Podcast #14

What Am I Wearing?
Gonzaga
The South Region
Final Four Predictions
Games This Week

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Future South Teams Play

I don't really know what to think of North Carolina. They seem like they have all the parts necessary to compete for a national championship, but they don't show that on a consistent basis. They are the most well-rounded team in America: guards, experience, coaching, rebounding, yet there is a level of intensity missing from the Tar Heels. 

That was evident in their loss tonight against Virginia. Granted, Virginia played really well and actually hit some shots, but UNC has to be able to put up more than 43 points in a game. I have no explanation for that.

UNC's probable region mate in the NCAA Tournament, Baylor, won today against West Virginia without Manu Lecomte. That is a big win considering their recent slump. 

In terms of March Madness seeding, all signs indicate to North Carolina and Baylor being the 1 and 2 seeds in the South region. This worries me because I don't really like either of these teams as they stand. There's always one region that is extremely hard to pick because of the weakness of it, and I think this year's South will continue the trend. 

Saturday Blitz

Today was full of good action around the country. We started our day off well with SMU and UConn, then we also had Florida and Kentucky duke it out. Speaking of Duke, they lost today to Miami in a game where Grayson Allen didn't play and Luke Kennard struggled. Baylor also lost today against Iowa State. The Bears have now lost 3 of their last 4 and face West Virginia on Monday. Villanova, Kansas and UNC all clinched their conference championships with wins over Creighton, Texas and Pitt respectively. Northwestern lost to Indiana, and Maryland lost to Iowa in the Big Ten.

All of this was overshadowed by UCLA at Arizona. This was by far the most hyped matchup of the week, and it had major implications in the Pac-12. UCLA looked really solid in the 75-72 win, but their defense still concerns me. Ultimately, I don't think this game matters all that much in terms of tournament play, as Oregon is the best team in the conference. 

We are 15 days away from Selection Sunday, which means conference tournaments are coming. I can't wait for that small-profile northeastern school to make their mark on college basketball. 

That is all, let's watch Gonzaga.

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 7

For this week's Jersey Appreciation Friday, I chose the Florida uniforms from their Final Four run in 2014. The cool part about these uniforms is that they utilize three non-white colors: orange, blue and black. They were so cool that I picked them as my national champion that year, and I got the replica shorts. Here they are brought to you by Scottie Wilbekin and Patric Young. Click Here

Strange and Serious Controversies

So I couldn't actually watch any basketball tonight as I was stuck at a play for 3 hours, but I still managed to notice all these controversies college basketball has had in the past 24 hours. 

If Kansas needs more off-court problems, Devonte' Graham is sure to deliver in crunch time. The junior guard was arrested on Wednesday after not showing up in court for driving with an expired license plate. Now, this doesn't seem like a big deal and Graham and Bill Self handled it well, but this type of thing doesn't give Kansas a good look, especially considering the other issues they've had this season.

It was released today that the Maine basketball team suspended five players because of a fight that broke out over what music to play. Two players were involved in the actual fight, but three others were suspended for trying to cover it up with a "he slipped in the shower" excuse. The guy who was punched (Marko Pirovic), broke his jaw. I don't know what type of situation led to this, but considering they are 6-24 this season, they have more important things to worry about than the music. 

In a far more serious matter, Maurice Watson Jr, the Creighton star who tore his ACL in January, has been issued a felony warrant for an investigation of a sexual assault charge. This is quite a turn considering he was leading college basketball in assists just a month ago. The situation is still ongoing, but this doesn't look good for Watson or the Creighton program. 

Wednesday MegaCap

So I thought the Duke/Syracuse game was awesome with the Orange winning at the buzzer thanks to John Gillon, but then I saw Oregon and Cal go at it. That game for Oregon was special. They were down for about 95% of the game, came storming back late and capped it off with a game-winning three by Dillon Brooks. It looked like Cal could not be stopped on offense, but Oregon just found a way. This was a C- effort for the Ducks, yet they managed to come out on top.

The most anticipated game of the night was Louisville/North Carolina. Honestly, this game disappointed as North Carolina cruised to an 11-point victory. With regard to the Cardinals, I think they showed that they need more than Donovan Mitchell to get to a Final Four. Mitchell is an outstanding talent, but he can't do it completely by himself. Even Kemba Walker had Jeremy Lamb. North Carolina pretty much wrapped the ACC barring a complete meltdown down the stretch. This is well-deserved as the Tar Heels have been the most consistent team in the conference. 

