March Maniacs!: Dec 4, 2011

First things first; North Carolina @ Kentucky last week was "intense" and "passionately fought." The Xavier/UC nonsense today was just immaturity and sloppiness. There is a huge difference - please don't let any of the similarly sloppy media coverage convince you sucker punching and brawling equals "intensity." It's just not accurate.

I'm not going to go all Joe Buck/Bob Costas sanctimonious on you here, but it is getting a little ridiculous how impossible it is becoming to talk about basketball after each annual installment of Cincinnati's fabled Crosstown Shootout. Which is a shame too, because it is otherwise fantastic attention for one of the nation's finest college basketball regions in the country.

Here's a few good stories recapping today's nonsense, as well as a few links to previous Maniac Crosstown columns...

Yahoo Sports

2010 Shootout Column

A little classic Crosstown Shootout Audio - Good call Andy Mac!
"First in the Nation - Second in their own city!" LOVE IT!

Welcome to the December 7th edition of Bracketeering, our second installment of the season.

Please direct all complaints, comments and loving hate mail to marchmaniacs@gmail.com

FINAL FOUR:

#1 Ohio State -The clinic they put on last week against Duke was as well played a complete team basketball game as I've seen all season, and exceeded the incredibly high level that last year's team played at. Yes, David Lighty is a big loss and they do not have as pure a shooter as Diebler, but Aaron Craft's growth from 'solid freshman' to 'as good a floor leader as there is in the country' elevates this team to a national championship caliber plane.

This weekend's contest against Kansas will be interesting, as KU has the athleticism but certainly not the basketball talent to beat them - so will the Bucks be as sharp and put them away? If so, this team should enter Big Ten play unbeaten.

#2 Kentucky - Here's a quick prophetic clip from last week's Bracketeering, which called the Kentucky win and had them ranked ahead of the Heels.... it feels so good to be so good....

'The real difference maker, and where I give them the slight edge over North Carolina is the addition of freshman Anthony Davis. Watching his fourteen point, seven block domination over Kansas, I couldn't help but make the extrapolation that he is going to give Zeller and Henson absolute fits.'

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was an absolute revelation for a four minute stretch early inthe second half, and Terrance Jones solidified his legitimacy as a first team All-American. This team is only going to get better, and I still think this is the most talented team in the country. But at this junction, after seeing both play against top tier teams at home, I think Ohio State is a little bit better 'team.'

#3 Syracuse - They moved the ball so crisply and quickly against Florida it made up for the tremendous shooting struggles. Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche won't shoot that poorly often... and they still beat the #10 team in the nation on a neutral floor with relative ease. This team is the class of the Big East in 2012.

#4 North Carolina - It's hard to hold a one point loss in Rupp Arena to the #1 team in the country too firmly against anyone. And, let's be honest, the UNLV game was a fluke. Yes, they have two losses while teams like Baylor, Louisville, and Marquette still roam undefeated... but does anyone who has watched any games this season really think any of those teams are better than the Tarheels?? I sure don't. Bail on Barnes & Co. at your own peril.

But a side note - down one with ten seconds to play, why would you go to a weaker post player against the premier shot blocker in the nation when you have a guard who can create and pull up better than anyone in Tarheel blue since Stackhouse or Vince Carter?? I am still as baffled by that decision as I am the five seconds they meandered comatose after the Anthony Davis block.

Elite Eight:

#5 - Missouri - I know, the Tigers don't have the elite level talent of Baylor and lack the pedigree of Kansas, but the more I watch this team, the more I am convinced they can win the Big Twelve and are a legit Final Four contender. No team in the country passes the ball better than Mizzou; Ohio State and Syracuse are right with them, but no team is better.

Marcus Denmon and Kim English are light-out scorers, and did anyone else watch Phil Pressey distribute the ball, steal the ball, and my favorite play - bounce off the deck at all of 5'10'' (really though, he's 5'8'') and flush one down last night against Villanova??

Maybe I'll regret it later, but right now, I'm sticking by my early 'over-seeding' of Mizzou, and looking smarter every week. I really love this team, and guarantee it is going to take one heck of an effort to bounce them out of the tourney come March.

