NCAA Tournament Preview (The Final 44) by Matt Reaves and Adam Faughn
In case you have missed part 1 or part 2 of this preview, we are giving you three facts about each of the 65 schools that make up the tournament. Also, the schools are ranked by the likelihood of their winning the entire tournament.
We begin this “Final 44” with…
#44: George Washington Colonials
- Why they will win: They have already proven they can beat tournament-level competition, having defeated Virginia Tech, and playing close to Southern California.
- Why they won’t win: They also lost to St. Louis and Dayton.
- One interesting fact: Wonder where they got the idea from? The school yearbook is known as The Cherry Tree.
#43: Long Beach State 49ers
- Why they will win: Conference player of the year Aaron Nixon averaged 18 a game. This team also starts five seniors. Mix that along with the 12 beating a 5 scenario…
- Why they won’t win: This team doesn’t feature a true center. It is also their first tournament appearance since 1995.
- One interesting fact: Nope, the 49ers is not just about the California gold rush. The school opened in 1949.
#42: Xavier Musketeers
- Why they will win: Until their Atlantic-10 conference tournament loss, this was one of the hottest teams in the country. Getting an at-large bid from the A-10 this year means they have done something.
- Why they won’t win: This team lost to Duquesne and Cincinnati. Enough said.
- One interesting fact: Talk about a rivalry. Xavier and Cincinnati’s campuses are just 3 miles apart.
#41: Purdue Boilermakers
- Why they will win: The Boilermakers are led by two seniors, Carl Landry and David Teague. How they go, so goes Purdue.
- Why they won’t win: With their last appearance coming in 2003, this team has no experience in the tournament whatsoever. Their opponent in the first round, Arizona has made the tournament twenty-three times in a row.
- One interesting fact: If you think Nebraska’s agricultural nickname is strange, keep in mind that Purdue, for a while, was known as the Pumpkin Shuckers!
#40: Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Why they will win: Like it or not, Bobby Knight can coach.
- Why they won’t win: This team played terribly out of conference, with their best win by far coming against Arkansas. Did they beef up on lesser competition?
- One interesting fact: The original team nickname was the Dogies, but a former school president’s wife didn’t like it, so it was changed.
#39: Virginia Commonwealth Rams
- Why they will win: Head coach Anthony Grant was an assistant on Florida’s National Championship team from last season. Sophomore Eric Maynor led the CAA conference in assist per game at 7.2. They are also facing the worst Duke team in years in the first round.
- Why they won’t win: Oh, I nearly forgot. . .Duke is still DUKE! As much as this writer (this isn’t Adam) would love to see Duke go out in the first round, I’m not getting my hopes up. VCU also doesn’t have much depth on their team.
- One interesting fact: We almost had another “devils” team in this tournament. The parent school of VCU, Richmond Professional Institute, used the nickname Green Devils for its sports teams.
#38: Winthrop Eagles
- Why they will win: This team had near-misses this year against high-level competition (Wisconsin, North Carolina).
- Why they won’t win: They didn’t win those games!!!
- One interesting fact: Winthrop used to be an all-girls school, and, even today, the female-to-male ratio is 3:1.
#37: Creighton Bluejays
- Why they will win: Creighton comes from a much stronger conference than Nevada, the MVC. They make their free throws and have a coach in Dana Altman that should get another chance at a BCS school very soon if desired.
- Why they won’t win: Creighton is a terrible shooting team that averaged around 60 points a game. Not a good thing if matched up with an up-tempo team, though they could give Memphis all they can handle in round 2.
- One interesting fact: Are there mountains in Nebraska? The original nickname of Creighton was the Hilltoppers.
#36: Michigan State Spartans
- Why they will win: The Spartans hold opponents to jut 56.7 points per game.
- Why they won’t win: The Spartans score only 65 points per game, and scored just 38 in a game against Purdue.
- One interesting fact: The statue of Sparty that is in the athletic center weighs over 3 tons and is now over 60 years old. It was made by art students at the school.
#35: Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Why they will win: Tournament experience, depth, and head coach Mark Few. Senior guard Derek Ravio continues
a long lineage of great guard play from the Zags. - Why they won’t win: The Zags have had trouble rebounding the ball since Josh Heytvelt’s suspension.