We then had Villanova and Butler which actually shocked me. There was a point where Villanova had an 8-point lead with about 13 minutes left, and I thought for sure the Wildcats would cruise to an easy victory. Butler stormed back though and beat the Cats 74-66. I know that Villanova lost twice to Butler now, but I'm not that concerned. Teams always have kryptonite: teams that they just can't beat. For example, Louisville's is Virginia. Villanova's kryptonite this season is Butler, and there's nothing to worry about that, as the odds that the two play each other in the tournament are extremely rare. 

Also, Kansas clinched their 13th straight Big 12 championship, so uh, go them. 

After tonight's busy schedule, here's an updated version of my Final Four:

Kansas

Villanova 

Oregon

North Carolina

Podcast #13

What Am I Wearing?
Mark Gottfried and Others?
The Kansas Moment
My Final Four
Games This Week

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Miami/Virginia Recap

I went into Monday thinking I could skate by without writing about it, but that Miami/Virginia game was too good to not talk about. Despite only 102 total points being scored in 45 minutes, this game was a thriller down to the very end. Thanks to Bruce Brown's clutch three pointer with 24 seconds left in overtime, Miami managed to pull out a surprising win at JPJ. 

What made this win even more impressive for Miami was that it adapted to Virginia's style of play. Based on the score (54-48) and tempo of the game, I think most would expect a Virginia win. Miami, however, shocked all of us and knocked off the Wahoos. 

For Miami the impact of this win is clear: one step closer to securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia's outlook is much less promising. Coming off this four-game losing streak, the Cavaliers are now 18-9 (8-7 in ACC). I said earlier this year that Virginia was the toughest team to get a read on, but now I think that's easier. We already knew that they couldn't win offensive shootouts, but tonight they couldn't even win a game that benefitted their style of play, which concerns me. 

A Quick Note on the Big Ten

Not that it really matters, but Wisconsin beat Maryland today to keep pace with Purdue atop the Big Ten. I think it's safe to say that this has been one of the most disappointing seasons in a few years for the conference as a whole. There really is no Final Four threat, and somehow Rutgers is still in the conference. With that said, the Big Ten is also one of the most compelling races to watch as there isn't a great team present. 

Before conference season I said Purdue would win. I'm sticking with that pick as Caleb Swanigan is a monster that cannot be stopped. For as annoyingly good as Wisconsin is, I'm Boilering Up.

The Jayhawk Moment

Today was obviously full of stunning results and exciting contests, but I want to talk about one team in particular, and that team is the Kansas Jayhawks. 

In their game against Baylor today, Kansas was tested throughout the game, but they somehow won a game that they probably shouldn't have for the second straight time. There's a lot of stuff wrong with Kansas: the off-court stuff, their free throw shooting, their inconsistent uniform choices, but man is this team for real. I started to doubt them, I really did, but I can't look away from something staring me in the face. Kansas is far and away the favorite to win the national championship. People may argue that, but in my eyes nobody comes close. The frontcourt deficiency hasn't been as big of an issue as I expected, just like the Goonies, they never say "die."  

I have been concerned this season because I didn't see a championship moment in any team so far. Usually, there's one instance where it all hits you. It's a realization that says "Hey, this team could win the whole damn thing." It usually isn't correct. For example, I had that moment with Michigan State last year. But it's nice to have that type of confidence heading into a bracket pool. Today, I had that moment with Kansas. This team is special, I can feel it in my gut. They may just win the whole damn thing. 

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 6

Week 6 of Jersey Appreciation Friday is dedicated to a very cool jersey that made its debut just last night. Of course, I'm talking about the Electric Green Oregon jerseys that lit up the entire nation. Aside from its vibrant color, the black duck logo also makes this jersey stand out from the rest. Oregon has been known for its innovative designs over the years, but this one takes the cake. Click Here

Thursday in Hoops and Prediction Woes

Off Wisconsin! The Badgers suffered their second straight loss tonight against Michigan, and are in the most vulnerable spot they've been in this season. This could end up being a three-game losing skid as they have to play Maryland on Sunday. The wall Wisconsin is hopelessly crashing into was expected. They have been flirting with disaster ever since that overtime win against Rutgers, and it has now caught up with them. Personally, I haven't seen Wisconsin as a tournament threat all year, and now my views are warranted. 

In other news, Oregon is looking more and more like a national championship contender. Tonight's win over Utah was dominant in every aspect. They even dominated the uniform battle sporting the "electric green" that literally brightened up my day. 