#6 - Baylor - Rather than bury Northwestern, who thoroughly crapped the bed in their first premier test of the season, let's instead praise they Baylor Bears - who passed their equally impressively. Perry Jones is a legit Top 5 pick in the draft this season, and their guards are more than passable.

Don't overlook their win over San Diego State either. That one will look really nice on the resume come March.

#7 - Duke - I'm trying not to overstate the Ohio State loss. It is a tough environment, on the road, against what I believe to be the best team in the country. But tell me I'm not the only one who saw visions of Derrick Williams dunking ALL over them last March as the Buckeyes poured it on? This team is good, and talented, but has a long way to go to catch Bracketeering's Top 4.

#8 - Louisville - Peyton Siva is as quick off the dribble as any guard in the nation. The shimmy he put on Vandy to get to the rim for the game winner in overtime was absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure this is really the 8th best team in the nation, but once they get healthy, they are going to be real dangerous.

Sweet and Lurking:

#9 - Xavier - I still think they are a little too small and lack a swing forward or post forward scoring option, but Tu Holloway is absolutely ice in the clutch and has a real shot at being a first team All-American; the first Xavier player to do so since David West in 2003.

#10 - Marquette - By the end of the year, I think both Georgetown and UConn pass them up, but for now, no team has done more in 2011 to earn a top ten ranking than the Warriors, who already own wins over three ranked opponents, including a win in the Kohl Center over the Badgers

#11 - UConn - The addition of Boatwright at the point makes UConn a true contender in the Big East. Forget their flukey loss to UCF in the Bahamas, this team is legit. I think Harvard might be in for a rude awakening Thursday night in Storrs.

#12 - Florida - I was impressed by their effort in the loss to Syracuse; a legit Final Four contender, in Madison Square Garden. They have two losses, but as freshman Brad Beal continues to blossom, the Gators could be legit challengers for #2 in the SEC (no one's touching Kentucky, sorry)

Hold on a second, we can play!

#13 - Georgetown - A win over Memphis, a win at Alabama and a win over Michigan balanced by only one loss, a two-point loss to Kansas over in Maui. Georgetown might have been the most underrated BCS conference team in the country heading into the season. Not anymore. At least not on March Maniacs.

#14 - Kansas - Speaking of Kansas... the Jayhawks are not quite to the level of Baylor and Mizzou, but don't be surprised if Bill Self has the Jayhawks primed as a #2 or #3 seed by March. The young talent is there, and Self has done it several times before. This team was a little overrated heading into the season, but I think pollsters have grown wise to overlooking the Jayhawks, even in a "rebuilding" year.

#15 - Wisconsin -Yes, they have two losses. A road loss by three at Chapel Hill and a tough home loss to fierce in-state rival Marquette. Wisconsin is still one of the better teams in the country and is a legit threat to Ohio State in the Big Ten. Okay, that's too far. But they ARE a solid #2 in the Big Ten.

#16 - Vanderbilt - Yes, they have THREE losses. Call me stubborn, but even in overtime losses to Xavier and @Louisville, I still think this looks like one of the top 16 teams in the country. And wait until their get leading rebounder and shot blocker Festus Ezeli back later this week.

Worth Noting:

Can these guys block out UConn Thursday night?

Indiana, Mississippi St, Creighton, Gonzaga, Illinois, Harvard, Loyola Marymount, Michigan, Michigan St, Tulane, Memphis, St. Louis, Temple, Stanford, San Diego St, Cleveland St, Northwestern, Virginia, Arizona, Northern Iowa, Murray St, UNLV, Florida St, Coastal Carolina, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Tennessee, Boise St, Oregon St, Davidson, Oakland, Middle Tennessee St, Denver, Charleston

March Maniacs!

Kentucky @ Indiana Preview

You Stay Classy, Cincinnati!

Here We Go Again - Crosstown Shootout Marred by Late-Game Brawl

Peay U - Tennessee Dropped at Home by Austin Peay

Bracketeering - December 7th, 2011

Missouri vs. Villanova Coaches Vs Cancer Breakdown

Quick Listing of the Week's Best Games