2010 NCAA Tournament: Round 1, Day 1

Ready for the tournament? The locked bracket is first, so you can come back after the weekend and enjoy a good laugh. Following that are all 16 games for Thursday, check back tomorrow for Friday.

East Region
1st Round Winners: Kentucky, Texas, Temple, Wisconsin, Washington, New Mexico, Missouri, West Virginia
2nd Round Winners: Kentucky, Wisconsin, New Mexico, West Virginia
Sweet 16 Winners: Kentucky, West Virginia
Regional Winner: Kentucky

South Region
1st Round Winners: Duke, Louisville, Texas A&M, Siena, Notre Dame, Baylor, St. Mary’s, Villanova
2nd Round Winners: Louisville, Texas A&M, Baylor, Villanova
Sweet 16 Winners: Texas A&M, Villanova
Regional Winner: Villanova

Midwest Region
1st Round Winners: Kansas, UNLV, Michigan State, Maryland, San Diego State, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Ohio State
2nd Round Winners: Kansas, Maryland, Georgetown, Ohio State
Sweet 16 Winners: Kansas, Ohio State
Regional Winner: Kansas

West Region
1st Round Winners: Syracuse, Gonzaga, UTEP, Vanderbilt, Xavier, Pittsburgh, BYU, Kansas State
2nd Round Winners: Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Xavier, Kansas State
Sweet 16 Winners: Syracuse, Kansas State
Regional Winner: Kansas State

Final Four: Kansas over Kansas State, Kentucky over Villanova
Final Game: Kansas 72, Kentucky 68


EAST REGION

New Orleans Arena
New Orleans, LA
#16 East Tennessee State Buccaneers (20-14, 13-7 A-Sun) vs.
#1 Kentucky Wildcats (32-2, 14-2 SEC)
Poor Bucs. They were a 16th seed last year against overrated Pitt. Even though they were game for awhile last season, this a much tougher task for ETSU. Let’s not waste any more time on 16 seeds, ok?
Pick: Kentucky 80, East Tennessee State 57


Sure he can get you to the Final Four. But how long will your school be able to celebrate it before vacating?

#9 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (19-10, 9-7 ACC) vs.
#8 Texas Longhorns (24-9, 9-7 Big XII)
In the battle of which coach can choke away more talent, Rick Barnes is far exceeding Dino Gaudio. However, the Deacs were so bad down the stretch of the regular season, I convinced myself I wouldn’t pick them no matter where they ended up. Since Dexter Pittman can handle Al-Farouq Aminu inside, I have no problems moving the Longhorns along. Regardless of the outcome, this is going to be one apathetic basketball game. If neither team showed up, it wouldn’t surprise me.
Pick: Texas 76, Wake Forest 65

HP Pavilion
San Jose, CA
#14 Montana Grizzlies (22-9, 10-6 Big Sky) vs.
#3 New Mexico Lobos (29-4, 14-2 Mountain West)
The Grizzlies were one of the surprise conference winners, coming from the fourth spot in the Big Sky to upset Weber State. This squad is not nearly as talented as the one that went up again Nevada a couple of years ago as a 12-seed and won. Still, they can’t be ignored. Anthony Johnson scored 42 points in the Big Sky championship game. I actually watched the entire second half when Johnson scored 34 of his 42. Even though Weber State refused to double-team him, his performance was very impressive. If he had done it in a major conference, that’s all anyone would have been talking about last week. Last note on the Grizzlies: the head coach is named Wayne Tinkle. Just throwing that out there.

Unfortunately for Montana, they run into my favorite mid-major of the year. Everything about New Mexico screams power conference team…from their coach (former Indiana star and Iowa coach Steve Alford), to their roster (two players turned down scholarships from premier Big XII schools) to their schedule (eight wins over other tournament teams). The only thing that holds them back is the fact they’re in the Mountain West and not the Big XII. The real scary thing is that they only have one senior on the team. This may just be the first of many tournament runs for the Lobos.
Pick: New Mexico 77, Montana 62


Won't be long before you know who Darington Hobson is.

