Does Everyone Have the SAME Final Four Picks???

Geez....everywhere you look everyone and their dog seems to have the same combination of Final Four teams in their tournament pool....especially the mostly gutless "experts" on TV.

So what teams have a chance to "shock the world" and crash the party at the Final 4?

How about Stanford?

14 Feet of Stanford Basketball

Here's a team that finished 26-7 with 3 of their 7 losses coming against UCLA. Stanford has one of the few legit post players in the tournament in Brook Lopez and his twin brother Robin gives them another 7-footer who averages 10 points and almost 6 boards.

The Cardinal get a tricky first round matchup with Cornell from the Ivy League, but get to play in Anaheim. Which means they will also have a bit of a home court advantage in round 2 as well, where they will see either Marquette or Kentucky.

Stanford will likely have to get through Texas....but most fans would hardly deem that an "upset".

On the other side of the bracket is Memphis, a team I feel has been overrated all season long. Yeah, the Tigers played some tough out of conference games but that still doesn't hide the fact that they haven't been tested game after game against tough conference opponents like many of the other teams in the tourney.

One of Memphis' closest games came against a 4th place PAC-10 team, USC. That should tell you what you need to know about the PAC-10.

If you can get Memphis in a halfcourt game, you can take them out of their rhythm....which is why I really think Memphis' draw doesn't bode well for them. They could see a tough Mississippi State team in round 2 and then have to work their way thru either Pitt, Michigan State, or possibly Temple.

Keep an eye on Stanford in the South Bracket....I'll just leave it at that.


Kansas State

Sorry Psycho Spazz....errr.....Tyler Spaz-borough....but Michael Beasley is the best player in this tournament.

Facts are facts - Kansas State sucked coming down the stretch. It's obvious they peaked after they beat Kansas to end that 24 game home losing streak against the Jayhawks. The win and attention they got from it obviously got to their heads and it showed on the court.

KSU is still a dangerous team. Especially after having some time to rest up a bit. Bill Walker has shown some of the talent that made him a top recruit while at North College Hill High School in Cincinnati where he played alongside O.J. Mayo. The two will play against each other in round 1 of the tourney. Don't forget a lot of people thought both Walker and Mayo were going to end up at KSU as a package deal to play for Bob Huggins.

USC is a tough out in round 1, but KSU is battle-tested and has the nation's best player....so anything is possible. The games will also be played in Omaha, Nebraska giving KSU a slight home court edge.

When you look ahead, it's not difficult to see KSU get hot and move thru the bracket. Does anyone doubt Beas(t)ley and KSU can take out the Badgers in round 2?

Georgetown down the road....and then maybe rubber match with Kansas? Wouldn't that be fun?



I'm not saying it will happen....I actually think G-Town will knock off KSU....but I wouldn't be shocked if it did. It wouldn't be the first time a great player carried a team thru the tourney.....perhaps the closest recent comparison to Beasley is Carmelo Anthony who took Syracuse on a title run in his only college season.



Indiana

The Big Ten was down this year and wildly inconsistent but the Hoosiers are still a very dangerous team. Some of their late season losses - blown out by MSU, loss @Penn State, loss to Minnesota in Big Ten tourney - can be looked at as red flags....but perhaps this team was just a little worn out after going through what has been a LONG season on and off the court.

It wasn't that long ago that the Hoosiers were a Top 10 or 15 team....now they're an 8 seed?

I'll tell you what....teams don't like to look ahead, but I'll bet Roy Williams wasn't too happy to see a potential match up with Eric Gordon and DJ White in round 2.

Look around at the brackets - the other 8 seeds are BYU, UNLV, and Mississippi State - hard to argue the Hooisers aren't the most dangerous 8 seed in this field. No offense to the Boilermakers, but they're a 6 seed....who would you rather see in round 2 - a young Purdue squad or Eric Gordon, DJ White, and the rest of the Hoosiers?

Again....it's unlikely the Hoosiers can pull off a Final 4 run, but if I had to pick a TRUE "sleeper" team to make one, the Hoosiers would have to be on that list. They have a ton of talent and maybe just enough of a chip on their shoulder to be dangerous.




Arizona

At first glance, the West bracket looks like the bracket most likely to see some upsets.....besides UCLA, of course.

Arizona is a really talented team that could make a run if they play well. The Wildcats draw a WVU team in Round 1 that is beatable and then likely will see the Dukies in Round 2. My guess is the Dukies will be rooting HARD for Huggy Bear and the Mountaineers to take Arizona out in Round 1.

Arizona poses some serious potential matchup problems for Coach K....the Blue Devils likely want no part of Jerryd Bayless.

The West bracket is wide open so it wouldn't surprise me to see any of the 4 teams from the 6-11(Purdue-Baylor) and 3-14(Xavier-Georgia) games in the Sweet 16. All winnable games for Zona if they were to happen. That would leave a potential show-down with UCLA for a trip to the Final 4. When conference rivals play in the tourney....anything goes.

Once again.....not a likely scenario, and not one I have the balls to predict....but one that wouldn't completely shock me.

There you have it....4 "Cinderella" teams that could make a surprise run to the Final 4 this year.

Zona and Stanford were 2 teams missing star players early on (Bayless and Lopez).....Indiana lost their coach in a scandal......and KSU has the best player in the tournament. Some intriguing teams to check out this March...