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View Full Version : MBB: Midwest Regional Discussion (Kansas #1 Seed)



Troublemaker
03-14-2010, 06:07 PM
Please place Midwest regional thoughts here.

ice-9
03-14-2010, 07:17 PM
Selection committee gave Maryland a lot of respect at the 4 seed; the potential matchup with Michigan St will be interesting.

Evan Turner with Ohio State will be one to watch -- can he be the next Carmelo Anthony?

Georgia Tech didn't get much respect as a 10 seed but I think they're finally "getting it" as evinced by the number of shots Favours and Lawal are taking.

But Kansas is too strong and should win this region.

theAlaskanBear
03-14-2010, 07:43 PM
To me, this looks like by far the toughest bracket. I do not envy Kansas.

Classof06
03-14-2010, 08:30 PM
Call me an ACC homer, but keep an eye on Georgia Tech. I realize OK St. beat Kansas but personally do not believe they're superior to GT and Tech has a very realistic chance of winning their 1st round game.

And if GT gets by the Cowboys, I think they'll be able to give Ohio State all they can handle. If Ohio State has any deficiencies, it's interior depth and post play; enter Favors and Lawal. I think the Jackets could legitimately end up in a Sweet 16.

I've said this all season; if you're a #1 or #2 seed, would you wanna play Georgia Tech in the 2nd round? Duke's beaten GT twice and I still wouldn't wanna have to play GT in the 2nd round!!

If you're looking for a surprise team to make a Sweet 16, Tech is one that nobody is talking about.

JasonEvans
03-14-2010, 09:21 PM
To me, this looks like by far the toughest bracket. I do not envy Kansas.

In virtually any other bracket, I would have picked OSU. There are plenty of scenarios where I would have picked Gtown too. This bracket is a nightmare scenario.

Wow, I really need to think about this region before I make a pick.

-Jason

NSDukeFan
03-14-2010, 11:27 PM
To me, this looks like by far the toughest bracket. I do not envy Kansas.
I agree that if seedings hold, OSU or Georgetown would be a very tough matchup and MSU could be tough as well. Izzo's teams seem to do well in the tourney.

Selection committee gave Maryland a lot of respect at the 4 seed; the potential matchup with Michigan St will be interesting.

Evan Turner with Ohio State will be one to watch -- can he be the next Carmelo Anthony?

Georgia Tech didn't get much respect as a 10 seed but I think they're finally "getting it" as evinced by the number of shots Favours and Lawal are taking.

But Kansas is too strong and should win this region.
I was a bit surprised to see Marlyand get a 4 seed as well and would pick MSU ahead of them. I don't think I would want to see Tech as a 10 see either. If they keep getting the ball inside and Favors plays like he did in the ACC tournament, they could be a tough out.

Troublemaker
03-14-2010, 11:36 PM
Point spreads for Midwest regional first round games



NCAA Basketball - Thu 3/18

Thu 3/18 705 Ohio +13.5 -108
12:00 AM 706 Georgetown -13.5 -102

Thu 3/18 707 San Diego State +3.5 -110
12:00 AM 708 Tennessee -3.5 +100

Thu 3/18 721 Lehigh +26.5 -105
12:00 AM 722 Kansas -26.5 -105

Thu 3/18 723 Northern Iowa +1 -105
12:00 AM 724 UNLV -1 -105

NCAA Basketball - Fri 3/19

Fri 3/19 839 Cal Santa Barbara +16.5 -105
12:00 AM 840 Ohio State -16.5 -105

Fri 3/19 841 Georgia Tech +1.5 -105
12:00 AM 842 Oklahoma State -1.5 -105

Fri 3/19 847 New Mexico State +12 -108
12:00 AM 848 Michigan State -12 -102

Fri 3/19 849 Houston U +9.5 -108
12:00 AM 850 Maryland -9.5 -102

ChicagoCrazy84
03-14-2010, 11:58 PM
I agree that if seedings hold, OSU or Georgetown would be a very tough matchup and MSU could be tough as well. Izzo's teams seem to do well in the tourney.