I didn't watch much of the Arizona game, but it looked like a big win, which was the expectation going in. I was considering Arizona for a Final Four, and they are still in the mix, but I've just been more impressed with other teams and with their probable 3 seed, they will face a very tough road to Phoenix. 

I don't remember having this much difficulty picking a national champion ever. I'm torn among eight teams right now: Arizona, Kansas, Louisville, Gonzaga, Villanova, Oregon, North Carolina and Duke. All of them could be cutting down the nets in April, I just have to find out which one before March 16. I've put in a ton of work in pursuit of my third bracket pool title (2008, 2011), and I can't let my effort go to waste. This is officially crunch time. If I had to give the slightest of edges to anyone right now, I think I would pick Oregon. I can't explain my pick that much because my mind will change in 6 seconds. 

Also Gonzaga won. 

Also, I switch to Kansas.

Podcast #12

What Am I Wearing?
NCAA Bracket Preview
Recap of Last Week
Valetine's Day Lists
Games This Week

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Post-Nap Rundown

It really sucks when you miss a good night of basketball because you were napping. While this has been a common occurrence throughout the season, I don't think I missed this amount of quality games in one night ever. I don't really know what happened tonight, so I'll recap what I can as we go. 

Wow Louisville and Syracuse was closer than I thought. It shouldn't surprise as Syracuse has been playing really well recently, but that's a really impressive result for both teams. 

Heyo. Baylor lost to Texas Tech. I'm not going to pretend I know anything about this game, so I'll just say I'm happy Baylor lost since it confirms  my doubts about them as a Final Four team (even though it shouldn't). 

It might be my groggy eyes, but it says on this game Recap that Kansas was down by double digits at home against West Virginia. Assuming that's true, it makes the Jayhawks' comeback win even more impressive. That must be heart-wrenching for West Virginia. 

On another note the UConn women got its 100th consecutive win tonight, so go them. 

So there's my post-nap analysis, see everyone tomorrow. 

Northwestern's Historic Win

Time for me to get personal (*collective groan). Being a kid from Chicago, where college basketball has been dreadful since I was born, Northwestern beating Wisconsin on the road and basically clinching a NCAA Tournament birth for the first time in school history is the biggest thing to happen to college basketball in Illinois since Bruce Weber's 2004-05 Illini got the the national championship. 

For as long as I can remember (and probably longer), Northwestern has been "Chicago's Big Ten team." Most people have added in the "pathetic" between "Chicago's" and "Big." But in a year filled with Chicago revivals (the Cubs winning the World Series, the Bears making the transition from mediocre to awful), Northwestern basketball is another one to add. In ten years, maybe 20, when Northwestern is suiting up for its first Final Four in school history, we can all look back at this day, February 12th, 2017, as the day the run started. 

If Northwestern builds off this win, there's no doubt in my mind that they can be the next Duke. I mean Chris Collins is even a branch on the Coach K tree. They are both great schools in terms of academics, and they are both in power conferences. Okay, maybe the comparison is a bit far-fetched, but don't tell me that with Northwestern's location (Evanston, IL, a short drive from Chicago), coach and academics, that they won't be a basketball powerhouse in the coming years. If you think about it, the basketball success is the only thing keeping them from being a top 25 team, and we might have seen the start of something today. 

#2035NCAAChamps

Final Four Predictions Based on Bracket Preview

As many of you already know, the NCAA selection committee released their top 16 seeds and placed them into brackets as somewhat of a preview of Selection Sunday. Whether you are for or against the process, I'm sure all you guys watched because how could you not? Anyway, this is how it all shook out:

*The number in parentheses is the overall seed the team received.*

EAST

1 (1) Villanova

2 (7) Louisville

3 (12) Kentucky

4 (15) UCLA

MIDWEST

1 (2) Kansas

2 (6) Florida State

3 (9) Arizona

4 (16) Duke

SOUTH

1 (3) Baylor

2 (5) North Carolina

3 (11) Florida 

4 (13) Butler

WEST 

1 (4) Gonzaga

2 (8) Oregon 

3 (10) Virginia

4 (14) West Virginia

Now, I'll tell you who I think would make the Final Four if these particular regions were used. I must note that I'm really not confident in any of these picks. I literally see 10-11 teams that are more than capable of winning it all, but here goes nothing.

