Phall
Master
This year's tournament is wide open and should provide plenty of surprises. I haven't watched much conference ball outside the Big Ten, so I can't give a thorough caste breakdown of each region. Without getting too far into predictions, I'll just start this thread by highlighting some intriguing matchups and rooting interests. Please feel free to append summaries and correct any oversights.
The Midwest region is pretty threadbare of white-friendly teams. Louisville plays sixth man Luke Han**** but not much else. You're left to cheer for Duke (Plumlee, Kelly, and the strength of its legacy) or seven-seed Creighton; otherwise, the underdogs all appear solidly over-matched. I'll keep my fingers crossed for Valparaiso anyway.
The West looks much more palatable, as Gonzaga, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, and OSU (if only for Defender of the Year Aaron Craft) all seem to have a manageable path to make the Final Four. Gonzaga will be the foremost DWF "upset pick", but despite their soft regular season schedule, they aren't lined up against any powerhouses.
The South region features a great first round matchup between CF MVP Nate Wolters and POY Trey Burke. Michigan is a tough draw for South Dakota State, but we will still be treated to multiple Steve Nash comparisons before Thursday's game. I saw two such references within the first hour of coverage before deciding to abstain from any previews for the rest of the week. Of course, without this forum, I wouldn't have even heard of Wolters. Kansas and star center Jeff Withey should be strong favorites overall.
Finally, the East region gives a clear path to white-friendly Indiana. I don't see any team slowing down their offense in the fashion of their conference losses. On the bottom half of the bracket, here's hoping that Butler can string together a few good games against Miami and over-rated Marquette. In fact, I probably won't be able to resist picking fourteen-seed Davidson as a Cinderella.
Virginia's Joe Harris, Maryland's Alex Len, and Iowa's majority-white rotation were left out this year, meaning the NIT could have a watchable semifinal as well.
The Midwest region is pretty threadbare of white-friendly teams. Louisville plays sixth man Luke Han**** but not much else. You're left to cheer for Duke (Plumlee, Kelly, and the strength of its legacy) or seven-seed Creighton; otherwise, the underdogs all appear solidly over-matched. I'll keep my fingers crossed for Valparaiso anyway.
The West looks much more palatable, as Gonzaga, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, and OSU (if only for Defender of the Year Aaron Craft) all seem to have a manageable path to make the Final Four. Gonzaga will be the foremost DWF "upset pick", but despite their soft regular season schedule, they aren't lined up against any powerhouses.
The South region features a great first round matchup between CF MVP Nate Wolters and POY Trey Burke. Michigan is a tough draw for South Dakota State, but we will still be treated to multiple Steve Nash comparisons before Thursday's game. I saw two such references within the first hour of coverage before deciding to abstain from any previews for the rest of the week. Of course, without this forum, I wouldn't have even heard of Wolters. Kansas and star center Jeff Withey should be strong favorites overall.
Finally, the East region gives a clear path to white-friendly Indiana. I don't see any team slowing down their offense in the fashion of their conference losses. On the bottom half of the bracket, here's hoping that Butler can string together a few good games against Miami and over-rated Marquette. In fact, I probably won't be able to resist picking fourteen-seed Davidson as a Cinderella.
Virginia's Joe Harris, Maryland's Alex Len, and Iowa's majority-white rotation were left out this year, meaning the NIT could have a watchable semifinal as well.
. Well, there was a fun game on earlier, as Butler beat Bucknell today. It took both teams awhile to wake up, but the second half was definitely a good watch. Both teams play 3 whites and 2 blacks for a majority of the game, and I don't think either team played a majority of black players on the court.
