Seth Curry to Duke

It's now official, the younger brother takes the cake as my number one man-crush. Too bad he has to sit out a year. He'll be a third-year sophomore when he plays his first game for the Blue Devils and it will be interesting to see what a year under Coach K will do for Curry. Exciting times in Durham, NC.

March 29

Here's a very quick look at today's games before I hit the road all afternoon.

March 29

1 Louisville vs. 2 Michigan St.: I don't see any way State stays in this game for longer than thirty minutes. Have you seen Louisville's pressure? You can't hear yourself think in those traps. The Spartans will get worn down and the Cardinals' iffy free throw shooting won't hurt them in this one. Louisville 78-66

1 North Carolina vs. 2 Oklahoma: Odds are at least one of the commentators will soil himself over the matchup between Tyler Hansbrough and Blake Griffin. That's not the matchup I care about. The one that really matters is Ty Lawson against the poor soul who is supposed to guard him. I don't think anyone on Oklahoma can slow him down; heck, I can't really think of anyone in the country who can stop him. North Carolina 75-70

Random thoughts: Both games went exactly as I described in my picks yesterday (UConn would dominate the boards, Mizzou would have a chance is Thabeet got in foul trouble early, 'Nova-Pitt would be close and Levance Fields would have the ball at the end), but I got the winning team completely wrong. The weather is cold again - that's not cool.

Yesterday: (0-2)

Overall: (48-15)

CJ

March 28

Only two games today, but boy are they important. Loser goes home, winner goes to the Final Four. It's going to be a fun two days.

March 28

1 UConn vs 3 Missouri: Immovable object meets unstoppable force in this game. Hasheem Thabeet leads a tough UConn defense against a Missouri team that seems to be hitting on all cylinders on offense. As much as I hate to play into the hype, Thabeet will be the key to this game. He averages over four blocks per game and changes way more shots than that. For the Tigers to win, they'll have to either run Thabeet into the ground in the second half or get him into early foul trouble. There's a good chance one or both will happen. Missouri's guards like to drive to the basket, which could lead to early fouls, and we all saw what happened to Memphis in the second half of that game. The equalizing factor for UConn is their strength on the boards. They rebound much better than the Tigers. If they get two or three chances on every possession, it's going to be a long day for Missouri. In the end, I think the Tigers will wear down the Huskies and pull away, eliminating my pick for National Champion. Missouri 84-78

3 Villanova vs 1 Pittsburgh: I'll be honest, I don't know much about this Villanova team aside from their dismantling of Duke in the Sweet Sixteen. Pitt hasn't played too well thus far in the Tournament, but I see this as their wake up game. Look for the duo of DeJuan Blair and Sam Young to lead Pitt in scoring; but if it's close at the end the ball will be in the hands of Levance Fields. This game might come down to a last second shot, and if it does, Pitt has the advantage. Pittsburgh 72-71

Random thoughts: Louisville looked amazing yesterday. Sure, they were playing a 12 seed, but they looked unstoppable. Oklahoma crushed 'Cuse, led by Blake Griffin and their three point shooting (that I said wouldn't happen...oh well). The game involving the Big 10 team surprisingly turned out to be the most exciting one, but it was still pretty boring for a close game.

Yesterday's record: (2-2)

Overall record: (48-13)

CJ

March 27

Another slate of Sweet Sixteen games tonight -- maybe they can live up to what happened last night. Here's a look at the lineup.

March 27

12 Arizona vs 1 Louisville: Arizona is basically running on three players - Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, and Nic Wise. You can't win a race running on three wheels (or five for that matter...nevermind on that analogy). Anyway, the fact of the matter is that 'Zona can't hang with the athletes Louisville brings to the table. The pressure of the Cardinals will wear down the "Big Three" of Arizona and lead number 1 overall seed to victory. Louisville 80-69

3 Syracuse vs 2 Oklahoma: The big question coming into this game seems to be whether the Orange's zone will be able to stop Blake Griffin or actually help him. I think the bigger question is whether or not Oklahoma can make shots from three. The zone will give players like Willie Warren, Tony Crocker, and Austin Johnson (terrible mohawk and all) open looks, but I don't think they'll be able to knock down the shots. Blake Griffin is going to get a double-double, but won't have enough support to get the victory. Syracuse 76-68

3 Kansas vs 2 Michigan St.: I don't hide the fact that I don't think very highly of the Big Ten(11). Michigan St. is a talented team, yes, but I don't think the "tough" Big 10 schedule helped them improve too much during the season. They beat Kansas at home by 13 in early January. The Kansas team of the Sweet Sixteen is definitely not the same team that lost to the Spartans. I don't see Michigan St. being able to stop Sherron Collins in this one. Kansas 78-65 (Michigan St. can't break the Big 10 rule of not scoring more than 70 points)

