[providencefriars1Participant]

My 4 first (technically second) round games that should go down to the wire.

Iowa St vs UConn– Iowa St has the three point shooting talent to get in or out of games and you never know which UConn you will get. UConn has a size advantage that they should look to exploit. The Cyclones are led by Royce White, a big point forward with an unique style of play. Dont be surprised if defensive specialist, Niels Giffey plays a ton of mins in this game. My pick, UConn.

SDSU vs NC St- Both teams have relatively balanced scoring, but SDSU does most of their scoring from the perimeter. Led by guards Jamaal Franklin, Chase Tapley, and Xavier Thames, the Aztecs play fast and shoot the ball well. Their weakness is inside where NC ST should take advantage with Richard Howell and CJ Leslie. The X factor is Scott Wood, the best shooter for the Wolfpack. In games where he scores 15+ his team is 13-1 and the one loss was vs Indiana. My pick, NCST.

Gtown vs Belmont– Gtown’s style of play makes every game close. They grind games out with half court princeton offenserun through Henry Sims annd struggle mightily in transition. When Cinnci sped the Hoyas up they turned the ball non stop and allowed Cinnci back in the game. Belmont is a very experienced team that could have won a some games in the NCAA’s if it werent for a bad matchup vs Wiconsin. They didnt lose much from last year and I think this is a very winnable game for them. My pick, Gtown.

UNLV vs Colorado– Colorado is surging and UNLV did not close the season well. I think the talent of UNLV will get them through this game but they must turn things around if the are to beat Baylor. Colorado is led by two unheralded players, forward Andre Roberson and guard Carlon Brown who need to have good games for the Buffaloes to win.

3 potential shocking upsets that could anialate a few brackets. All of these are unlikely but possible.

Kansas vs Detroit– Detroit has the talent of a 7 or 8 seed but could not put it together in the beginning part of the conference slate. But since January 21st they are 13-2. Led by guard Ray McCallum Jr and forward Eli Holman, the Titans have the skill to take out a high seed like Kansas. Holman and LaMarcus Lowe will have to out tough Thomas Robinson for Detroit to win, but I still have Kansas.

Wisconsin vs Montana– The Grizzlies are another team on a roll and face a hit or miss Wisconsin team. Montana’s Will Cherry is an excellent all-around player who will need a big game for his team to win. If Wisconsin comes out shooting the ball well they will win this game but if not the door is open for a Montana upset.

Marquette vs Iona– This could be the most likely of these three upsets. Iona is bigger than Marquette and Mike Glover could dominate inside especially if Crowder gets into foul trouble which has happened a lot lately. Machado and Jones is no slouch of a backcourt either. This game could reach the 90’s but first Iona must get through BYU. My pick, Iona over BYU, Marquette over Iona.

2 intriguing player matchups you may not have realized

Austin Rivers vs CJ Mccollum– Even though Duke should win this game, I could see both these guys putting up a lot of points. Mccollum led all returning players in PPG last season with 21.8 and averages 21.9 for this season. Duke has also been scrutinized for having a hard time guarding the perimeter this season which only helps CJ.

Ricardo Ratliffe vs Kyle O’Quinn– This is a battle of the interior between two efficient double double machines. O’Quinn has led Norfolk in scoring and rebounding the last two seasons, averages a double double, and shoots at 59% from the field. He is the focal point of Norfolk’s offense, a team that beat Drexel and TCU and almost knocked off Marquette. Ratliffe is defintion of efficiency shooting near 70% and grabs a ton of rebounds as one of only two bigs on Mizzou.

One weekend game where you could see two mid majors facing off

VCU vsNew Mexico St– The Aggies like to get up and down and have a good chance of beating Indiana in the first round. Led by Wendell McKines, this team scores a lot and even sports a win at the Pit this year which is one of the toughest places to play in all of college hoops. VCU’s 40mins of hell can throw any good team off, but especiallya team like Wichita St with no true PG. Look for the Rams to turn the Shockers over a lot and get the W. I have Indiana over NMSU, VCU over Wichita St, and if this game were to happen VCU over NMSU.

[aamir543Participant]

 Good choices, a second round game I want to see is UK against UConn. That game will be littered with future NBA players.

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