Now that everyone's bracket has been busted and the state of Alabama, not Kentucky, has two teams in the Sweet 16, the question becomes who will emerge from each bracket and earn a trip to San Antonio for the Final Four. In order to answer this question, each of the eight games from the four regions must be broken down and analyzed with precision.
The first bracket to consider is the St. Louis bracket. Overall No. 1 Kentucky's loss to the University of Alabama-Birmingham opens the door for any one of the four remaining teams in this region to advance. With Cinderellas Nevada and UAB still alive, this region could prove to be the most exciting.
The first game on the schedule for this region is UAB versus Kansas. Bill Self's Jayhawks rolled through the round of 32 with a 78-63 drubbing against No. 12 seed Pacific. The Jayhawks looked shaky in the first half but pulled it together in the second and easily secured the victory. On the other side, the UAB Blazers pulled the upset of the tournament with a dramatic 76-75 win over the seemingly unstoppable Wildcats of Kentucky. The Blazers' stifling full-court defense was able to neutralize Kelenna Azubuike, and who could forget Donell Taylor's no-look-over-the-back pass to his twin brother Ronell for the slam late in the second half? Look for the Blazers to match up well against Kansas' poor shooting percentage and advance to the Elite Eight.
The second game is Georgia Tech against Nevada. While Nevada played well in defeating Michigan State and No. 2 Gonzaga in the first and second round, the Wildcats have yet to be tested against a physical team like Georgia Tech. Jarrett Jack should have the game of his life, and Luke Schenscher should dominate inside in this one. The Yellow Jackets will win this one in a blowout.
This leaves UAB against Georgia Tech in the Elite Eight for a chance to play in San Antonio. Unfortunately for the Blazers, the run will be over and Georgia Tech's dominating guard play will send head coach Paul Hewitt and company packing for the Alamodome. Winner: Georgia Tech.
The next bracket is the East Rutherford bracket, the only bracket to have the top four teams advance to the Sweet 16.
The first game should be one of the best games of the tournament, with Wake Forest and freshman sensation Chris Paul going up against the incredible backcourt of Jameer Nelson and Delonte West of St. Joseph's. However, much like the Xavier backcourt that was able to dominate St. Joseph's in the A-10 tournament, the Demon Deacons will prove too much for Phil Martelli's squad to handle and should win this one in a thriller.
The next match features what promises to be one of the most physical games of the entire tournament: Oklahoma State against Pittsburgh. Both teams play physical games and tend to give up less than 60 points per game. However, the fact that Pittsburgh had to play Wisconsin in Milwaukee this past week has only made Pitt stronger. Seniors Chevon Troutman and Jaron Brown will be playing for their college careers, and look for "diaper dandy" freshman Chris Taft to dominate inside as Pitt squeaks out a victory.
This makes for an Elite Eight game of Pitt against Wake Forest, which will be a treat. However, the Panthers' experience in the tournament over the past three years will guide them over Skip Prosser's young squad. Look for a low-scoring affair and coach Jamie Dixon's Panthers in San Antonio. Winner: Pittsburgh.
The third bracket is the Atlanta bracket, which features no surprise in Duke, but also the incredibly hot Illinois and Xavier teams.
The first game will be the Blue Devils against the fifth-seeded Fighting Illini. Illinois played extremely well against Cincinnati and was able to manhandle the Bearcats in a 92-68 victory. Duke played two easy games against Alabama State and Seton Hall and cruised easily to the Sweet 16. While this may seem like a good thing, Duke's inexperience will cost it as the Blue Devils may find themselves taking Illinois too lightly. While freshman Luol Deng may be one of the players of the year and sophomore J.J. Redick has been a consistent threat from long range all season, this game will belong to sophomore guard Dee Brown and the Illini in a shocker.
The second game features the Texas Longhorns against the surprisingly hot Xavier Musketeers. Texas was forced to play two tough games against Princeton and North Carolina in the first and second rounds and survived on the incredible shooting of senior Brandon Mouton. Meanwhile, Xavier's backcourt of Romain Sato and Lionel Chalmers dominated Louisville and No. 2 Mississippi State in the first two rounds and cruised to the Sweet 16. Look for the Musketeers to keep up their hot streak and send Texas back to the Lone Star State with nothing.
This scenario creates the surprising matchup of No. 5 Illinois against No. 7 Xavier. However, much like UAB's run in the St. Louis bracket, the magic will end here for the Musketeers and the Fighting Illini will cruise to another Final Four appearance. Winner: Illinois.
The final bracket is the Phoenix bracket, where top-seeded Stanford's loss in the second round shocked no one.
Stanford's loss to Alabama creates the intriguing match between the Crimson Tide and the 2003 champion Syracuse. Syracuse has looked surprisingly good since a mediocre Big East season, and its stifling 2-3 zone has proved effective against both opponents. In addition, when Gerry McNamara did not perform the way he had against Brigham Young University, Hakim Warrick was right there to pick up the slack against Maryland, pouring in 26 points. Look for the Orangemen to eliminate the Crimson Tide and leave the state of Alabama with nothing left to cheer about.
The second game should be an easy rout. While Vanderbilt has played extremely well in defeating Western Michigan and No. 3 N.C. State, it will be no match for coach Jim Calhoun's Huskies of Connecticut. Arguably two of the best players in the country, Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor, will dominate Vandy and advance to another Elite Eight appearance.
This victory for UConn creates an all-Big East matchup featuring the Huskies against the Orangemen. Unfortunately for the Orangemen, the Huskies will dominate them just like the first time these two teams met this season. Winner: Connecticut
So the Final Four will be set as Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Illinois and Connecticut. Who will win? Who knows, but if you're looking for a good guess, don't be surprised for an all-Big East championship game.