EAST 

Villanova- I spent a good 25 minutes thinking of who to pick in this region. If I'm being honest, this shouldn't give me this much anxiety considering this bracket isn't, well, real. Ultimately I decided to pick Villanova because I think they have the best combination of good offense and good defense in the region. The one concern I have is their lack of size, but they shot that down today by getting outrebounded by 16 and still winning by 16. This kind of result probably isn't consistent, but it helps to know they can do it. 

MIDWEST

Duke- I never thought I would have Duke in the Final Four, but I'm just really confident in their play right now. The North Carolina won was huge for this club moving forward and even though they didn't play their best today against Clemson, I still think that they would beat out Kansas and then Arizona to get to Phoenix. 

SOUTH

North Carolina-This was definitely the easiest region to pick. I don't really like Florida and Butler as major tournament threats, and Baylor still worries me. So for this region, North Carolina is my choice. They have a great combination of athleticism, talent and experience, and they have four guys who can light you up for 20 points. All those reasons are why I like North Carolina to advance in the easiest region in the tournament.

WEST

Oregon- If this were a region, I think Oregon would get by Gonzaga in the Elite Eight. As I look down the list, I see a Virginia team that struggles to score against Gonzaga who has every facet of the game locked down. I think their run would come to a halt if they got Oregon because the Ducks can match every one of their guys. Obviously there's Dillon Brooks, but Tyler Dorsey, Jordan Bell, Casey Benson, Payton Pritchard, Dylan Ennis and Chris Boucher round out the most talented group of 7 in the country. They have too many good guys to have an off night. 

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 5

This week's Jersey Appreciation Friday goes to the Notre Dame alternate green jerseys. These are currently in use and utilize the green, navy blue and gold to perfection. The cursive "Irish" is also a nice touch. Hopefully, Notre Dame wears these green jerseys for a long time instead of those Shamrock Shake disasters from a few seasons ago, but here's a link to the jersey: The GOOD green ones.

Oregon @ UCLA

As of 25 minutes ago, I was pretty convinced that Oregon was in my top three for national championship contenders, now I'm not sure what to think of them. They were up 19 points tonight against UCLA, and they lost 82-79 behind a 31 point second half. Lonzo Ball sliced and diced through the Oregon defense, and willed his team to victory down the stretch. 

I'm not selling UCLA short here, but I think this was more of an Oregon collapse than a UCLA win. Oregon just couldn't score in the second half, and against UCLA, that's a must. On the other hand, Bryce Alford continues to prove me wrong and hit ridiculous three point attempts in big time situations, and Lonzo Ball is the best game manager in the nation. Everyone knows the offense is there for the Bruins, the question was the defense, and tonight they took a step in the right direction. 

All in all, this just sums up how great basketball is out west. I've said this before, but we could see a Final Four where no team is outside the Pacific time zone. That's bananas. Anyway, point is that UCLA had a great night, and Oregon should be concerned. Good night, America. 

Duke is Back (Seriously, This Time)

About three weeks after my original question, Is Duke Back?, was posed, I finally got my answer. 

HELL YEAH.

Grayson Allen had 7 threes, Tatum and Kennard had 20 apiece, and the Blue Devils knocked off North Carolina 86-78. Duke has finally figured it out, and watching them is a thing of magic. They move the ball well, shoot proficiently and play enough defense to win games. For the dramatic soap opera of a season they've had, you have to admire their recovery. So that's all I got, let's watch Oregon beat UCLA.

Podcast #11

What Am I Wearing?
Boeheim and the NCAA
Kansas
Arizona/Oregon
The Virginia Conundrum
Mailbag
Transitive Property
Games This Week

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Less Than 5 Weeks and Monday Recap

It's 10 to midnight here in Illinois, and I'm still trying digest what tonight and this whole past week means for the rest of the season. We are now less than five weeks away from Selection Sunday, so if you didn't start looking for Final Four teams in November, now is the time to start doing it. Here's how I look at it. There are ten teams that I think are in contention for a Final Four. Those ten are Arizona, Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina, Duke, Villanova, Gonzaga, Oregon, Virginia and Kentucky. These teams can change throughout the season (Oregon wasn't on this list until 48 hours ago), so I try not to get to attached to these lists, but they are helpful in giving you a picture of what teams can actually make a run. 

Tonight we had two major games: Louisville/Virginia and Kansas/Kansas State. The first game was honestly nothing new. Virginia has five players step on the court, Louisville explodes just thinking of them, Virginia wins by double digits. Unfortunately, my prediction of Donovan Mitchell going off fell short, as he only had 16 points. 