I was a bit surprised to see Marlyand get a 4 seed as well and would pick MSU ahead of them. I don't think I would want to see Tech as a 10 see either. If they keep getting the ball inside and Favors plays like he did in the ACC tournament, they could be a tough out.


Georgia Tech is arguably the most talented team in the ACC which is why they are such a scary team, but it's similar to Texas, they just haven't figured it out and why should we believe they will within the next week? GT is 10-9 since their win against Duke on Jan 9. so why should people be too afraid of them?

sagegrouse
03-15-2010, 09:10 AM
....If I had any idea what this means.

From the Omaha World-Herald on the perils of facing Michigan State (#5 in Kansas's bracket) in the NCAA's:


"And facing Tom Izzo in the NCAA tournament is like detasseling corn in a muddy field. Better get a good night's sleep."
What the heck is that supposed to mean? I guess it helps if you're from deep inside the Mid-West Region.

sagegrouse

davekay1971
03-15-2010, 09:18 AM
This field actually may fall apart nicely for Kansas. I agree it's the toughest bracket, and I suspect we'll see a KU-OSU regional final.

But...

Georgetown is pretty schizophrenic, and I don't trust them to put together four really solid games. They ought to make it into the sweet 16. If they play well, they could give OSU fits.

OSU, as great as Evan Turner is, struggled mightily getting to the Big 10 championship game. They could have trouble against the winner of Okie St/GT. I'm putting Okie State to face OSU in my bracket, because I want an OSU/OSU game.

Maryland is also a team that can beat itself. I think I'll go with Izzo's consistency in the tournament and put them against KU. KU should have no trouble at all in the first weekend, should beat MSU, and then they could face OSU, OSU, GT, or Gtown. If they face the good version of any of those teams, they could struggle. If they face the bad version, they'll roll them.

superdave
03-15-2010, 09:28 AM
I thought a good comparison for Evan Turner would be Dwyane Wade who led Marquette to the Final Four in 2003 and knocked off #1 seed Kentucky who everyone had as a favorite.

But the more I think about it, Brandon Roy is a better comparison. Not as dynamic as Wade but does a lot of the little things well to make teammates better.

In the end, Kansas is too strong to lose here. It just seems like all the other teams have glaring weaknesses that scare me away. I could see seeds 2-4 getting knocked off early and Kansas winning by default.

theAlaskanBear
03-15-2010, 10:27 AM
I thought a good comparison for Evan Turner would be Dwyane Wade who led Marquette to the Final Four in 2003 and knocked off #1 seed Kentucky who everyone had as a favorite.

But the more I think about it, Brandon Roy is a better comparison. Not as dynamic as Wade but does a lot of the little things well to make teammates better.

In the end, Kansas is too strong to lose here. It just seems like all the other teams have glaring weaknesses that scare me away. I could see seeds 2-4 getting knocked off early and Kansas winning by default.

Evan Turner is more complete than Brandon Roy, much closer to your Wade comparison I think. The problem is that Ohio doesn't have the players to compete with elite teams. They have played games using only 6 players this year. His team is flawed, and definitely NOT going to beat Kansas.

NSDukeFan
03-15-2010, 10:30 AM
I thought a good comparison for Evan Turner would be Dwyane Wade who led Marquette to the Final Four in 2003 and knocked off #1 seed Kentucky who everyone had as a favorite.

But the more I think about it, Brandon Roy is a better comparison. Not as dynamic as Wade but does a lot of the little things well to make teammates better.

In the end, Kansas is too strong to lose here. It just seems like all the other teams have glaring weaknesses that scare me away. I could see seeds 2-4 getting knocked off early and Kansas winning by default.

I like your Brandon Roy comparison. Neither appears alarmingly athletic, but they obviously are. They both have the ability to control the play and pace of the game. Both are very fun to watch, IMO.

NSDukeFan
03-15-2010, 10:33 AM
Evan Turner is more complete than Brandon Roy, much closer to your Wade comparison I think. The problem is that Ohio doesn't have the players to compete with elite teams. They have played games using only 6 players this year. His team is flawed, and definitely NOT going to beat Kansas.

