this Vols team, but they did not let it ruin their season, finishing with 12 wins in their last 17
-Tennessee owns only a 5-5 record, but owns impressive wins at Mississippi State and Memphis
-Known for their aggressive defense, they will always have a chance if they force turnovers against teams that don’t take care of the ball
-Similar to past seasons, this Vols team loves shooting the 3, yet barely makes any of them (32%)
-For whatever reason, head coach Bruce Pearl has never advanced past the Sweet Sixteen
-Strong guard play is often times the difference this time of year, which is Oklahoma State’s strength, led by Big XII Player of the Year James Anderson (23/gm)
-This team knows how to shoot from downtown: Anderson and Keiton Page (36%) and Obi Muonelo’s 43%
-As I have stated all season, OSU goes as James Anderson goes. This tendency to rely on one star doesn’t fit well and will need someone to step up
-With the loss of PG Ray Penn, the Cowboys’ Fred Gulley leads the offense, but is only a freshman. This time of year you DO NOT want an inexperienced frosh running the team (I would consider UK’s John Wall as an exception)
-Only having 3 road wins this season doesn’t sit well for a long tournament run
DESTINATION: One and done/2nd round exit
-The Rebs are led by one of the better players no one has ever heard of and one of the best mid-major players in the country in Tre’von Willis (averages 17.5/gm)
-UNLV has shown they can win on the road with an impressive victory at New Mexico (8-7 overall)
-Lon Kruger knows how to win in March. In two previous trips, he has led his teams to the Sweet Sixteen and 2nd round
-Undersized with poor rebounding
-Like Oklahoma State tendency to rely on James Anderson, UNLV does not have a solid second scorer to compliment T. Willis
-None of UNLV’s top 5 scorers are seniors so leadership is a big question mark
-EXPERIENCE! After nearly knocking off Purdue in last year’s tournament, N. Iowa returns everyone and 3 of their top 4 scorers are seniors
-The Panthers take great pride in their defense, holding opponent’s to 54/gm
-Northern Iowa historically struggles to score the basketball and this year is no different (averaging 63/gm and only hitting just over 40% from the field)
10. GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS
-Tech on paper is one of the most talented teams throughout the entire bracket led by two top NBA prospects, Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors
-Rebounding is without question the strength of this team, as I would put their bigs up against anyone
-This club is the sloppiest in the land, averaging 16 turnovers a game, which tells you they have an average backcourt
-Free throw shooting is dismal (65%)
-Inexperience could cost them, as 4 of their top 6 scorers are underclassmen
-A 3-8 road record makes me question their ability to win on a neutral floor
DESTINATION: Possible Cinderella Watch if you can call it that
-The Aztecs are led freshman sensation Kawhi Leonard (12.5/gm, 9.5 reb/gm) and are complimented with 3 other double digit scorers
-Defense is where San Diego State sets themselves apart, allowing 62/gm
-Inexperience with 2 freshman in the starting lineup
-The Aztecs are awful from the charity stripe, averaging 60.5% this season
-In two prior trips to the tournament, SDSU has never won
DESTINATION: One and done
-The Aggies can score with the best of them, averaging 79/game and will have an interesting first round matchup with Michigan State as these teams have a contrast in styles
-NMSU’s ability to shoot the ball from deep is outstanding (37%)
-Throughout the season, the Aggies have played 3 teams in the NCAA Tournament besides conference rival Utah State. The results: 100-68 LOSS to St. Mary’s, 97-87 and 75-58 LOSSES to New Mexico, and 79-58 LOSS to UTEP.
-Led by the nation’s leading scorer, Aubrey Coleman, who averages 26/gm and 7 reb/gm
-Known as a team who protects the ball, Houston only averages 9 turnovers a game
-Teams who are underdogs in their conference tournaments and prevail do not end up having much success in the NCAA Tournament
-The Bobcats have five players averaging 9.5+ points a game and are led by Indiana Hoosier transfer, Armon Bassett (17/gm)
-Ohio does not shoot outstanding from 3, but do have one of the best shooters in the country from distance in Tommy Freeman (47%)
-Led by a freshman point guard (as I stated earlier this does not fare well in the tournament)
-Only 5 wins on the road this season and give up close to 70 points a game
-Having only played 1 NCAA Tournament team, OU fell to Pitt 74-49
-UCSB has a pair of reliable scorers in Orlando Johnson’s 18/gm and James Nunnally’s 15/gm and shoot well as a team from 3 (38%)
-The Gauchos have played 1 NCAA Tournament team, losing to Cal convincingly
-Talented, yet a very young team led by a handful of sophomores
-Lehigh thrives from downtown, averaging 40% from three-point land, with 4 players hitting 35% or better
-Obviously no where near the talent level as Kansas or any of the field for that matter and probably don't belong on the same floor
NICE POST BROTHA, CANT WAIT TIL THURSDAY!
