Sunday, March 18, 2007

The 11 Teams that Have The Best Chance of Winning March Madness

It's the greatest time of the year for a sports fan. 48 of the best college basketball games all crammed back-back over the course of a 4-day period. For all you music fans who are disappointed that this list has nothing to do with music...think about it like this...Imagine that you got to hear 48 brand new albums by 48 of your favorite bands, all played in a row. Now you know why it's called March Madness. In honor of this illustrious institution known as the NCAA tourney, I'm taking a break from my music lists for one day. Tomorrow I promise to be back with more music lists than you can shake a stick at. Not that shaking a stick actually means anything. Not sure why anyone would want to shake a stick in the first place. Maybe for a dog. But if you wanted to shake a stick then tomorrow your opportunity will come.

The 11 College Basketball Teams That Have The Best Chance of Winning The Tournament

1. Florida - This is basically an NBA team. On the right night, they might even be able to take out a Golden State Warriors squad. The problem with this team is that they don't always play like it. Some games they've played like they expect to win rather than playing like they need to earn it. They don't have the same hunger that they had last year. They still are the most talented team in the country. But are they the team who wants it the most? Player To Watch: Al Horford.
2. Georgetown - Despite having a 7 foot 2 inch center, the star of this team is Green, who outscores and outrebounds his taller counterpart. This squad is a defensive giant...don't even think about going inside on these guys. They can keep you from scoring for long long periods, their only flaw is they tend not to run up the score when they can and have given teams the ability to sneak in a quick few baskets down the stretch. Still rock solid and practically unbeatable. Player To Watch: Green.
3. Kansas - Scoring, rebounding, defense. They have it all. Their only downfall is their tremendously cursed tournament history. Probably the only team in the NCAA to enter the tourney more times as the number 1 team in the nation and not retrieve the title. Player to Watch: Brandon Rush.
4. Ohio St. - This team reminds me of last year's Ohio St. squad. Young, hungry, and playing some of the best ball of any team in the country. Down 9 to Xavier with only minutes left to go in the game, this team didn't give up and fought back to send the game to overtime. It takes a certain caliber team to never say die. The only thing that might stop this team from winning it all is the lack of experience. And that is the only thing. Player to Watch: Cook.
5. North Carolina - This team is the full package. They can score at will. They can defend tighter than a hangman's noose. They rebound faster than Jennifer Lopez. They play tight team ball and they don't turn it over. They only way to beat them is to hit them on an offnight. Over the past month, this team has had a few more "off" nights then they wanted. Especially, coming against teams they should have beaten with their eyes closed. The team is vulernable...and if you're going to beat them, you have to play flawlessly. Player to Watch: Wright.
6. Pittsburgh - Like Georgetown, they have a beast of a center. Only this squad's outside players do not have the same talent as the Hoyas. When they're on, they're a monster of a team. But when they have a mediocre game, they can get beat by 20. Player to Watch: Fields.
7. Memphis - The team lacks free throw shooting like Courtney Love lacks integrity. They can score at time they feel like it and no defense on the planet can stop them. Their only problem is their lack of good wins. Their best win of the season is against Nevada which happened today. They have to feel like they want to score and sometimes mental lapses this season have kept them from doing it. Player to Watch: Douglas-Roberts
8. UCLA - Despite losing the last two games of the season (a stat that no NCAA champion has ever had), this bag of Bruins is more talented than the team that went to the championship game. One of the best defenses in the game. If you can't score against this team then you can't win. Their biggest deficit, is they can for long periods of time without scoring themselves. Player to watch: Collison.
9. Texas A&M - An extremely similar team to UCLA. Loaded with defense and a star offensive player in Acie Law. This team can beat anyone in the nation but can they beat everyone in the nation? With the next two games in their home city, the odds are stacked in their favor. Player to Watch: Acie Law IV
10. Oregon - The constant downpour in the Pacific Northwest may be the main reason why this school is very skilled at raining 3s on their opponents. This is a team that can score 20 points in a mere 4 minutes. They are also a team that can score 1 point over the course of 10 minutes. No to mention that their defense is suspect. It's hard to say which Oregon squad will show up at the Sweet 16. When they're on, they are unstoppable. When they're off, they may as well not even be in the building. Player To Watch: Porter.
11. USC - Had they not beat Texas and Kevin Durant in an impressive and convincing thrashing, I might have given this spot to UNLV. But playing for their teammate who was killed last summer, this team has nothing to lose. Like LMU back in the late 80s, they're wearing their hearts on their sleeves. And as anyone who faced that squad knows how dangerous that can be. Player to Watch: Taj Gibson.

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