- One interesting fact: The Bulldogs (or Zags, which is not really a nickname) were originally called the Fighting Irish (Gonzaga is a Jesuit school).
#34: Kentucky Wildcats
- Why they will win: Randolph Morris is finally beginning to play like..well, Randolph Morris.
- Why they won’t win: Is there a team who is more streaky when it comes to shooting?
- One interesting fact: Kentucky is one of the rare schools that has never changed mascots–they have always been the UK Wildcats.
#33: Brigham Young Cougars
- Why they will win: BYU shoots over 50% from the field and over 40% from three point range. They are also a great rebounding team with four of their five starters being over 6’6”.
- Why they won’t win: Their second round opponent is Ohio State. With Greg Oden on board along with OSU’s great guard play BYU will not make it past the second round at best.
- One interesting fact: BYU was the home of the first college gymnastics team west of the Mississippi River.
#32: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
- Why they will win: Youth. Shooting. Athleticism. This team was hot at the end of the year, beating North Carolina and Boston College at the end of the regular season.
- Why they won’t win: Youth, youth, youth. They may be athletic, but that can only carry them so far.
- One interesting fact: Georgia Tech actually has three nicknames that are used by the school: Yellow Jackets, Ramblin’ Wreck and Engineers.
#31: Butler Bulldogs
- Why they will win: Butler is sixth nationally in defense, giving up just 57.1 ppg. They also start three seniors and two juniors and have the nations top free throw shooter in A.J. Graves (95.8%). They also beat heavyweights such as Notre Dame, Indiana, and Gonzaga during the regular season.
- Why they won’t win: This isn’t a very good rebounding team and they have also lost three of their last six heading into the tournament.
- One interesting fact: Before the Bulldog days, Butler (a Christian school) called its teams the Christians.
#30: Villanova Wildcats
- Why they will win: Strength of schedule. Despite finishing 9th in the regular season in the Big East, Villinova was constantly ranked in the top 15 of the RPI. Also, Curtis Sumpter is healthy again.
- Why they won’t win: This is a team that plays very spotty defense. Sometimes you can’t score a basket for 10-15 minutes, sometimes you put up 45 in a half.
- One interesting fact: Villinova calls two different areas “home courts,” but plays only a handful of games at the home of 76ers. If they played more than they do, they couldn’t play an NCAA tournament first round game there.
#29: Indiana Hoosiers
- Why they will win: very balanced team with depth. The Hoosiers are a good shooting team that can play defense.
- Why they won’t win: Head coach Kelvin Sampson. He was the worst coach in the Big 12 last year. Remember, this is the same conference that had Quin Snyder as a coach last year. Hopefully Kelvin paid his players well entering the tournament. They are also a true Big 10 team, which according to Sports Guy Bill Simmons equals a physical WNBA team that can dunk. They will also suffer from the curse of Bobby Knight.
- One interesting fact: What is a hoosier? Many people think that it comes from an Indian word hoosa, which means “corn.”
#28: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Why they will win: Shooting the 3s. Notre Dame hit enough 3s to score 103 points at the Carrier Dome against Syracuse (a record for points by an opponent).
- Why they won’t win: Shooting the 3s. If ND is not hitting, they will get crushed. They play Winthrop in the first round, and that game, seriously, could feature 50 3-point attempts.
- One interesting fact: After the “four horsemen” days of the early 1920s, the teams were known as the Ramblers. Fighting Irish was not adopted until 1927.
#27: Marquette Golden Eagles
- Why they will win: Second team All Big-East Jarel McNeal should be back from his thumb injury if they advance past the 1st round. They are also led by first team All-Big East Dominic James at guard.
- Why they won’t win: Very young team that may be a year away from making some noise. Have lost five of their last eight. Oh, nearly forgot, if they win in the first round there is that problem of facing North Carolina in the second round.
- One interesting fact: Personally, I wish the school would have kept their original nickname. No, not the Warriors. For several years, the teams were the Golden Avalanche.
#26: Arizona Wildcats
- Why they will win: This team may have as much talent as any other in the nation. They also played the #1 schedule in America.
- Why they won’t win: The talent is young and very inconsistent. At one point in late February, they were ranked #6 in the RPI and were actually on the bubble because of their inconsistent play.
- One interesting fact: Arizona’s school colors are Cardinal and Navy only because a student manager got gea
r in those colors cheap…in 1899.