www.twitter.com/CaliHustler " All money in no money out "
WEST Bracket Preview
1. SYRACUSE ORANGE
STRENGTHS:
-The Orange seem to have everything you look for in a #1 seed:
-5 double digit scorers
-Experience, as 4 of those 5 are upperclassmen -They can hit from long range at 38 % as a team and have multiple options from deep in Wes Johnson (38%), Andy Rautins (39%), Brandon Triche (39%) and Mookie Jones (46%)-They have a coach who knows how to win in March. -The Orange own an 8-1 on the road this year, losing only at Louisville. Wins include at Georgetown, Notre Dame and West Virginia. WEAKNESSES:
-Center Arinze Onuaku injured his knee in the Big East Tournament and while it looks like he'll be able to play in the NCAA Tournament, it is a question mark if he will be 100%DESTINATION: Final Four/National Title Contender
2. KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
-Arguably the strongest guard tandem in the tournament with experience in JR. Jacob Pullen (19/gm, 2.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 38 % from 3 pt) and SR. Denis Clemente (16/gm and 4 asst/gm). -Along with Pullen and Clemente, two other players average 11+ a game -Kansas State owns an impressive 8-2 on the road, with wins at Baylor and UNLV. WEAKNESSES:
-The Wildcats lack size, so it'll be tough for them to contend with teams that have big, talented frontcourts. DESTINATION: Final Four sleeper
3. PITT PANTHERS
-PITT has four double-digit scorers, led by sophomore guard Ashton Gibbs (16/gm), who is the only underclassman of the group-The Panthers have three outstanding shooters from deep, led by Gibbs (40%), Gilbert Brown (37%) and Brad Wanamaker (36%)-Having entered the Big East Tournament winners in 8 of their last 9, this team is HOT since surprising nearly everyone on how well they've played this season.-PITT is 6-4 on the road, including impressive victories at Syracuse and MarquetteWEAKNESSES:
-The Panthers have a history of getting upset early in the tournament. In 2005, the Panthers lost in the first round to Pacific. In 2006, they lost in the second round to Bradley. A year later, Pittsburgh struggled against VCU before losing to UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen. In 2008, the team went down to Michigan State in round 2. Last season they were upset in the Elite Eight as one of the favorites to win it all. DESTINATION: Upset Alert/2nd round exit
4. VANDERBILT COMMODORES
-Vandy has three players who average more than 13.5 points per game: Sr Guard Jermaine Beal (15 PPG), Jr Center A.J. Ogilvy (14 PPG, 7 Reb/gm) and Soph Forward Jeffrey Taylor 14 & 5 a game-The Dores shoot the three fairly well at 36 percent as a team, with Beal hitting at a 37.5 percent rate. However, keep an eye on freshman sharp-shooter John Jenkins, who is an amazing 46.5% from deep -Vanderbilt went 8-3 on the road including wins at Saint Mary's and Tennessee-Kevin Stallings has coached three Vanderbilt teams to 20+ wins with a pair of those clubs advancing to the Sweet Sixteen WEAKNESSES:
- Vandy rebounds poorly and doesn't play good defense allowing close to 70 a game -Four of Vanderbilt's top six scorers are underclassmen. DESTINATION: Potential Sweet Sixteen, but also could lose 1st/2nd round. Tough team to read, as they face off against a tough Murray State team in the opening round
5. BUTLER BULLDOGS
-Winners of 20 in a row, Butler is arguably the hottest team in the country as their last loss came in December of ‘09-The Bulldogs have four double-digit scorers: Soph F Gordon Hayward (15.5 PPG), Soph G Shelvin Mack (14 PPG), Jr F Matt Howard (12 PPG) and Sr. F Willie Veasley (10 PPG)-This is yet another Butler team who plays shut down defense, having limited opponents to only 60 a gameWEAKNESSES:
- Inexperience and rebounding glare out to me as main weaknesses, as well as facing an inferior opponent that they haven't seen much this season playing the Horizon.DESTINATION: 2nd round exit/Sweet Sixteen
6. XAVIER MUSKATEERS
-Led by one of the top scorers in the land in Soph G Jordan Crawford, who averages 20/gm and hits from a 3 at a 40% rate-Two other Muskateers average double digits in Sr C Jason Love's 12 & 9 and Soph PG Terrell Holloway's 11.5 PPG and 4 assists a game -Xavier shoots very well (47% and 38% from deep)-X is only 7-5 on the road, but one of those wins came at Florida and 2 of those losses were at Butler by one point and at Wake Forest in double OTWEAKNESSES:
-Filled with underclassmen
-The Musketeers rebound fairly well, but do not play defense, allowing just under 70 a game. DESTINATION: Sweet Sixteen/Outside chance of Elite Eight (received solid matchups)
7. BYU COUGARS
-The Cougars have an excellent offense that averages 83.5 points per game and shoots at a pace of 42% from deep. That's not surprising, as junior guard Jimmer Fredette is one of the top scorers in the nation. -BYU takes great care of the basketball, turning it over just 11.5 times per contest which is low for how many points they put up -The Cougars were 9-3 on the road this season, winning impressively at UTEP and San Diego State.