***PREDICTOR GAME OF THE DAY***
#11 Washington Huskies (24-9, 11-7 Pac-10) vs.
#6 Marquette Golden Eagles (22-11, 11-7 Big East)
Washington sure made things interesting this season. The Huskies were supposed to cruise into the NCAA Tournament, but needed to win the Pac-10 tourney just to seal an invite. But, to disregard UW because of the rough time they had in the lousy Pac-10 would be a mistake. Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas are a dangerous 1-2 combination. Washington has several guys who can eat up the glass. The Huskies get in trouble when the other team is able to shut down either Pondexter or Thomas, since no one else seems to fill the scoring void.

Marquette is probably a couple of spots too high (the Big East teams continue to get gift seeding…have we learned nothing from last year’s three #1 seed but no finalists fiasco). The Eagles haven’t done a whole lot in the tournament since Dwayne Wade left school. Of the eight Big East teams in the field, Marquette should be the least scary to the opposition. However, the Eagles have a penchant for playing very close games (18 games decided by one possession). So this should be a good one. I like the Huskies here. It’s a shorter trip to San Jose for them and they haven’t lost a game since February 18th. Here’s the first official upset.
Pick: Washington 71, Marquette 69

SOUTH REGION

New Orleans Arena
New Orleans, LA
#14 Sam Houston State Bearkats (25-7, 14-2 Southland) vs.
#3 Baylor Bears (25-7, 11-5 Big XII)
The South Region is an absolute joke ladies and gentlemen. The committee tried their best to hand the Dookies a cakewalk to Indianapolis. And other than a sneaky tough game against Louisville in the 2nd round, it should be smooth sailing for Ratface, even though he’s done less with more over the last five seasons. More on that tomorrow.

The NCAA matches the Bears and Bearkats (yes, that spelling is correct) in an all-Texas battle for ursine supremacy. Baylor has floated beneath the radar all year because they play in the shadow of Kansas, Kansas State and Texas. However, the Bears have proven that they are truly the 3rd best team from college basketball’s best conference. Anyone one of these mid-level Big XII teams (Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and OK State) could cause some real headaches for high seeds. It would not surprise me at all if Baylor navigated their way to the Final Four. I see no way for Sam Houston State to slow down Ekpe Udoh inside or stop the slasher LaceDarius Dunn from getting to the hoop. You just don’t see players like that in the Southland Conference. This is a Bearkats team that’s already lost games this season to Western Michigan and Louisiana-Lafayette.
Pick: Baylor 82, Sam Houston State 63

#11 Old Dominion Monarchs (26-8, 15-3 CAA) vs.
#6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (23-11, 10-8 Big East)
The Irish are the other Big East team that is at least two seeds too high. Remember, Notre Dame was out of the tournament just a couple of weeks ago. I know they had some decent wins since the calendar turned to March, but not enough to warrant jumping about 20 other teams for seeding.

I have been impressed with the complete makeover that Ratface disciple Mike Brey has done with the Irish. When Luke Harangody was injured a few weeks ago, Brey’s team went from jacking up every shot they could take to playing Big Ten-style basketball. It worked so well, that Brey didn’t change a thing when Harangody returned to action. The results have been promising. Before Harangody’s injury, the Irish somehow lost seven games when scoring 70 or more points. Since the strategy change to a defense-first/take the air out of the ball mentality, the Irish have only scored 70+ points once in seven games, but they are 6-1. So great job with mid-season adjustments by Brey and his turtleneck…something he certainly didn’t learn during his time in Durham.