#25: Nevada-Los Vegas Runnin’ Rebels
- Why they will win: This is a team that feels slighted having received a 7 seed. I like teams with chips on their shoulders heading into the tournament. They play great defense and have turned back into the “Runnin Rebels”. They also start a guy by the name of Wink Adams-great name.
- Why they won’t win: You always have to question any Vegas team after the 1991 UNLV threw their 1991 semi-final game against Duke-keep the gamblers and point spread makers away from this team. They also rely a bit too much on the three pointer-not a good thing if you are not a good shooting team to begin with.
- One interesting fact: Vegas is the last school from a “non-BCS league” to win the national title.
#24: Vanderbilt Commadors
- Why they will win: This is a team that didn’t just beat Florida–they bombed the Gators. When they shoot well, they are almost unstoppable.
- Why they won’t win: They don’t shoot well often enough. This is also a team that lost to “last team in” Arkansas twice in the last 2 weeks.
- One interesting fact: In case you didn’t know, the “star” that is the school logo (with a “V” inside) is the naval rank insignia of a commodore.
#23: Southern California Trojans
- Why they will win: Freshman Taj Gibson. He averages 11/8 a game. Junior Nick Young is a very good scorer.
- Why they won’t win: I actually expect USC to get bounced in the first round by the last team in the field, Arkansas (your classic 12/5 upset). Tim Floyd is their coach-uh oh! Next year could be a different story so long as recruit O.J. Mayo isn’t in jail.
- One interesting fact: Contrary to what many think (including me until a couple of weeks ago), USC is not a public school. It’s a private Methodist university.
#22: Nevada Wolfpack
- Why they will win: Nick Fazekas. It is rare that a “mid-major” has a center of his caliber. They have built the team around him very well.
- Why they won’t win: This team is stumbling down the stretch and lost two games to Utah State (a good team, but not an NCAA tournament team).
- One interesting fact: You may have been to Nevada and seen the brush that grows in the desert. That inspired the original team name: Sagebrush Warriors.
#21: Virginia Tech Hokies
- Why they will win: The Hokies start three seniors which include Zabian Dowdell, who averaged 18 a game this season.
- Why they won’t win: Tournament experience-this is Virginia Tech’s first tournament since 1996. A very inconsistent team during the second half of conference play. They are also a 5 seed.
- One interesting fact: What is a “hokie?” The nickname was chosen because it was the end of a school cheer. It, honestly, means nothing.
#20: Boston College Eagles
- Why they will win: Toughness and the flex offense are a rare combo, but BC has both.
- Why they won’t win: Can’t seem to win a big game. Had Duke and North Carolina in the same week at home and lost both games convincingly. Can they beat teams like that on neutral floors?
- One interesting fact: Boston College is not in Boston…it’s in Chestnut Hill.
#19: Virginia Cavaliers
- Why they will win: Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds make up a very good backcourt-both players average 18 a game. They also finished in a tie for first place in the ACC this season.
- Why they won’t win: This team averaged more turnovers than assists this season.
- One interesting fact: The original school colors of UVA were red and gray, to commemorate bloody Confederate uniforms. Why did they change? They uniforms didn’t look good in the mud of football games!
#18: Duke Blue Devils
- Why they will win: That is still Coach K on the sideline. Also, Josh McRoberts, when he plays well, is a match-up nightmare.
- Why they won’t win: Too young and far too many turnovers.
- One interesting fact: (from College Names of the Games) : “The Blue Devil nickname is derived from the French Blue Devils, a first-class Alpine corps, which wore a striking blue uniform with a blue beret.”
#17: Southern Illinois Salukis
- Why they will win: A very experienced team which is led by a great coaching prospect in Chris Lowery and MVC player of the year Jamaal Tatum. The Saluki’s play very good defense only allowing their opponents 56 ppg. This is a sleeper Elite 8 team-the MVC is a very underrated conference.
- Why they won’t win: Tough road ahead, potentially including Kansas and UCLA in their bracket.
- One interesting fact: The over under on announcers mentioning that a Saluki is an Egyptian dog is set at 1,024.
#16: Louisville Cardinals
- Why they will win: Rick Pitino. UK f
ans don’t like him, but they don’t like him because they know he can win. This team also has a ton of talent that just didn’t play well early in the season. - Why they won’t win: They shoot way too many threes for a team that doesn’t shoot them well. Against DePaul late in the year, they started 1-13 from the 3-point line. That won’t do against high level competition.
