Champ..Duke, Stanford, or UConn
Ranked yet slight longshots..NC St, UNC, Gonzo, Ok St
Of some popular Favs, their kryptonite is:
Kentucky plays the D & rotates ball very well, but plays close-to-vest often & relies on Fitch's scoring too much.
MSU plays in an overrated SEC this spring(ACC better overall & offensively), Dawgs can be gummed up by a team of size, and like all SEC teams this year relies on one or two go-to-guys too heavily, they may well lose to a middle of the pack ACC/BE/B12/CUSA team..early!
Pitt plays ferocious D, but can sometimes get stuck in a bad rythym offensively, if they don't get out the gates early, the type of team that can beat or lose to any team with some hardbodies..their reliance on home court & being from BE make me doubt them more in March than UConn/Calhoun..though I've said all along that they were better than Huskies(but I was wrong).
The CUSA Big Four, all of 'em can at times get too goosy, and not be patient working the clock or looking for a quality shot..yet wouldn't surprise me if Louisville or Memphis went far.
St.Joe's..too reliant on the 3-ball, and lacks mashers in the paint if get rough draw of middle-of-pack danger teams with a combo of size, athletes, &/or lockdown Guards..Texas, Vandy, Wash, NCC, SoCar, NC St, UNC, GT, Prov, Syr,etc.. all would make for stout foe vs.Martelli's bunch.
I'm an SEC-man, but will be against the RPI #2 conference, & doubt that either of the big two make it to the Final Four..maybe Kentucky?
[This message was edited by Horseshoe on March 08, 2004 at 01:20 AM.]
Ranked yet slight longshots..NC St, UNC, Gonzo, Ok St
Of some popular Favs, their kryptonite is:
Kentucky plays the D & rotates ball very well, but plays close-to-vest often & relies on Fitch's scoring too much.
MSU plays in an overrated SEC this spring(ACC better overall & offensively), Dawgs can be gummed up by a team of size, and like all SEC teams this year relies on one or two go-to-guys too heavily, they may well lose to a middle of the pack ACC/BE/B12/CUSA team..early!
Pitt plays ferocious D, but can sometimes get stuck in a bad rythym offensively, if they don't get out the gates early, the type of team that can beat or lose to any team with some hardbodies..their reliance on home court & being from BE make me doubt them more in March than UConn/Calhoun..though I've said all along that they were better than Huskies(but I was wrong).
The CUSA Big Four, all of 'em can at times get too goosy, and not be patient working the clock or looking for a quality shot..yet wouldn't surprise me if Louisville or Memphis went far.
St.Joe's..too reliant on the 3-ball, and lacks mashers in the paint if get rough draw of middle-of-pack danger teams with a combo of size, athletes, &/or lockdown Guards..Texas, Vandy, Wash, NCC, SoCar, NC St, UNC, GT, Prov, Syr,etc.. all would make for stout foe vs.Martelli's bunch.
I'm an SEC-man, but will be against the RPI #2 conference, & doubt that either of the big two make it to the Final Four..maybe Kentucky?
[This message was edited by Horseshoe on March 08, 2004 at 01:20 AM.]
Some longer shots that I can see cracking the Final 4:
ARIZONA at 30-1 is a dangerous team and has a ton of talent.
CINCINATTI at 50-1 could be an early out or real tough out.
SYRACUSE at 60-1 hey nobody even thought they could be there last year. Sure they don't have Carmelo but it's still a vry good and confident team. They can make FF.
ARIZONA at 30-1 is a dangerous team and has a ton of talent.
CINCINATTI at 50-1 could be an early out or real tough out.
SYRACUSE at 60-1 hey nobody even thought they could be there last year. Sure they don't have Carmelo but it's still a vry good and confident team. They can make FF.
I agree D2,those three have looked like they were just scrimmaging all along, and Syracuse of three appears to have been ramping-up a bit of late(or is it just a weak BE?).
Az may have even been sand-bagging it a bit this spring?..I can't believe the two different directions Az & Texas went after Wildcats win over Horns in early December.
Cincy, looks a bit confused in their sets at times, but has the bodies & athletes to go far.
I think both the Mens and Womens tourneys are gonna be wild this March.
Az may have even been sand-bagging it a bit this spring?..I can't believe the two different directions Az & Texas went after Wildcats win over Horns in early December.
Cincy, looks a bit confused in their sets at times, but has the bodies & athletes to go far.
I think both the Mens and Womens tourneys are gonna be wild this March.
No thanks Wanderer, I don't like Duke or UConn when made 10 to 1 or less, let alone a small team from a small conference, with a huge unbeaten target on their backs going into the dance.
They may win it, but I'm gonna back pedigree & size over them when the oppurtunity arises(with a fair line).
They may win it, but I'm gonna back pedigree & size over them when the oppurtunity arises(with a fair line).
I think the winner will be lucky, no matter who it is. The draw and the upsets that happen before they face tougher teams will determine a lot who wins. I don't think anyone can be considered much of a favorite. Maybe take a flyer on a 5 seed or above for a few bucks, but I doubt there is much, if any, value in the future book this year.
I agree WildBill, as the yearly chalk will be the usual suspects, and with all the gaudy records & parity in OOC play thus far, it's a wide-open race.
Though lacking value, the heavy chalk are the teams that waste the majority of those faced(Stan, Duke, UConn), as opposed to other favs this year in Ky, MSU, Texas, Pitt,etc..that live dangerously often(which in the case of '83 NCS,'85 Nova,'87 Kan,'89 Mich,'97 Az,'03 Cuse) helped make them war-ready.
March Madness is like a Juanes Addixion album cover..Nothing's Shocking
[This message was edited by Horseshoe on March 08, 2004 at 02:11 AM.]
Though lacking value, the heavy chalk are the teams that waste the majority of those faced(Stan, Duke, UConn), as opposed to other favs this year in Ky, MSU, Texas, Pitt,etc..that live dangerously often(which in the case of '83 NCS,'85 Nova,'87 Kan,'89 Mich,'97 Az,'03 Cuse) helped make them war-ready.
March Madness is like a Juanes Addixion album cover..Nothing's Shocking
[This message was edited by Horseshoe on March 08, 2004 at 02:11 AM.]
I doubt they can win 6 in a row, they just haven`t shot the ball consistently enough from the line and haven`t shown they can string a hot streak together...
It sure appears more wide open then ever before...I could see a team with a 7 or 8 seed going very deep (a 5th place conference type team) if not winning it...
TEXAS is my other choice....
It sure appears more wide open then ever before...I could see a team with a 7 or 8 seed going very deep (a 5th place conference type team) if not winning it...
TEXAS is my other choice....
