Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Second Round Picks. In for a Penny...
In for a Pound.(Phoenix) Louisiana-Lafayette > Vanderbilt -- Vandy isn't very good away from home. The 'Rajun Cajuns are a balanced team, with seven players averaging 9-14 points, and have a hard-to-solve zone defense. What's not to like?
Four more selections:
(St. Louis) Kansas > Pacific -- Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk. Not a fan of Kansas, but I've always been partial to Bill Self-coached squads.
(Atlanta) Mississippi State > Louisville -- The Bulldogs lost only three games playing in one of America's toughest conferences. They're big, they're strong and they refuse to lose. Louisville's been on a skid of late and their lack of confidence will be the difference down the stretch.
(St. Louis) Georgia Tech > Boston College -- I figure the ACC will send one team to the Final Four. Very impressed by Tech's victory at Duke and over UNC in the ACC Semis. Jack's the team's leader, Elder their leading scorer. Luke Schensher, the Yellow Jackets 7-foot center, will stay out of foul trouble and keep Craig Smith in check.
(Phoenix) Connecticut > Dayton -- Risky, as the Huskies become my fourth 2 seed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. But I can't help myself. Gordon and Co. showed too much heart in winning the Big East Tournament. With or without the big fella, Calhoun's bunch advances.
Still considering...
(East Rutherford) St. Joseph's vs. Texas Tech
(East Rutherford) Pittsburgh vs. Wisconsin
(East Rutherford) Wake Forest vs. Manhattan
(St. Louis) Kentucky vs. Washington
(Atlanta) Duke vs. Arizona
(Atlanta) Texas vs. North Carolina
(Atlanta) Cincinnati vs. Illinois