- One interesting fact: Louisville, originally a Bible school, was first known as Jefferson Seminary.
#15: Washington State Cougars
- Why they will win: Their head coach’s name is Tony Bennett-(insert crooner/Italian mob joke here). The Cougars run a very methodic, ball control offense that results in many low scoring games (Princeton offense minus the Princeton offense). Lead the Pac-10 in turnover margin.
- Why they won’t win: I nearly picked Oral Roberts (who beat Kansas at Kansas earlier in the season) to defeat Washington State. First tournament since 1994 (in other words I wasn’t even driving yet the last time Washington State made the tournament). If Oral Roberts is hitting threes in round one it will be one and out.
- One interesting fact: The famous logo (seen above) was originally only used on trucks around campus.
#14: Maryland Terrapins
- Why they will win: Once again, strength of schedule. Maryland played a tough out-of-conference schedule AND a tough in conference schedule. That is a rare combination, and should have this team ready.
- Why they won’t win: They play from behind too much, and there is only so often you can come back (unless you are the Kentucky Wildcats of 1998).
- One interesting fact: The Terrapins are named for “terripan soup,” a local dish.
#13: Tennessee Volunteers
- Why they will win: They have one of the nation’s best players in Chris Lofton. They also had the highest scoring average in the SEC at 79 ppg. Plus head coach Bruce Pearl will wear that orange jacket and perspire through it. He is a Degree anti-perspirant advertisement commercial just waiting to happen.
- Why they won’t win: They also ranked last in the SEC in scoring defense at 74 ppg.
- One interesting fact: From the “that can’t be right” file: “Rocky Top” is not actually the school fight song.
#12: Oregon Ducks
- Why they will win: They are hot and are pounding good teams (see USC in the Pac-10 title game). If they shoot well, they are very hard to beat.
- Why they won’t win: Their defense is suspect. They play a lot of zone, even though they don’t play it very well.
- One interesting fact: The original nickname? The Webfoots, but it had nothing to do with a duck. It was a reference to soldiers led by George Washington across the East River in 1776. How it got out west as a college nickname, no one is really sure.
#11: Pittsburgh Panthers
- Why they will win: The Panthers did very well against a tough non-conference schedule as well as Big East play. They start three seniors including 7 footer Aaron Gray.
- Why they won’t win: Pittsburgh is a team that always seems to underachieve in March. Possible second round opponent Duke could exploit some mismatches.
- One interesting fact: Don’t call them “Pitt.” The university has contacted every major media outlet and asked them to refer to the school as “Pittsburgh.”
#10: Wisconsin Badgers
- Why they will win: Defense wins championships, and this team can play it. Plus, they have some guy named Alando Tucker.
- Why they won’t win: They are missing too many parts and can’t score enough in the clutch.
- One interesting fact: The “Badgers” were not named after animals. “Badgers” was a nickname for miners who came to the area and had to “burrow” underground to sleep at night in some warmth.
#9: Memphis Tigers
- Why they will win: Memphis is currently riding a 22 game winning streak heading into the tournament. They are also coached by Slick, er, John Calapari. This is the highest paid team in the league (just kidding) that feature two first team all conference players in Joey Dorsey and Chris Douglas-Roberts.
- Why they won’t win: Their best wins this season are Kentucky and Gonzaga (in overtime). There is a reason why only one team made the tournament out of the mid-major known as Conference USA.
- One interesting fact: The school has had each of two different nickames twice. They were the Teacher, the Tigers, then the Teachers and the Tigers.
#8: Texas Longhorns
- Why they will win: Kevin Durant…
- Why they won’t win: …and who else????
- One interesting fact: A Longhorn is a type of cow that has been in American since Columbus’ second voyage. He brought them here from Spain in 1493. (No word if he “hooked ’em.”)
#7: California-Los Angeles Bruins
- Why they will win: They made the championship game against Florida last year as a two seed. Despite the loss of Jordan Farmar, this year’s version is a better all around team. Pac-10 player of the year Arron Affalo averages 16 a game and is looking to improve his performance after his lone dismal game in the Pac-10 Tournament. A team that I (Matt) am picking to go to the F
inal 4 and one of the eight teams I can see winning this tournament. Lucked out by getting perennial choke artist Kansas as the number one seed in their bracket. - Why they won’t win: This team struggled down the stretch, losing their only game in the Pac-10 tournament to Cal.