4 Gonzaga vs 1 North Carolina: Everyone makes a big deal out of Ty Lawson's return (which is a big deal, don't get me wrong), but Carolina could beat Gonzaga with a 75% Lawson, or without Lawson at all. Josh Heytvelt won't be able to stop Tyler Hansbrough. Look for a big second half from Wayne Ellington to seal the deal for the Tarheels. North Carolina 77-70

Random thoughts: Mizzou looked great in putting up 102 on Memphis, but I worry about them against UConn. 'Nova slaughtered Duke, making me look like a fool. They're a serious threat to go to the Final Four. I think Billy Gillispie should've been given another year at Kentucky; it'll be interesting to see how his contract situation works out and who gets hired as his replacement. My money's on Travis Ford.

Yesterday's record: (3-1)

Overall record: (46-11)

CJ

March 26

This Sweet Sixteen may not be full of surprise teams, but it does have some great match-ups. Here's a look at tonight's games.

March 26

5 Purdue vs 1 UConn: Robbie Hummel and Co. won't be able to keep the ball rolling against a UConn team that's looked better than anyone so far in the tournament. Hasheem Thabeet will be a force in the paint, as usual, with at least five blocks in the game. UConn 72-64

4 Xavier vs 1 Pitt: Officiating could play a large role in this game. If it's called tightly, DeJuan Blair could find himself in foul trouble early, giving Xavier a chance. If Blair gets a chance to force his will inside, the Musketeers don't stand a chance. Either way, Sam Young will lead the Panthers to the victory. Pitt 78-74

3 Missouri vs 2 Memphis: Memphis has a chip on their shoulder. They always will as long as they play in the always-weak Conference USA. I don't think the "us against the world" attitude will be enough though. Memphis is turnover-prone, which plays directly into the hands of a ferocious Missouri defense. Missouri 85-78

3 Villanova vs 2 Duke: The talking heads on TV love 'Nova for the upset, but I don't see it happening. No one will be able to shut down Gerald Henderson...unless, you know, someone Gerald Hendersons Mr. Henderson himself. Duke 77-70

Random thoughts: Steph Curry should go pro, even though I would love to see him for another year in college. Seth Curry should transfer to Duke, he'd fit right in (and become my new #1 man-crush). T.O. shouldn't be hassled for not going to a voluntary workout program.

March 22 record: (8-0)

Overall record: (43-10)

CJ

March 22

A quick rundown of today's games

March 22

6 Arizona St. vs 3 Syracuse: Too much Jonny Flynn in this one. I'm not a big fan of Eric Devendorf, but I have to go with the Orange 82-72

12 Wisconsin vs 4 Xavier: The Big 10 loses another one here. Bo Ryan's team won't be able to hang with Xavier. Xavier 75-64

11 Dayton vs 3 Kansas: The defending champs are just too athletic for the Flyers. Kansas 78-67

13 Cleveland St. vs 12 Arizona: I made the mistake of picking against the team with three future NBA players in the first round. It won't happen again. Arizona 68-62

8 Oklahoma St. vs 1 Pittsburgh: Pitt looked vulnerable in the first round and Oklahoma St. will take advantage of that for a while, but come up short. Pitt 76-72

6 Marquette vs 3 Missouri: Dominic James won't be enough of a factor to hold off the surging Tigers. Missouri 80-72

10 USC vs 2 Michigan St.: As much as it pains me to pick a Big 10 team, USC just isn't that good. It'll have a Big 10 score, though. Michigan St. 62-55

9 Siena vs 1 Louisville: Siena doesn't have a chance - the dream dies here. Louisville 78-64

Yesterday's record: (7-1)

Overall record: (35-10)

CJ

March 21

Well, my picks definitely took a hit in the first round. Here's a look at my picks for today games.

March 21

6 UCLA vs 3 Villanova: Wasn't too impressed with what UCLA brought to the table in round one, so 'Nova 76-70

10 Maryland vs 2 Memphis: Tempting to go with the upset, but Memphis will out-athlete the Terrapins, 78-68

9 Texas A&M vs 1 UConn: UConn 75-62 (it might not even be that close)

5 Purdue vs 4 Washington: Don't have much faith in Washington, so Purdue 68-66

8 LSU vs 1 North Carolina: LSU may keep it closer than people think, but no upset here, UNC 79-73

10 Michigan vs 2 Oklahoma: Oklahoma could not show up or completely blow Michigan out of the water, there's no way of knowing; so I'll go with Oklahoma 72-65

12 W. Kentucky vs 4 Gonzaga: It's basically a home game for Gonzaga, but I'll go with W. Kentucky 76-75

7 Texas vs 2 Duke: Duke's shooting will dominate a streaky Texas team, Duke 82-70

First round record: (24-8)

Overall record: (28-9)

CJ