ODU is your typical scrappy CAA team. The Colonial has produced several upsets in recent seasons: namely the VCU Maynors win over Duke in ’07 and the ultimate Cinderella with George Mason in ‘05. Despite a desire to pick Blaine Taylor and his awesome mustache, I don’t see the Monarchs carrying the same type of mojo. Their best player isn’t an Eric Maynor or Lamar Butler-type combo guard. It’s hulking 6’10” Finnish forward Gerald Lee. Lee is a fine talent for the CAA, but way to slow and slender to compete with the big boys. Their only marquee win was against Georgetown, which was way back in mid-December when the Hoyas weren’t letting Greg Monroe touch the ball. I also don’t see ODU being patient enough to hang with new-Notre Dame for 35 seconds on every possession
Pick: Notre Dame 58, Old Dominion 47

Dunkin Donuts Center
Providence, RI
#15 Robert Morris Colonials (23-11, 15-3 NEC) vs.
#2 Villanova Wildcats (24-7, 13-5 Big East)
For my money, the Wildcats should be the favorite in this region. They have the horses on the perimeter to run with the Dookies, and they can out-shoot anyone else in this region (although Baylor could give them trouble inside). However, they need to wake up out of this Texas-like nose-dive they’ve taken the last couple of weeks.
Pick: Villanova 83, Robert Morris 58

#10 St. Mary’s Gaels (26-5, 11-3 WCC) vs.
#7 Richmond Spiders (26-8, 13-3 A-10)
Really, these seeds should be reversed. I haven’t been impressed with Richmond all season. Sure they deserve to make the tournament. But they went 26-8 while playing in the A-10. I don’t care how good the conference was perceived to be. That kind of record from a mid-major does not scream white jersey seeding for the first round. Yes Richmond beat Missouri, but they also lost South Carolina and VCU. They have two players of note with Kevin Anderson and David Gonzalvez. Other than that, there isn’t much to look at. They are above average shooters, but still struggle to score 70 points a game. The Spiders struggle on both sides of the glass. Their bench only provides about eight points a game. I’ve seen them play a handful times, and other than Gonzalvez’s shooting ability, nothing jumps off the screen.

On the other hand, St. Mary’s punched their ticket this season (after being left out last year with Patty Mills). On paper, and in person, they are a better team than Richmond. However, most of their games are played after the committee members go to bed. Their only bad loss is to USC. Other than that, they’ve lost twice to Gonzaga (a team they then beat by 19 in the WCC final) and once to Vandy. All five of the Gaels starters average more than ten points a game. Omar Samhan and Ben Allen should eat up the smaller Spider frontcourt. I doubt Richmond’s defense will be able to keep the Gaels under 70, and that should be enough for St. Mary’s. The only thing that concerns me is the cross-country trip.
Pick: St. Mary’s 74, Richmond 67

MIDWEST REGION

Ford Center
Oklahoma City, OK
#16 Lehigh Mountain Hawks (22-10, 10-4 Patriot) vs.
#1 Kansas Jayhawks (32-2, 15-1 Big XII)
So Bill Self…how do you like this draw? A potentially pesky UNLV club in the 2nd round. The Maryland/Michigan State winner in the 3rd. Any one of the Ohio State/Georgetown/Tennessee trifecta in the regional finals. And that’s just to get to the Final Four. All this for a team that was the so-called #1 overall seed, a team that lost only twice (on the road to teams in the tournament), won their conference (the best conference in the nation) easily and won their tournament easily. And this is their reward? Who needs enemies with friends like that?
Pick: Kansas 86, Lehigh 53

#9 Northern Iowa Panthers (28-4, 15-3 MVC) vs.
#8 UNLV Rebels (25-8, 11-5 Mountain West)
Glad to see UNI slotted this low. I was sure that they’d grab a six or seven seed. The Panthers did a great job trying to manufacture the RPI so they would get that higher seed, but the committee didn’t bite. They played their Iowa brethren, scheduled BC, DePaul, Siena and Wyoming. Never mind that other Siena, all those teams were terrible this season. Look at us! We’re playing real schools!

UNI has some talent. They have a sniper in Ali Farokhmanesh from beyond the arc. They supposedly have a NBA-caliber player in Jordan Eglseder. I’ve seen him play, and while there’s no doubt that Egleseder is a solid college athlete, I really doubt he could find a home at the next level. However, this team is very similar to Richmond. They have some talent, but they still don’t score a lot (63.3 ppg) and their rebounding is subpar. Other than Eglseder, it’s hard to find someone else who hits the glass with regularity. And while they only turn the ball over 10.5 times a game, they only average 10.7 assists. So this is a team that’s going to dribble around for 25-30 seconds and jack up the first open look they get. The Panthers are going to try to wear you down and hope you aren’t as patient as they are.