-In the past three seasons, HC Dave Rose has taken 25+ win BYU teams to the NCAA Tournament and all resulted in first-round losses
DESTINATION: 1st/2nd round exit
8. GONZAGA BULLDOGS
-The Bulldogs have a trio of players averaging more than 13.5 points per game: Matt Bouldin, Elias Harris, and Steven Gray -As a team Gonzaga shoots the ball very well hitting 50% of its field goals.-The Zags were 6-3 on the road; they were able to win at Saint Mary's and Memphis, and nearly pulled off a win at Michigan State WEAKNESSES:
-People associate Gonzaga as a Cinderella, but that is far from the truth. The Zags have made it out of the Sweet 16 only once and been eliminated in the first round in two of the past three seasonsDESTINATION: 1st/2nd round exit
9. FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES
-Florida State has tremendous size, led by 7-1 Soph C Solomon Alabi and 6-9 Soph F Chris Singleton-The Seminoles finished with a 6-5 road record, with solid wins at Miami, North Carolina and Georgia Tech-Florida State has built a reputation from their efforts on the defensive side of the ball, limiting opponents to just 60 points per gameWEAKNESSES:
-Florida State has lots of flaws: -Extremely young with 4 of their leading scorers being underclassmen -The Seminoles turn the ball over a horrendous 16.7 times per game-As I continue to say guard play wins in March. No Seminole guard averages more than nine points per game which is their most glaring weakness in my opinion-Shooting only 65% from the charity stripe is another huge weak spot for FSU-Florida State hasn't won an NCAA Tournament contest since the '98 seasonDESTINATION: 1st round exit, maybe 2nd round
10. FLORIDA GATORS
-The Gators have 5 players averaging double figures
-As a team Florida doesn't shoot well from beyond the arc, hitting only 31% from 3-Florida lacks depth as they go only six deep, which obviously is a big weakness if they get into foul trouble DESTINATION: 1st/2nd round exit
11. MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS
-Prior to Sunday's brutal loss to Ohio State, Minnesota is hot, with wins in 7 out of their last 9 entering the NCAA Tournament. They knocked off Michigan State in double OT and crushed Purdue on Saturday. -The Gophers are balanced with experienced guards in Sr. Lawrence Westbrook and Jr. Blake Hoffarber. They have the size with 6-11 Ralph Sampson III and 6-10 Colton Iverson. Clearly, they can cause as a difficult matchup for anyone.-Minnesota had the best three-point percentage in the Big Ten this season (40.5%)WEAKNESSES:
-They were just 3-7 on the road, which includes losses at Indiana, Northwestern and Michigan. DESTINATION: 1st round exit
12. UTEP MINERS
-The Miners have two dynamic scorers in Guard Randy Culpepper (17.8/gm) and Forward Derrick Caracter (14/gm). Junior forward Jeremy Williams also averages in double figures with 10.5 a game-The Miners were 8-3 on the road this year, which includes wins at Memphis, UAB and Marshall WEAKNESSES:
-Their rebounding ability is average at best, but they do play solid defense, giving up 63 a game.-The Miners haven't won an NCAA Tournament game since 1992 while their head coach Tony Barbee has never coached a game in the Big Dance DESTINATION: One and done/2nd round exit
13. MURRAY STATE RACERS
-This club has as much balance has anyone in the country, with 5 players averaging over 10 points a game, which also shows they shoot the ball well (50% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc-The Racers also play quality defense, allowing 60.5 points/game WEAKNESSES:
-They have not been tested, with only one game against an NCAA Tournament team (75-70 loss to Cal although it was back in November)-Murray State turns the ball over 14.6 times a game DESTINATION: Possible Cinderella watch
14. OAKLAND GRIZZLIES
