By Daniel Freer
It is the one time of the year where even the football gods pay homage to another sport…the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
March Madness. Brackets. Playing hooky from work for a few days. More Brackets…
You get the picture.
Even some of us here at Fantasy College Blitz get the Madness. Yes, the “I like American University to pull the first-round upset” Madness….even the “St. Mary’s was robbed” Madness…
So, what does a college football guy think of the upcoming 2009 NCAA Tourney?
Read on and find out…
Who does your favorite “Minister of the Non-BCS” like in the NCAA Tourney? Well, of course, you figured right if it is a Non-BCS (ahem...”Mid Major”, for you hoops fans) school.
My pick to win it all is Memphis, led by freshman guard Tyreke Evans (top photo, thanks Jon Murphy). Since Evans was moved to the point earlier this season, the Tigers have not lost a game…and that includes wins at Gonzaga and Tennessee. The Tigers also play the best defense of anyone in the land.
Many will pooh-pooh Memphis for playing in Conference USA…but that conference is not as weak in hoops as the conventional wisdom would indicate. CUSA gives enough challenge to Memphis night in and night out…every CUSA team wants to beat Memphis and will give the Tigers their A-Game every night. Also, playing in CUSA does not wear down Memphis as much as it would playing in one of the more elite conferences….Memphis gets enough challenge to stay sharp…while not getting beat down by tourney time.
Also favoring the 2008 national runner-up Tigers is that some of the top programs, like North Carolina, are having to deal with injuries in the backcourt (notably Tar Heels point guard Ty Lawson). Connecticut, Marquette, and a few other elite programs are also suffering from key backcourt injuries.
Looking for a Cinderella? How about Utah State?
Although in the same West Region as Memphis, do not be surprised if the Aggies end up in an Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight matchup vs Memphis. Utah State, which was ranked in the Top 25 for a few weeks this season, ended up as an 11-seed in the West…quite low for a Top 30 RPI school with a win over Mountain West champ Utah.
The Aggies are led by burly power forward Gary Wilkinson (photo, Douglas O. Pizac/AP)…who is like the Western version of North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough…only Wilkinson is more physically imposing. Not only can Wilkinson (the 2009 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year) bang inside with the big guys, he can take it outside and drill three-pointers at will. Few of the elite schools or Eastern Media Establishment have seen Wilkinson or Utah State play, and that can be a huge advantage for the Aggies come tourney time (who heard of Davidson and Stephen Curry before last year’s NCAA’s?).
Get ready for another exciting NCAA Basketball Tournament! And get ready for another creative excuse to get out of work this Thursday and Friday. Unless, of course, the boss allows you to stream it online on the corporate compute