The Rebels have too much talent for that. Lon Kruger continues to do a fabulous job in Vegas. Three years ago UNLV made the Sweet 16. Two years ago they won their first round game. Last year they were jobbed of a tournament bid…but had they been invited, I have no doubt they would have made the 2nd round. Even though Tre’Von Willis is responsible for 17.3 ppg, there are plenty of other players who chip in anywhere from six to ten points a game. UNLV is also adaptable. They can win high-scoring games or they can win slugfests. They’ve been successful at both in the wild Mountain West. Given the Rebels’ ability to play at their opponents pace and win, and given their recent track record in the NCAA’s and the Missouri Valley’s recent struggles, this looks like a no-brainer.
Pick: UNLV 69, Northern Iowa 61

Dunkin Donuts Center
Providence, RI
#14 Ohio Bobcats (21-14, 7-9 MAC) vs.
#3 Georgetown Hoyas (23-10, 10-8 Big East)
This game – and tournament in general – is easy for the Hoyas. All they have to do is get the ball to Greg Monroe and they’ll have a chance to beat anyone. If they fool around with mid-range jumpers and let guys like Shane Clark take more shots than Monroe, they could lose to any team. Ohio is a great story, coming out of ninth place in the cannibalistic MAC, and was the lowest seed to win any of the conference tournaments. They can score a lot and their team shooting percentage is pretty good (over 42%). But this team is tiny. They only have one guy over 6’7” that plays serious minutes. Georgetown should be able to push these guys around, but only if Little Racist III gets his head of his butt.
Pick: Georgetown 70, Ohio 53

#11 San Diego State Aztecs (25-8, 11-5 Mountain West) vs.
#6 Tennessee Volunteers (25-8, 11-5 SEC)
Tennessee has got to be wondering what it did wrong. Not only were the Vols given a sixth seed (probably a spot or two too low), but they were placed in the Group of Death. Tough break for a team that knocked off both Kansas and Kentucky.

It gets even worse for Tennessee with this matchup. The Aztecs are one of the hottest teams in this tournament. Needing to at least get to the finals of the MWC tournament, SDSU beat New Mexico and UNLV and won the whole thing. What makes this matchup really difficult for Tennessee is the Aztec consistency. The Volunteers are a very streaky team. They either hit outside shots and win, or miss outside shots and lose handedly. San Diego State uses their dominant frontcourt for consistent points. Malcolm Thomas is a great all-around player. He can score, rebound and block shots with the best of them. And while Kawhi Leonard isn’t quiet the defender that Thomas is, he’s actually a better offensive threat. These two are the reason that the Aztecs have been steady throughout the season.

Because Thomas and Leonard are 6’7” and 6’8” respectively, a bigger frontcourt can push these guys around. However, Tennessee doesn’t possess that. They do most of their scoring from outside, and they aren’t great rebounders. This is one of the better finesse teams in college basketball. SDSU has been a popular upset pick all week, and I usually shy away from the popular pick (especially if it’s an upset). However, I don’t trust Bruce Pearl and his techno-color dream coat. The Vols are reliant on their outside shots to fall…and that’s not a guaranteed proposition. The Aztecs fought their way through a very tough conference and get their offense more consistently.
Pick: San Diego State 72, Tennessee 66


Gotta like SDSU's frontcourt talent

WEST REGION

HP Pavilion
San Jose, CA
#13 Murray State Racers (30-4, 17-1 OVC) vs.
#4 Vanderbilt Commodores (24-8, 12-4 SEC)
Depending on who you ask, the Commodores could either make it to the Elite 8 or lose in the first round. I have a feeling that their run will end somewhere in between. As much as I love Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt has struggled in recent tournaments, and despite overachieving at a school with almost impossible academic requirements (and playing in a conference that barely requires the athletes to show up to class), Stallings hasn’t given anyone a reason to take Vanderbilt seriously in the NCAA Tournament. A team with A.J. Ogilvy and Jermaine Beal should be dangerous, but losses this season to South Carolina, Georgia and Western Kentucky suggest otherwise.