Kansas and Kansas State had a really sloppy and tight game, but Kansas got the win. Despite a strong showing tonight, I'm starting to worry about this Jayhawks squad. We all know about their seemingly infinite amount of off court issues, but on the court, they have tendencies to go stagnant on offense and miss free throws. That's not a combination I like, but whatever Bill Self can figure something out.

Q&A with Anfernee Simons

Anfernee Simons is a class of 2018 guard from Edgewater High School in Altamonte Springs, Florida. The 6-3 junior committed to Louisville last November, and ESPN has him ranked 30th in the country. I got a chance to speak with him about his commitment, Louisville and basketball in general. 

Q: Why did you commit to Louisville?

A: It was the best fit for me with the city, relationship, and play style.

Q: What was your impression of Rick Pitino? In the media he seems like a funny guy. 

A: Yeah he's a funny guy off the court, but when it comes down to business he really is focused on getting you better. He likes to slide jokes in in practice too though.

Q: What are your thoughts on the team this year? Final Four caliber? 

A: Definitely. They are a deep team, and they can beat you in different ways, and their defense is the best so that's what's gonna make the biggest difference.

Q: What are your thoughts on the KFC Yum Center? 

A: It's a crazy atmosphere. The best I've been in. 

Q: We just found out that another 2018 guard Courtney Ramey committed to Louisville. What's your reaction to that? 

A: I'm really excited about playing with him, and he seems to be a good player and person

Q: What's the biggest strength of your game?

A: Scoring the ball in all types of ways.

Q: What's something you need to work on?

A: Just getting stronger to take bumps.

Q: What's your biggest goal for the remainder of your high school career?

A: Win games and get better.

Q: Who's your favorite player?

A: I don't have a favorite, I just like players.

Q: College or NBA?

A: College. 

Q: If you had to pick today, who's your national champion and Final Four?

A: Louisville, Kansas, Villanova Virginia. Louisville wins it all. 

Undermanned Louisville Needs Donovan Mitchell Tonight

So Quentin Snider was out already. We knew about his hip injury. Louisville has played well since he's gone down, but they're going to face a tougher test tonight when they take on Virginia. Part of that is because Virginia is a really good team, but the other side to it is because Deng Adel and Mangok Mathiang have both been suspended for tonight's matchup for violating curfew. This means one thing: Donovan Mitchell is going to have himself a night. We've seen this coming for weeks now, and tonight will be the night where he explodes. As for the suspension, it's nothing to worry about. And let's face it Louisville has other issues surrounding the basketball program that are more daunting than this.

Saturday Recap

We saw 6 (6!) top ten teams go down on Saturday. (2) Kansas, (3) Baylor, (5) Arizona, (7) West Virginia, (8) Kentucky and (9) Virginia all lost, four of them to untangled opponents. 

For Kansas, a 54-game home winning streak was snapped as they fell in OT to Iowa State. Baylor was caught sleeping against an underrated Kansas State team. Arizona was blown straight out of Eugene by Oregon. West Virginia never got going against another sneaky Big 12 team in Oklahoma State. Kentucky was dominated by Florida. Finally, Virginia couldn't reconcile last year's Elite Eight collapse against Syracuse, as they lost at the Carrier Dome. 

Out of all these, Arizona's loss against Oregon was the most shocking, not because they lost, but because how they lost. Oregon walloped them, winning 85-58 and shooting 65.2% from the floor. Oregon couldn't miss, and that's why I don't think this was Arizona's poor play as much as it was Oregon's phenomenal play that caused this. Oregon has quietly had a great Pac12  

season, currently sitting at 10-1. Watch out for the Quack Attack come March.

Kentucky has now lost three of their last four and didn't even look good in their win over Georgia earlier this week. Every team goes through slumps, but this Kentucky team has to start playing like we know they are capable of. 

In other news, Purdue scraped by Maryland on the road, with Caleb Swanigan recording his NCAA-leading 20th double-double. Purdue is a team that can do serious damage in the tournament but could also lose in the first round. They are one of those teams where we just can't tell how they'll turn out. Regardless, the win was a huge step forward for their Big Ten championship hopes. 