-Currently winners of 11 straight this is a hot Oakland is a very hot team, with their last loss coming at the end of January-The Grizzlies have four double-digit scorers and have solid guard play and big man presence -Oakland rebounds well led by Jr. C Keith Benson who grabs 10.5 boards a game and 6 blocks a gameand shoots a
-The Grizz also shoot 45% from the field WEAKNESSES:
-5 games this season were against NCAA Tournament teams this year and resulted in difficult losses to Wisconsin 58-42, at Kansas 89-59, at Memphis 77-46, at Michigan State 88-57, and at Syracuse 92-60 DESTINATION: Possible Cinderella watch because of a somewhat favorable matchup
15. NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN
-North Texas is a hot team that hasn't lost since Jan. 30
-They have four double-digit scorers and shoot well from the field (46%)WEAKNESSES:
-The only two NCAA Tournament teams North Texas played all year were Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, resulting in double digit losses-The Mean Green play poor defense allowing 70/game and turn the ball over 15 times a game turnoversDESTINATION: 1st round exit
16. VERMONT CATAMOUNTS
-6-5 Sr. F Marqus Blakely is the only player in the country to lead his team in points (17/gm), rebounds (9/gm), assists (4/gm), blocks (2/gm) and steals (2.5/gm)WEAKNESSES:
-Average shooters, who turn the ball over 14 times a game and have gone untested this season (toughest opponent came by the hands of an 8 point loss to Cornell)DESTINATION: First round exit
2012 NFL Playoffs: 5-4 +5 Units
2011-2012 Bowl Season: 19-14 +4.7 Units
2011-2012 Big East Conf Play: 18-28 -30.7 Units
2011-2012 Big East Non Conf: 11-8 +3.4 Units
2011 NFL Regular Season: 41-25 +30.7 Units
I am a Pregame.com Director of the Boards!
Twitter: oopiesports
Glad everyone has enjoyed the first two regions and I apologize for the format of the Midwest (some reason it won't organize)... I will get the East and South done by tomorrow night probably so stay posted. Hopefully they help a little bit as you start filling out your brackets!
Great stuff, chief
Don't have time to read it now, but I bookmarked it and look forward to reading it this week
Twitter........@TonyDaGuru
Current Week (M-Su) 0-0
Month of December: 41-41-1 (-8.975)
2011 Overall Record: 353-344-10.......50.4% (-27.824 units)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Current Seasons:
NBA (2011/12) 2-4...................33% (-3.43)
NFL (2011) 3-2.........................60% (+1.8)
CFB (2011) 9-4.........................69.2% (+6.1)
Bowl Games (2011) 4-0....................(+4)
Soccer 31-33........................................(-9.641)
Mixed Parlay 1-0...................................(+1.07)
Teaser 1-0-1...........................................(+1)
(2011) All Sport 3*Plays 20-12.....................62.5%
More records in my bio... ------------------------------------------------------------
Other Accomplishments/TOP STREAKS:
NBA (2010/11) 3* Plays 15-7.......68.1% (+14.6)
NFL (2010) 44-37-2...............54.3% (+8.675)
NBA (2009/10) 120-94-5......... 56%(+13.85)
MLB Playoffs (2010) 13-6.............68.4%(+6.38)
2010 Sports-Bettors.com #9 NFL Handicapper Record: 51-39-2 56.6%
DanBebe.com - Home of All Things BebeLISTEN: "Today in Sports Betting" Podcast (Updated Daily)Read Up - Dan Bebe's Blog Archives Final Season Records (Weighted to 2-Units per Play)2008-09 NBA Record: 49-35-3 (+10.50, Avg Bet Size = 1.00; Wtd Total = +21.00)2009 MLB Record: 161-143-4 (+6.54, Avg Bet Size = 1.01; Wtd Total = +12.95)2009-10 NFL Record: 19-12-1 (+6.90, Avg Bet Size = 0.97; Wtd Total = +14.23)2009-10 NBA Record: 174-148-6 (+12.84, Avg Bet Size = 1.09; Wtd Total = +23.56)2010 MLB Record: 132-143 (-18.71, Avg Bet Size = 1.34; Wtd Total = -27.93)2010 CFB Record: 27-21-3 (+12.25, Avg Bet Size = 1.39; Wtd Total = +17.66)2010 NFL Reg. Season: 33-36-1 (+1.70, Avg Bet Size = 1.32; Wtd Total = +2.24) 1st Place in 2009 Pregame Fantasy Football League3rd Place in 2010 Pregame Fantasy Baseball League