Pitt is nowhere near a finesse team; they rely on gritty, overpowering play. They made a great run at the Big East title, and I think they will come into this game worn down. From memory, I can recall Maryland in 2004 and Syracuse in 2006 as the most recent teams to make upset runs to win a major conference tournament as a low seed. Both of those teams looked spent in their NCAA tournament appearances. And Pittsburgh, like Syracuse in '06, had to win the Big East by playing four games in four nights. It seems like the success of the conference tournament run has been the peak of this sort of team's season, at least for the teams who have walked Pitt's path in recent years. ORU, on the other hand, has "been there, done that," with their league title, and they should be very well-rested and prepared. I think they're poised for a big win.
The pick: Oral Roberts
(6) Marquette vs. (11) Kentucky
The Wildcats may not be a good team by Kentucky standards, but they're certainly a solid team. Since beating Tennessee in late January, Kentucky is 11 - 3 with wins over three tournament teams. But out of conference, the Wildcats were really bad. This team lost to UAB, Houston, George Washington, and San Diego. Those early season losses quickly put their team in the spotlight and got them labeled as a disappointment. However, they rebounded to have a good conference season.
On the other hand, Marquette has quietly had a very good year. They've been playing consistent basketball all season; they picked up a lot of quality wins in conference and their only out of conference loss was to Duke by four points. They were able to beat Notre Dame by ten points in the Big East tournament, which looks like a really impressive win. I'm sure this is a game that many will agonize over while filling out the brackets; it's hard to pick against a traditional powerhouse, even during a down year.
The pick: Marquette
(3) Stanford vs. (14) Cornell
The Ivy League automatic qualifier is always such a mysterious team; the only people who have seen them play are those that watch ESPNU even when better games are on five other stations on a Sunday afternoon. This team did go 22 - 5, but they're hard to compare to the field. They didn't play many marquee out of conference games, and their lack of a conference tournament keeps them off the radar for a big chunk of the country. I guess their biggest win was over Siena, champions of the MAAC. The best teams they played were Syracuse (lost by 16) and Duke (lost by 14.) I
t is worth noting that the Duke game was the last one they lost, and that was on January 6. There is something to be said for that long of a win streak, but they haven't played anyone. I used to fall victim to picking the Ivy League teams because they're really fun to pull for; they always look so overmatched that it's really hard to root against them.
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