March Madness is back, and while mid-major teams around the country clamor to become the next team denigrated by Jim Nantz (hello, George Mason) and Billy Packer (Larry Bird's Indiana State team), I thought I would shed some light on the mystery that is the NCAA Tournament.
More fun than picking the Final Four, picking sleepers in the tournament allows people to demonstrate their encyclopedic knowledge of. well, it probably just shows that they correctly chose George Mason to upset Michigan State in one of their 13 brackets. But I'm going to offer a few teams who I think are not well-known, but who have the potential to make some noise in March.
Ranked 11th in the AP Poll and second in the PAC-10, Washington State (24-6) is not your typical sleeper. But the Cougars are not your typical media-hyped team (I'm looking at you, Duke). Picked near or at the bottom of almost every PAC-10 preseason poll, the Cougars have used their athleticism and defensive tenacity to beat opponents. Opponents shoot just .401 against the Cougars, and the Cougars force 14 turnovers a game. There is a lot to like about WSU, but their lack of experience playing in big games may work against them in the NCAA Tournament.
Xavier (23-7) is another team I like as a sleeper. We had the opportunity to play against these guys early in the year, and I was impressed. Led by former McDonalds All-American Drew Lavender, the Musketeers have wins over Kansas State, Villanova, and Illinois. Xavier is riding a hot-streak, winning their last eight games, and have shot .396 from 3 pt. range this year. But the lack of a true inside presence might make them vulnerable in the postseason.
Another Lithuanian, Valdas Vasylius, leads an Old Dominion squad hoping to secure an NCAA invite. Last season, ODU advanced to the NIT semifinals before bowing out to Michigan. ODU finished 24-8 and second in the league that produced last year's NCAA Cinderella, the Colonial Athletic Association. The Monarchs have a key win on there side, stealing one at No. 9 Georgetown.
The Monarchs' weakness might be their lack of size, as they only have one player in their rotation that is above 6'8". Old Dominion was able to overcome their lack of size when they defeated Georgetown by employing a 2-3 zone that minimized 6'9" Jeff Green and 7'2" Roy Hibbert's effectiveness. Hibbert and Green were First Team All-Big East this year.
The Final Four is impossible to predict because you never know what might happen with the seedings. In March Madness, any number of factors can contribute to a team suddenly go cold in the tournament. But if I had to choose, I would go with UCLA, Georgetown, Ohio State and Kansas. My sleeper pick for the Final Four is Nevada.
Nevada (27-3) returns all five starters from a team that made the NCAA Tournament last year. They have a dominant inside presence in Nick Fazekas (20.9 ppg, 11.3 rpg), who was a Third Team All-American last year. On the perimeter the Wolf Pack are led by Marcelus Kemp (18.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and Ramon Sessions (12.8 ppg, 4.6 apg). The Wolf Pack are dangerous because of their experience and ability to put up points quickly (77.6).
The only thing I know about March Madness is that I know nothing and everything could change at any given moment. That's what makes March Madness the best championship in college sports.