I have to respectfully disagree with Evan Turner being more complete than Brandon Roy. To me, Brandon Roy is one of the best, and most complete, players in the NBA. Evan Turner has the potential to be an excellent NBA player, but I don't think he will be the triple double machine he is in college. He won't have near the assists he now has in the pros as he is unlikely to have the ball nearly as much. I also doubt he will rebound quite as well in the pros as well.

Hermy-own
03-15-2010, 10:37 AM
The 16 teams are really tough, but most of the really hard battles will be happening in the bottom half of the bracket. The best team Kansas has to face before the elite 8 is Maryland or Michigan State. I wouldn't call those two harder than Purdue and Texas A&M. Ohio State should definitely be scared, but I think Kansas' road to the final 4 is relatively easy, with only the Elite 8 matchup against a tired Ohio State team looking scary.

ice-9
03-15-2010, 12:47 PM
The 16 teams are really tough, but most of the really hard battles will be happening in the bottom half of the bracket. The best team Kansas has to face before the elite 8 is Maryland or Michigan State. I wouldn't call those two harder than Purdue and Texas A&M. Ohio State should definitely be scared, but I think Kansas' road to the final 4 is relatively easy, with only the Elite 8 matchup against a tired Ohio State team looking scary.

Spot on Hermy-own. I think all the hullaboo about Kansas having the hardest path is hogwash.

- Georgetown as a strong 3 seed is often quoted as adding to Kansas' difficulty. I disagree. As a 1 seed, you actually want your 3 seed to be as strong as possible. Why? To maximize the chance that the 3 seed will upset the 2 seed because the 1 seed only faces the winner. So you either get a 3 seed (whereas other 1s will get 2s) or a 2 seed who had to go through a tough game. So the fact that Kansas has the Hoyas HELPS not hurts them.

- That Tennessee and Oklahoma State, the two teams that defeated them in the regular season, are in their bracket is cited as another reason. Baloney. They're in the bottom half, which means the only way Kansas could play either one is in the Elite Eight. I guarantee Kansas will LOVE to see those two teams instead of Georgetown or OSU. Plus, top teams tend to kill inferior opponents (who had beaten them) in rematches.

- Maryland is allegedly under-seeded. That could be true if you go with Pomeroy, but it's far from a consensus. Many bracket projections had Maryland pegged as a 5, and a few at 6. Moreover, Maryland doesn't match up well against Michigan State (who's going to stop Kalin Lucas?) so there is an excellent chance Kansas will play a 5 seed instead of a 4 in the Sweet Sixteen.

- The only truly legitimate complaint Kansas has is getting Ohio St as their 2 seed. But it's the Elite Eight and it's going to be a tough game no matter what. And there's an excellent chance that Ohio St won't even make it to there.

***

No, the team that got SCREWED is not Kansas, it's Ohio State.

Check out their possible path:

32: Oklahoma St or Georgia Tech team both with serious NBA talent
16: Probably Georgetown, a strong 3 seed
8: The heavy favorite and top team in the nation in Kansas

Talk about murderer's row. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Ohio St loses at any of the above rounds and their bench is THIN.

In fact, maybe I should switch Georgetown with Ohio St as the Sweet Sixteen winner...

superdave
03-15-2010, 01:11 PM
Interesting takes on OSU. Not much they do the next few weeks will suprise me.

I think Maryland - Mich State could be a great matchup.

I just dont see any holes in Kansas' game. Great rebounder, shot blocker in the middle, athletic wings, solid pg. They can play half court or run equally well.

Bluedog
03-22-2010, 12:04 PM
Kalin Lucas likely has torn ACL (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/tournament/2010/news/story?id=5015767)

Not good for MSU and I feel really badly for him. So, does this mean N Iowa will be favored in the game? ;) MSU is missing two key guards...I wouldn't be surprised at all actually to see N Iowa pull it out assuming they shoot well. This really now makes Ohio St the prohibitive favorite to get to the final four in that region. Honestly, I'm not that impressed with Ohio St except for Turner. They looked very vulnerable in the Big Ten tournament against Michigan and Illinois. Yeah, Turner is clutch for sure; need to make somebody else beat you.

Somehow this thread got all the way to page 7...It's fun to look at the comments from before tournament play and how many of them seem silly now. This tournament sure has been unpredictable! I love it!