NCAA First Weekend Rant

So I am going to change the format for the Rant up a bit for this.  I decided to break the first weekend of March Madness into various categories and picking the team/teams that best fit that category.  If you want me to potentially add a different category for next week let me know.

BEST GAME: I think it's safe to say the best game of the weekend without a doubt was the Wichita State-Kentucky game.  When filling out my bracket, no game in the first weekend caused me to deliberate when picking a winner more than this game. My heart wanted me to pick Wichita State, but my head always said Kentucky.  Kentucky finished the season strong and came within one point of beating Florida in the SEC title game.  The Shockers on the other hand came in undefeated, but hadn't really been challenged in quite sometime.

Prior to the game I had such high expectations for the game, which usually means the game will end up being one sided, kind of like how the Super Bowl was this year.  This game however lived up to the hype for all 40 minutes.  It was continuously back and forth and the stars of both teams brought their "A" games.  Cleanthony Early played arguably the best game of his career for Wichita State, which I am sure caught the eyes of many NBA scouts, and the Harrison twins for Kentucky played probably their two best games of the season.  It's a shame one team had to lose, but it was fitting that Kentucky won by 2 points as it showed just how close the game really was.  I came into the tournament with skepticism regarding Wichita State's #1 seed and how far they would go in the tournament, and although they lost in the second round, they proved that they could indeed play with anybody in the country.  Kentucky on the other hand, whom many had as their pre-season #1 based on another extremely talented freshman class, failed to live up to their expectations for nearly the whole season, but now it looks like they have finally come together as a team, and are now a legitimate threat in the tournament and playing far better than a team that is seeded 8th in their region.

MOST SURPRISING TEAM: This was a toss up between Dayton and Stanford, but I decided to go with Dayton ever so slightly.  Coincidentally both these teams, whom I am sure nearly no one had advancing past the first weekend, will face each other int he Sweet 16 this week, meaning one of these teams seeded 11 and 10 respectively will be in the Elite 8.  Dayton had to beat both their in state foe Ohio State and the Syracuse, who was playing a near home game in Buffalo, to advance.  While I think Stanford's win over Kansas was the most impressive win between the two teams, regardless of Kansas not having Embiid play, I thought the body of work by Dayton over the two games was slightly better.

MOST IMPROVED TEAM FROM GAME 1 to GAME 2: This award will have to go to the Virginia Cavaliers.  Even though I am an ACC fan, being a BC alum, and knowing UVA won both the regular and ACC Tournament titles, I still had my doubts about them being a #1 seed.  Clearly they could win, but they have never been a team that was flashy.  If you know the Bennett family, you know that they emphasize defense, and Tony Bennett has had UVA play some incredible defense this year.  In the first game against Coastal Carolina UVA looked far from a #1 seed and struggled to pull away from the Chanticleers (I had to work in that mascot into the Rant somehow, one of the most unique in college sports) until the final 7 minutes or so of the game.  Against Memphis in round 2 however, UVA looked like a #1 seed, and a team that could give Michigan State, whom I have as one of the favorites to win it all, a hell of a fight in the Sweet 16.  The Cavaliers completely shut down the Memphis offense, and they were also able to knock down the 3 point shot with ease, which is the key to their offensive success. Between game 1 and game 2 UVA looked like a completely different team, and now one that wouldn't shock me if they end up in Dallas next weekend.

DARK HORSE TEAM TO ADVANCE TO THE FINAL 4:  For some reason I felt like I watched more Big 12 games this year than any other league.  It seemed anytime I turned ESPN on during the week, another Big 12 game was being played.  As a result there were two teams that I put int he category of  "they can beat any team, but at the same time they can lose to any team" and those two teams were Baylor and Oklahoma State.  On paper Baylor seems like they should be a force of a team.  They probably have 2 of the best big men in college basketball in Cory Jefferson and Isaiah Austin, they have a knock down three-point shooter in Brady Heslip and a skilled point guard in Kenny Chery.  The team the Bears put on the court in the first weekend, especially the one against Creighton, was a team that I feel like could compete with anyone in the tournament.  The Bears dominated down low and were hitting three pointers left and right, and when a team can dominate in those two categories it is almost impossible to defend.  While the Bears will face a tough opponent in Wisconsin in the Sweet 16, if they can play like they did in San Antonio then it really wouldn't shock me if they beat the Badgers and then move on to the next game with a chance to advance to the Final 4.

BEST SWEET 16 GAME:  I won't go too in depth here because anytime you mention Louisville-Kentucky, then you know it's a big basketball game.  While it's always a huge game when the two in-state rivals play each other in the regular season, it is even that much more magnified when the two meet in the NCAA Tournament.  The last time the Wildcats and Cardinals met in the tournament was in the 2012 Final 4 when Kentucky beat Louisville to advance to the title game in which they ended up winning.  While this game only a Sweet 16 game, I do believe the winner has the inside track in the region to advancing to the Final 4. For the sake of my bracket, I am going to have to root for the Cardinals in this one, but I am expecting a great game.  

TEAMS THAT I THINK WILL WIN IT ALL: If you saw either of my two brackets you would know that I think the winner of my predicted Final 4 match-up between Florida and Michigan State will win it all, and as a result I am going to stick with those teams.  I believe both these teams not only have the most overall talent, but both have the greatest depth of any teams left.  While I think Florida without a doubt has the easiest route to get to the Final 4, I do think if UVA plays like they did against Memphis then they could give Michigan State a very tough time in the Sweet 16.  Arizona is also a team that has lived up their #1 seeding through the first weekend and looks like they have what it takes to cut down the nets in Dallas. 

BEST MOMENT OF THE FIRST WEEKEND:  If you love pageantry in college sports like I do, then you know one of the best parts of the March Madness is watching the bench players' reactions and the pep bands for each school.  It is for this reason why I am giving my moment of the first weekend award to the Stanford cow bell guy Alex Chang.  Hands down most enthusiastic cow beller I have ever seen.  Feel free to see him in his element below.

RANDOM THOUGHT: This random thought doesn't really have much to do with the NCAA Tournament per se, but watching Gonzaga get beat pretty handily by Arizona on Sunday made me think if Mark Few will now start to consider leaving Gonzaga.  Last year when the Zags were the #1 seed you could argue it was their best chance, with the exception of maybe the Adam Morrison years, to make it to the Final 4, and they lost in the Round of 32.  I thought for sure Mark Few may have made the jump to a power conference when his alma mater Oregon had a job opening in 2010, but he decided again to stay put in Spokane.  The one job I think he may now consider is Washington, which has a good chance of opening up if Lorenzo Romar has another sub par year next season.  Former Boise State football coach Chris Petersen, a guy whom many compared to Few, finally made the jump to Washington this year, and I am curious to see if the Husky job opens up if Few will follow in Petersen's footsteps.