Who I'm impressed with: Oregon, Purdue, Florida, Syracuse, Iowa State

Who I'm concerned about: Kentucky, Virginia, Baylor, West Virginia

Teams that didn't change my opinion:

Kansas, Arizona, Maryland

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 4

Happy Jersey Appreciation Friday everyone! Today I decided to honor the first white jersey of the collection, which comes from the always fashionable Syracuse Orange. The white jersey from 2010-2013 is perfectly simplistic with the orange lettering with no trim and the gray numbers. The orange collar is also a nice touch. Here's a picture, brought to you by Scoop Jardine:
Cool Syracuse Uniforms

Q&A with Ayo Dosunmu

I recently got a chance to talk with  Ayo Dosunmu, a highly sought-after recruit in the class of 2018. The 6-4 point guard goes to Morgan Park High School in Chicago, IL. According to 247Sports, Dosunmu is the best player in Illinois and the 32nd best in the country. Here is our conversation: 

Q: Best part of being a big time recruit?

A: The best part about that is knowing that every game you play there will be a huge crowd of people wanting to see your talents.

Q: When did you realize that you could play basketball at a major Division I level?

A: Playing D1 basketball was something that I always knew was possible for me. I just kept working hard  so that other people could see my talents as well.

Q: What schools have you had the most contact with? 

A: Creighton, Illinois, Northwestern, Butler and Xavier. That's not a particular cut list, those are just the ones I've been in contact with. 

Q: What do you like about those schools?

A: I like how they are involved and how they make it to as many of my games they can.

Q: Do you plan on finishing your high school career at Morgan Park?

A: Of course. No doubt about it.

Q: What players do you try to incorporate into your game?

A: Magic Johnson and Russell Westbrook

Q: How would you describe your game to people who aren't familiar with it?

A: I'm a big guard who scores, facilitates, and does whatever is needed to win. 

Q: What aspect of your game would you like to improve upon the most?

A: Shooting off the dribble

Q: Do you ever get sick of basketball? Like are there some days where you wish you didn't have a practice or game that day?

A: No. I get up for every game because I truly love this sport.

Q: What are you looking for in a college?

A: I'm looking for a college that fits my playing style and has a good offensive tempo and has a winning culture.

Q: Who is your favorite basketball player of all time? 

A: Kobe Bryant 

Q: Who is the best player you've played against in high school or AAU? 

A: That's a tough one, I don't know 

Q: Do you prefer to watch college or NBA basketball? 

A: NBA. NBA any day.

Q:  Who wins the championship his year?

A: Warriors

Arizona and West Coast Realization

I'm starting to become convinced that Arizona is the best team in the nation. The addition of Allonzo Trier has revolutionized the outlook of their season. They went from Sweet 16 contenders to national championship frontrunners in a span of a week. Now tonight they actually struggled a bit. They were down by 2 at halftime to the lowly Oregon State Beavers, but they dominated the second half, out scoring them 44-25. 

There's literally nothing wrong with this team. They're the only team on the west coast that actually plays defense, they have Lauri Markkanen, a 7-foot freshman who doesn't miss from three and a collection of guards that consistently make plays to keep them winning games. That's why my new pick for the national championship is Arizona.

On a broader scale, this might be the strongest west coast group of teams we've seen in quite some time. It's possible, provided they are all in separate regions, that we see 4 western teams make the Final Four. Arizona, Gonzaga, Oregon and UCLA all have decent chances to get there. 

The west coast is awesome to watch, especially for a night owl like me. So don't forget about those teams when you're picking your bracket.

Wednesday Headlines

A whole bunch of stuff went down on Wednesday. We had Baylor taking on Kansas to see who controlled the Big 12, an Penn State-Indiana game which inconveniently hindered us from watching Purdue blast Northwestern, Syracuse came back from double digits to beat North Carolina State on the road, Virginia beat the brakes off of Virginia Tech, Florida State got back on track, St John's stole another Big East victory and Villanova had a nice win against Providence. 

The most highly anticipated matchup was clearly Baylor and Kansas. Baylor played better than I thought they would, but Kansas was ultimately too much to handle as the Jayhawks won 73-68. 

Purdue showed why they were one of the Big Ten's best as they knocked out Northwestern by 21 points. Caleb Swanigan had 24 points and 16 rebounds in the win--an off night by his standards. Northwestern was without Scottie Lindsey, but the loss still showed that they have a lot of work to do to get on Purdue's level. 

I said yesterday on my podcast that Syracuse probably wasn't in the tournament, but they are trending in the right direction after back to back wins against Florida State and NC State. They are now 13-9 (6-4). That just spells "bubble team waiting to make the Final Four in the same fashion as last year."