On the other hand, Murray State has become a trendy upset pick. The Racers can score (77 ppg). They take their school nickname literally and get up and down the floor better than many teams in this tournament. However, it’s hard for me to get excited about their 30-4 record. Look at their schedule and try to name me their best win. Heck, look at their schedule and try to figure out where half of the schools on there are located. Murray State’s four losses came to Cal, Louisiana Tech, Western Kentucky and Morehead (resisting opportunity for cheap joke) State. They barely squeaked out a couple of wins in the Ohio Valley Tournament. Their other wins are against terrible teams. I do like their balance (five players average between 10.3 and 10.6 ppg) and the fact they are nine-deep. But they are awfully small, play little defense and their schedule suggests the fact that they can’t beat anyone decent outside of the OVC.
Pick: Vanderbilt 80, Murray State 75

#12 UTEP Miners (26-6, 15-1 CUSA) vs.
#5 Butler Bulldogs (28-4, 18-0 Horizon)
This isn’t your typical Bulldogs team. Butler finally went outside of the Horizon League this season and challenged themselves. They played Clemson, Georgetown, Ohio State, Xavier, Minnesota and UAB…and actually won a couple of those games. They haven’t lost since December 22nd. They score a lot more than those old-fashion Butler teams from last decade. The Bulldogs average 70 ppg, which is leaps and bounds over what they used to average. Butler is actually a team that’s worth watching now…which wasn’t the case a couple of years ago.

I’ve tried to figure out a way to take the Miners, and I can’t come up with a good one. I guess I need to take a 12th seed somewhere. I don’t think there’s any way Michigan State or Texas A&M are losing. Cornell over Temple is trendy, but I learned a long time ago to avoid picking Ivy League schools that aren’t named Princeton. So this appears to be the game. It’s not as if the Miners are bad. Randy Culpepper and Louisville transfer Derrick Caracter are outstanding players. UTEP is an athletic teams that runs and could be exactly the type of team that Butler doesn’t want to face. Whatever, I guess I talked myself into an upset.
Pick: UTEP 67, Butler 64

Ford Center
Oklahoma City, OK
#15 North Texas Mean Green (24-8, 13-5 Sun Belt) vs.
#2 Kansas State Wildcats (26-7, 11-5 Big XII)
The Sun Belt usually offers us a Western Kentucky or a South Alabama. This year the league was mediocre at best and UNT won the conference through attrition. That’s not a good sign for the Mean Green, since they are facing a team I think is capable of getting the Final Four. We’ll talk more about KSU later in the week.
Pick: Kansas State 81, North Texas 58

#10 Florida Gators (21-12, 9-7 SEC) vs.
#7 BYU Cougars (29-5, 13-3 Mountain West)
Florida was the only team that got a bid that I didn’t predict or agree with. Virginia Tech not getting in was fine. Illinois missing the tournament was even better. However, I don’t see the logic in taking the Gators over Mississippi State. The Bulldogs were a tenth of a second away from winning their conference tournament, and would have if the referees had correctly called a lane violation on John Wall. MSU had a better record than Florida and both played similarly strong schedules. Then you take in to account that Florida won two games on buzzer beaters and that their record could easily be 19-14, and all signs point to Mississippi State getting a bid over the Gators.

Nonetheless, it will be a short stay for Florida. BYU really should be seeded 5th. The Gators have no intentions on playing perimeter defense, which is a problem against Jimmer Fredette. The Mountain West was probably stronger than the SEC as a whole this season…so the Cougars are more prepared for this tournament. All signs point to the Stormin’ Mormons moving on.
Pick: BYU 76, Florida 67