A Trip Through the South

Previewing the South Region

Best First Round Game: LSU v. Butler. Talk about starting off the tourney right! Tomorrow at 12:20, the first tip of the tourney is an absolute gem. Both teams would be trendy darling picks to make a deeper run...were UNC not waiting in the wings. I'll tell you this though, IF (BIG IF) Ty Lawson can't go, don't be surprised to see the winner of this game still hanging around the Heels going into the final tv timeout.

Best Player: Sometimes I think we just get a little sick of people in this society. Call it "attention overkill." We love the hot new band, but 95% of them are punchlines two years later. We bemoan all the one-and-dones in college basketball, but tend to undervalue the really good seniors. Such is the case with Tyler Hansbrough. The soon-to-be leading scorer in the history of the ACC, the only 4-time First Team All-ACC player EVER and one of the toughest, gutty, competitors ever to lace em up is still seeking his first national championship. You can bet he'll put out one heck of an effort to get it.

Most important player(s): One could make the "best player" case for either as well, but fans are in for a first round treat when Dionte Christmas and James Harden go toe to toe for 40 minutes. Either one is capable of dropping 35 and carrying his squad to a second round matchup with Syracuse.

Indefatigable Player: Johnny Flynn, Syracuse. No real need to explain why the Big East tourney MOP wins this award.

Worst Seeding: No significant gripes here, other than the usual Butler ram-rodding. Clemson would not have been overvalued at a #6 (as opposed to their #7) and Temple seems a little high at #11. An #11 seed means they were IN, regardless of winning the conference tournament, which I don't think would have been true. A #12 behind Wisconsin and Arizona seems like a more logical slot for the Owls.

Toughest Break: Butler grabs not only a too-low #9, they then get LSU and UNC in order to advance into the second weekend. They won't, but it is hardly their fault this year.

Possible 2nd Round Gem: LSU/Butler against UNC is going to be a much much better game than most people (and Vegas) will expect. The one I am really hoping for is Temple v. Syracuse. Two teams known for difficult to prepare for defensive schemes meet up. Is the 'Cuse the gutty squad we saw in Madson Square Garden or did they peak a little too early?


Easiest to Root For: Gonzaga has become "America's Team" over the past decade, and it is fairly easy to see why. Even though they shed the "Cinderella" label a long time ago, it is still one of the more unlikely college basketball powerhouses of the modern era. Can this be the year they take the final step up to "elite" program by reaching the school's first Final Four? The Maniac thinks so; they had a few early stumbles but have played a brutal schedule and boast the deepest, most talented roster in the nation with six players who will play professional basketball.

Maniac's Sweet Sixteen Picks:
Gonzaga over North Carolina in an upset, and Oklahoma over Syracuse
Gonzaga beating the Sooners to head to their first ever Final Four.

Ever since Gonzaga got pummeled by Memphis, things have been completely different. The reason? Taking Jeremy Pargo off the ball and letting the brilliant Matt Boldin play point. The Zags have the most talented front line in the country and have a host of height, quickness and scoring. The achillies heel was their inability to consistently distribute the basketball and take quality shots. With that problem eliminated, the Zags are the most dangerous #4 seed in the tourney, and my pick to cut down the South nets.

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