- One interesting fact: They sure have grown up. In 1919, the football team at UCLA was defeated by the Manual Arts High School 74-0. At that time, appropriately, the teams were called the Cubs.
#6: Georgetown Hoyas
- Why they will win: This team causes match-up problems all over the place. A rare combo of a semi-Princeton style offense and a team that can score a ton of points if needed.
- Why they won’t win: They sometimes rely on one position (either inside or outside) too much. It’s rare for G’Town to have a balanced scoring game.
- One interesting fact: Time to answer an important question: “What is a hoya?” While there are theories…the answer is…no one knows!
#5: Ohio State Buckeyes
- Why they will win: Very talented team which features two super freshman in center Greg Oden (this summer’s #1 overall NBA draft pick) and Michael Conley, Jr. A very deep team which plays more like an ACC/SEC team as opposed to a Big 10 team-always a positive come tournament time. They have won 17 games in a row including the Big 10 Tournament. One of the eight teams that I believe has a chance of winning.
- Why they won’t win: They are a very young team which sometimes suffers through lapses during games. One team where you really have to look for reasons why they won’t win.
- One interesting fact: Don’t think a buckeye is intimidating as a mascot? Just know that, if you eat one, you will get sick–or worse!
#4: Kansas Jayhawks
- Why they will win: Talent oozing out their pores. This team has athletes and players everywhere.
- Why they won’t win: They are Kansas. Isn’t that enough?
- One interesting fact: The Jayhawk is not a real animal. Settlers to the area saw there were blue jays and hawks and called themselves “Jayhawkers.” By 1866, the school was using the name.
#3: Texas A&M Aggies
- Why they will win: This is the team I’m picking to come out of the South region. They have the most clutch player in college basketball in Acie Law IV. They have the next best coach in Billy Gillispie. A&M can also shoot the rock from the outside. Led the nation in field goal percentage defense at 37.1%. Another one of the eight teams that I believe has a shot of winning.
- Why they won’t win: They are going into the tournament having lost two of their last three (with the lone win being against Missouri). Another team that you have to search for a reason to dislike.
- One interesting fact: TAMU joins Kentucky in something. Both have never changed nicknames. A&M is proud of its history as a school for farmers.
- Why they will win: Maybe the most talent in the entire tournament. It’s young talent, but it’s very “talented talent.” Also, Roy Williams like Coca-Cola, and that has to count for something.
- Why they won’t win: Youth. This team seems to take 5-6 minutes “off” in a lot of games. That could really cost them.
- One interesting fact: Why a ram for the Tarheels? In 1924 a cheerleader thought the school needed a mascot and there was a former famous football player who had been nicknamed “the battering ram.” UNC won its first football game with the Ram on the sideline (named Rameses), after the field goal kicker rubbed its head. The score? 3-0.
#1: Florida Gators
- Why they will win (Matt): They are the returning National Champions. It looks as if they flipped the switch on during the SEC tournament. They have the nation’s best dancer in Joakim Noah (who sounds like Mike Tyson when he talks). They are deep down low with Al Horford and Noah. Ryan Humphrey can shoot the three. Forward Corey Brewer will be a lottery pick. Head coach Billy Donovan has a career 16-7 record in the tournament. Hands down the most talented team in the tournament when they want to be. This is the pick to win and repeat as National Champions.
- Why they will win (Adam): They are just better than everyone else. It’s just that simple.
- Why they won’t win (Matt): I hope they don’t get bored against a lesser opponent. They tend to do terrible in the first half of games keeping teams in games, only to make big comebacks in the second half. Does this team really want to win the tournament? Are they motivated enough? Joakim Noah is also the biggest cry baby in college basketball.
- Why they won’t win (Adam): They are the returning champs, and have a huge bullseye on their backs.
- One interesting fact (Matt): Current World Series MVP David Eckstein of the St. Louis Cardinals is a Florida alum.
- One interesting fact (Adam): Gatorade was invented to help the Flor…..oh, yeah, Keith Jackson already told you that on the commercial.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the games.
A special “thank you” to Matt Reaves for all his help in this fun project!
