Bustin' Brackets and Breakin' Heads [wait, that was Chris Simon]

To view my bracket, click this sentence anywhere.



The Final Four
UCLA[2]: The Champion
Guard play is all important in the tourney, and the Bruins are stocked. Starters Aaron Afflalo, Darren Collison, and Josh Shipp[who is listed at forward, but at 6-5, he's a 2 guard] all score in double digits. They're deep at the position to, with Michael Roll and Russel Westbrook coming off the bench. The Bruins weaknesses are lack of size and experience. Lorenzo Mata is the tallest on the team at 6-9, and the only other solid big men are forwards Luc Richard Mbah a Moute at 6-8 and Alfred Aboya at 6-8. Mbah a Moute is the best big man, so look for him to stay on the floor when they go to a four guard set with Afflalo, Collison, Shipp, and Roll or Westbrook. There are no seniors on the team, and the point guard, Collison, is only a sophomore. But last year, a young Florida team got it done, so why not UCLA.

Ohio State[1]: The Runner-Up
Ohio State goes 0-2 in major championships on the year. But unless you are a Florida or UCLA fan, no ripping them. Atleast they got there. Depth is by far this teams best strength, 9 guys average double digit minutes. They have four talented guards, led by freshman Daequan Cook and Mike Conley Jr. They also have superfrosh 1B, Greg Oden, who provides a dominant force in the middle. What are their weaknesses? Although Cook and Conley Jr. are good, neither can dominate the game from the guard spot, which is needed late in close games. They also lack depth behind Greg Oden. Look for head coach Thad Matta to use alot of three and four guard sets.

Texas[4]: The Champ of the East
Texas has a tough road to the final four, but they have the team to make it. Led by superfrosh 1A, Kevin Durant, Texas will never be out of a game. Freshman point guard D.J. Augustin continues to improve and impress as leader of the court. The Longhorns can go 7 deep and have depth across the board. Size is a concern with this team, their tallest true guard is 6-2 Justin Mason [starters D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams are 5-11 and 5-10, respectively]. Sophomore F-C Connor Atchley will have to be the size in the middle, and Durant will end up playing alot of PF against taller teams. The Longhorns have the same weakness as Ohio St. and UCLA, a lack of experience. The starting line-up consists of four freshman and one sophomore. The only senior on the roster, G Craig Winder, only plays about 7 mpg in a deep guard rotation

Oregon[3]: The Champ of the Midwest
The Ducks started the season hotter than a mallard flambe, but cooled off around midseason. They managed to survive a deep and tough Pac-10 and win the title. Guards Aaron Brooks, Bryce Taylor and miniature sized frosh Tajuan Porter can light up a scoreboard against anyone. 6-9 junior Maart Leunen is the force in the middle, averaging 11 ppg and 8.5 rpg. The Ducks will go to a four guard set early in games to set the tempo and get ahead. Behind Brooks, Taylor and Porter, they have reliable juniors Malik Hairston[11.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg] and Chamberlain Oguchi, who excels on the defensive side of the ball. Oregon is an up-and-down team, but winning the Pac-10 tournament by slaughtering USC showed me that they are ready to return to their early season tempo.

The Sleepers
Arizona Wildcats, 8 seed, Midwest
The Wildcats have an explosive offense led by point guard Mustafa Shakur [6.9 apg]. Sophomore forward Marcus Williams and frosh forward Chase Budinger led the team in scoring at 16.8 and 15.6 respectively. With such a dynamic offense, Arizona can beat anyone in the tournament. The problem with their offense is that if it is off on a certain night [which happens often], their defense cannot carry the team. But when the offense is on, they're near unstoppable, they went 12-1 when they scored over 80 points. They lack size in the middle, with 6-10 Ivan Radenovic and 6-9 Jordan Hill being the only big guys that see a significant amount of playing time. If they can beat Purdue by playing a good game, and keep that rolling against Florida, they have a chance to make the Elite 8 and battle Pac-10 foe, Oregon [who shelled them in the first round of the Pac-10 tourney] for a spot in the Final Four.

Villanova Wildcats, 9 seed, West
Led by seniors Mike Nardi and Curtis Sumpter, the Wildcats could break out in the tournament and surprise some people. Star frosh Scottie Reynolds is the third player in the trifecta that 'Nova will count on to get them far. This team isn't like previous teams, with 4 guys that are 6-7 or taller averaging more than 20 minutes. The problem with that stat is that two of the guys are 6-7 and the other two are 6-8. The teams only size is 6-10, 280 lb. frosh Casiem Drummond, who only plays about 8 minutes per game. Throughout the season though, the Cats proved they could beat tough teams by winning at Georgetown and at home against Notre Dame, Texas and Syracuse. With Sumpter healthy and Reynolds improving rapidly, Villanova could make a run beat the oft-upset Kansas in the second round.

Washington State Cougars, 3 seed, East
It's hard to call Washington State a sleeper team since they are a 3 seed, but if you haven't been paying attention to college basketball, this team will shock you. Predicted to finish at the very bottom of the Pac-10, they finished the season pushing for a spot in the top 10 in the polls. Tony Bennett deserves coach of the year honors for steering his team through a tough Pac-10. The Cougars don't turn the ball over [10.4 tpg] and rarely allows an opponent to light them up [58.8 points against pg]. This is a well-rounded team led by well rounded junior guard Kyle Weaver [11.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 4.5 apg]. 6-1 junior guard Derrick Low is the teams leading scorer with 13.6 ppg. Robbie Cowgill and Aron Baynes, both standing at 6-10, have the middle on lockdown. The Cougars have alot of depth to, so they won't tire easily. Don't be surprised if they make it to an Elite Eight matchup against Texas.

Nevada Wolfpack, 7 seed, South
Even of you're a casual fan of college basketball, you've heard of Nevada forward Nick Fazekas. The three-time WAC player of the year and All-American is a big reason for his teams success, but he isn't the only weapon they have. Scoring wing Marcelus Kemp is dropping 18.3 ppg and Ramon Sessions is an all-around force [12.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 4.7 apg]. And ofcourse there is Fazekas, who averages a double-double [20.5 ppg and 11.2 rpg]. This team has the skill, the depth and the size to make a huge impact in this years tournament.