Who are your Cinderellas?

[feldspar]

Who have you got busting some brackets this year?

I have Butler taking down Tennessee to get to the Sweet 16. I also have Cornell beating Marquette to reach the Sweet 16 as well. My last is Villanova taking out Clemson and Vandy. Risky, I know but you gotta take some risks if you're gonna win!

[Channing]

I have USC in the sweet 16.
I have UConn in the Elite 8 (Against Duke).
I have Pitt in the elite 8.

I was very close to putting UGA over Xavier but didnt end up pulling that trigger. I also have Davidson over Gonzaga in the first round.

Oh, I also have Duke beating UNC in the NC

[Wander]

I'm actually pretty confident about Butler over Tennessee, and I've got Cornell over Stanford as well.

And a 7-10 doesn't really count as a Cinderella, but since it's a non BCS school over a BCS school: I feel really good about St. Mary's over Miami.

[feldspar]

And a 7-10 doesn't really count as a Cinderella, but since it's a non BCS school over a BCS school: I feel really good about St. Mary's over Miami.

I thought about that as well, but I just couldn't justify giving the ACC a losing record in the first round, so I put Miami through.

[buzz]

Davidson beating Georgetown in the 2nd round
Notre Dame beating UNC in the Sweet Sixteen
USC to the Elite Eight
Clemson to the Final Four
Pitt to the Final Four

[dukelifer]

Got to go with the Wildcats. They have played two number 1's (UNC and UCLA) and a number 2 (Duke) close and have not lost a game since early January.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I have UConn in the Elite 8 (Against Duke).

Oh, I also have Duke beating UNC in the NC

Now there's a man after my own heart!

I think Duke is the biggest Cinderella in the tournament. NO ONE gives us a chance. They bad mouth us on ESPN. They say we're over rated as a 2 seed. Everyone picks UCLA to go up against carolina in the final game. Uh uh, not gonna happen. It'll be Duke in the final game, against somebody. Probably that Hanstravel fellow, but maybe not.

[gofurman]

Davidson beating Georgetown in the 2nd round
Notre Dame beating UNC in the Sweet Sixteen
USC to the Elite Eight
Clemson to the Final Four
Pitt to the Final Four

I qould love to see Clemson in the FF. Hope they do well. Villanova is not a good draw for them though. Clemson is predicated on press / turnovers. If villanova can pass over that some they certainly have the guards to handle it with dribbling. Their dribble penetration is tough (ala FSU who took CLemson to OT). The big advantage Clemson will have is inside athleticism

[phaedrus]

Play-in winner.

[Brian12215]

I got Baylor to the Sweet Sixteen where their ride comes to an abrupt end.

[blazindw]

I have Kansas State in a couple of brackets making the Sweet 16. I think the Beast himself, Michael Beasley, is ready to shine on the NCAA's greatest stage. In one bracket (where I picked most of the upsets I was debating about), I have them losing in the Elite 8 to Kansas.

[mgtr]

Well, if a whole lot of posters have mentioned it already, it can't be too big an upset. But the horses I would ride would be Davidson and Kansas State. At least to the Elite Eight (one of them).

[dynastydefender]

Now there's a man after my own heart!

I think Duke is the biggest Cinderella in the tournament. NO ONE gives us a chance. They bad mouth us on ESPN. They say we're over rated as a 2 seed. Everyone picks UCLA to go up against carolina in the final game. Uh uh, not gonna happen. It'll be Duke in the final game, against somebody. Probably that Hanstravel fellow, but maybe not.

How about those UK Wildcats!! Where's the cinderella love?

[CDu]

I thought about that as well, but I just couldn't justify giving the ACC a losing record in the first round, so I put Miami through.

Losing record in the first round? We have four teams in the tournament, so for the ACC to have a losing record in the first round, you would have to have three ACC teams losing. I really don't see that happening. I could see Miami and Clemson losing, but not UNC or Duke.

[BCGroup]

Definitely Davidson--at some point, you look at the coach, and I think this could be their year.

[Classof06]

I'm actually pretty confident about Butler over Tennessee, and I've got Cornell over Stanford as well.

And a 7-10 doesn't really count as a Cinderella, but since it's a non BCS school over a BCS school: I feel really good about St. Mary's over Miami.

Agreed about Butler. Butler is the EXACT team Tennessee would want to avoid. A team with great guards (Graves and Green) that won't turn the ball over against their pressure and a patient team that will slow the game down and force Tennessee into a halfcourt game. Butler is a nightmare matchup for the Vols and we all know the Bulldogs are capable of a deep run. Giving them a 7 seed when they've been in the top 15 all year and won their conference tourney was a slap in the face.

I also think you've got to look at Pitt. I originally laughed when Bob Knight said he had Pitt in the Final Four. 24-36 hours later, he's starting to sound like the genius that he is. Having watched most of the Big East Tournament, I think Pitt can really make it. I think they'd pose a lot of problems for Memphis and the Dejuan Blair-Joey Dorsey matchup has my mouth salivating, though I'd give Blair the edge. I would not at all be surprised to see Pitt in the Final Four.

In the Midwest, I think Clemson, but also USC, can really do some damage. I think at this point we all know about Clemson, so I'll focus on USC. If you remember, USC made the Sweet 16 vs. UNC last year but have now added 2 freshmen in OJ Mayo and Davon Jefferson. We all know about Mayo but Jefferson's future is brilliant as well; he's a big guy that can bang down low and also step out to hit the J; and he's athletic as all hell. If USC gets on a roll and can keep Taj Gibson out of foul trouble, the Trojans can play with anyone. Don't forget they played Kansas down to basically the final possession, took Memphis to OT on a neutral court and beat UCLA in Pauley Pavilion. I believe Kansas and UCLA are the 2 best teams in the nation with Memphis not too far behind, so I'm sold on the Trojans.

Another team that has fallen under the radar is Notre Dame. Like Duke, they bowed out of their conference tourney earlier than expected. And like Duke, people have let that overshadow the great overall seasons that they've had. I'm not going to say ND will beat UNC if they make the Sweet 16. But they're good enough to scare the living hell out of the 'Holes and even squeak out a W if things fall their way. Harangody vs. Hansbrough would be a great matchup as well.

Finally, you have to talk about UCONN. As much as I think of UCLA, they've shown a propensity to drop games they shouldn't and UCONN is more than capable of knocking the Bruins off. People seem to have that Duke-UCLA matchup set in stone and that's dangerous. Both teams will face stiff tests to even get to that stage.

[pfrduke]

Finally, you have to talk about UCONN. As much as I think of UCLA, they've shown a propensity to drop games they shouldn't and UCONN is more than capable of knocking the Bruins off. People seem to have that Duke-UCLA matchup set in stone and that's dangerous. Both teams will face stiff tests to even get to that stage.

This is an excellent point. Love has struggled against physical frontlines - Washington pushed him around all night with Brockman and Wallace. The Lopez twins, for all their size, are not particularly physical defenders. UCONN, on the other hand, has some large, mean bodies to throw into the post and really body up Love. Short of playing Memphis, it would be the toughest matchup he'd have all year.

[wiscodevil]

butler to the elite 8

[Oh Canada]

but for some reason I'm leaning toward a win by Siena over Vandy. That SEC loss may really hurt their psyche although it could backfire and they may come out on a mission.

[mr. synellinden]

BYU over UCLA

Butler over Tenn.

WKU over UConn

Gonzaga over Gtown