Friday, February 09, 2007

Nerdfest Nerdicon 9000

Dudes. DUDES. There are very few things in this world that I nerd-out over as much as NCAA brackets. To me, it's what makes college basketball perfect. So imagine my combination of glee and envy when I read of Pat Forde's and Andy Katz's experience on a mock-selection committee. I absolutely LOVE this stuff. And I'll tell you now, the brackets that they came up with are pretty much on the money. The whole "bracketology" thing fascinates me and I am very guilty of trying my hand at it at least once a year. It's fun, you see.

Later on, when I'm not as busy as I am now, I'm going to offer my own projections, 1-65. Or at the very least, all the at-large bids. But for now, here's a few lists with respect to March. It should be noted that not every team has a definitive place on these lists. Off the top of my head...

Teams I love - Squads that I think have an excellent shot at the Final Four:
Florida
UCLA
Wisconsin

Teams I like - Squads who I believe will perform well, that have a chance at overachieving, but are susceptible to slip up given the right (or wrong, as it were) matchup:

North Carolina
Marquette
USC - This is your bracket buster, right here.
Oregon
Texas A&M - The one team I believe in out of the Big XII.
Nevada
Ohio State - Better than Pitt or Kansas, but, as Florida and Wisconsin have shown, they're second tier all the way.
Air Force
Washington State
Missouri State - More offensive punch than Southern Illinois has.
Georgetown - People loved them at the start of the year for a reason. They'd relish the "sleeper" role.
Butler - This year's Gonzaga and they're for real.
Stanford - Young, hungry, getting hot at the right time. Sleeper.

Teams I don't like - Clubs that will need a favorable draw to make a dent in the tournament or are prone to upset:
Pitt - They could turn into the team that Wisconsin obliterated at any second.
Kansas - It's a mental issue.
Arizona - Go Cats!
Clemson - ACC play has revealed many, many, many chinks in the armor.
Duke - They just lack the horses this year.
Memphis - Conference USA is so bad and these guys haven't impressed since November.
Oklahoma State - Miserable on the road...
Texas - Who knows? Maybe Kevin Durant's got some Danny Manning in him, too? It's Texas' only prayer.
Kentucky
Boston College - Changed my tune on this one from the start of the year. Uncomfortable with the depleted roster.
Creighton - Even though the MVC is brutal, they've been too erratic all season.

Teams I hate - Stay away from these lousy teams:
Alabama - Tops on this list with a bullet...
LSU - Overrated. Badly.
Michigan State
Syracuse
UConn

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