The Sweet 16 and Beyond: Random Thoughts

Best Looking Team Through Rounds One and Two

Connecticut Huskies

The Huskies destroyed their first two opponents; Chattanooga and Texas A&M by a combined 82 points. You thought after Jerome Dyson was injured UCONN might be vulnerable, think again. With AJ Price outside, and Hasheem Thabeet owning the middle, the Huskies have it all and are playing like it.

Just Happy To Be in the Sweet 16

Purdue Boilermakers

A mild upset over Washington, and Purdue made it into the second round of the NCAAs. Nice job Purdue, very nice job, but don't pack for an extended stay in the tournament.

Up next is UCONN, and this one one could get very ugly.

Shakiest No. 1 Seed

Pittsburgh Panthers

This was close with Louisville, but I give the edge to Pitt, because they just aren't playing very good defense right now.

Undersized Oklahoma St shot 48% against the Panthers, and even East Tennessee St. shot 50% in a closer-than-it-should-have-been first round game.

Pitt should get by Xavier, but facing team a like a Villanova or Duke in the Elite 8, that can shoot the three, could spell trouble for Pitt if their D doesn't get better.

Most Important Player to their Team

Ty Lawson

This one is easy. Ty Lawson is everything for North Carolina and their national title hopes. 

A team as talented as the Heels, with players like Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, and Wayne Ellington, is very good, but Ty Lawson is the guy that makes it go. No team in the country is better in transition than the Tar Heels, but without Lawson the Heels are just another soft, overrated ACC squad.

Without Lawson they might slip by Gonzaga, but not Oklahoma or Syracuse. Could you imagine Bobby Frasor matching up with Jonny Flynn for Syracuse? That's a mismatch nightmare.

Blake Griffin of Oklahoma runs a close second. With him, the Sooners are a Final Four threat, without him they couldn't have got by Michigan last week.

Dark Horse Team That Can Get To The Final Four

Arizona Wildcats

Victory over Gonzaga, and a 17 point win over Kansas, proves, as most thought, that Arizona are one dangerous team. 

If the the Wildcats can defeat Louisville, they know they can beat Kansas, and is anyone really scared of Michigan State? I just can't get out of my mind the way North Carolina ran the Spartans out of the gym earlier this season.

The Pre-Final Four Matchup We All Want to See 

UCONN vs Memphis

Memphis is one of the very few teams in the nation that can even come close to matching UCONN's length and athleticism. This would be a fantastic game, and the winner would become the NCAA favorite to win it all, along with the Tar Heels, if Ty Lawson is good to play.  

Team With The Most To Prove

Duke Blue Devils

Some might think it's Memphis, but I don't think so. Memphis went to the national title game last year, and are again rolling over opponents this tournament, just ask Grevis Vasquez of Maryland, who found that out after being quoted as saying Memphis "couldn't go .500 in the ACC." The Tigers are good, and if you don't think so you're nuts.

Duke hasn't been to the Final Four since 2004, there a lot of people who say Coach K's recruiting has dropped off, and UNC and Roy Williams rule the ACC.

Duke has now slipped behind not only UNC, but also UCONN as the premier basketball program in America, and there have been several recent NCAA flameouts. The ACC tournament title was nice but a return to the Final Four would be even better.

Team No One Is Talking About

Missouri Tigers

Let's give Missouri some love. They've won 30 games this season, and the Quinn Snyder mess is a distant memory. This team will pressure you for 40 minutes, and you will earn it if you can beat Mike Anderson's squad.

Finals Matchup We Want To See

UCONN vs UNC: Please let Ty Lawson be healthy, because this would be one of the best Finals matchup of the last 10 years.

Probably at least a half dozen future NBAer's, hall of fame coaches Jim Calhoun and Roy Williams, Traditional power UNC against the past decade's best team—Connecticut. This would be a great matchup.