MINNEAPOLIS BRACKET
The other Huskies-the Huskies of Villanova-are led by a guard quartet that has generated much publicity and have become household names. Head Coach Jay Wright starts 6’0″ guard Kyle Lowry, who is tough and has high b-ball IQ; 6’2″ guard Allen Ray, a shooting wizard; 6’2″ guard Mike Nardi, the team’s three-point specialist; and 6’4″ combo guard Randy Foye, the best of the bunch.
How does a team start four guards and manage to be successful? Well, these guys are an unusual bunch because of their quickness on defence and their devoted work on the glass. The Huskies are so fast on D that most teams don’t have the energy or skill to compete with them for a full 40 minutes.
OAKLAND BRACKET
The everyday hoops fan recognizes Gonzaga for their goofy-looking, moustachioed junior forward Adam Morrison. We’ll get to him in a second, but first let’s look at another component that may determine the team’s fate in the tourney.
J.P. Batista is a 6’9″, 270-pound beast. Batista is hard to handle on the inside, with the ability to score in a variety of ways and grab tons of rebounds (19 PPG and 10 RPG).
Now back to the kid some are calling the next Larry Bird: Adam Morrison. Morrison may be pretty fly for a white guy, but he truly is something more. He has the remarkable ability to come off screens and make shot after shot. He can drain the three, take you down on the block and score in more ways than most.
Morrison led the entire nation with 28 PPG this year. Stopping this prolific scorer is one key to victory, but Gonzaga also has other ways to beat teams, as their second-round win over Indiana proved. The Hoosiers held Morrison to 14 points, but still fell to the mighty Bulldogs.
WASHINGTON BRACKET
With more NBA talent than the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks combined, the Connecticut Huskies should be an easy pick for the title. This being said, they’ve experienced inconsistent team play and a lack of passion over the latter half of the season.
The Huskies have good depth and can beat opponents in several ways. They have all of the tools to go the distance, but have seemed vulnerable, as evidenced by their squeaking past 16th seed Albany in the first round of the tournament.
Player of the year candidate Rudy Gay leads Connecticut in scoring. Gay has all the talent in the world, but may not have the mental toughness to back it up.
The UConn front line is imposing and deep enough to sustain foul trouble to any of their talented forwards- Jeff Adrien, Hilton Armstrong, and Josh Boone. On the wing is the combination of Toronto native Denham Brown and three-point specialist Rashad Anderson, who is the team’s sixth man. At the point is the dime-droppin’ laptop thief, Marcus Williams. Williams was caught earlier this year trying to sell two stolen laptops and was consequently suspended by the team for the first semester.
ATLANTA BRACKET
The Duke Blue Devils are led by two All-Americans in J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams. Redick may be the best pure shooter-and most hated player-in basketball. He also has the heart of a medieval warrior, similar to King Arthur in all those British legends.
Williams is a blue-collar player who will bang inside for rebounds and give you a legitimate low-post scoring threat. He’s also one the nation’s best shot blockers and face-up defenders on the blocks.
At the point Coach K uses freshman Greg Paulus, a former top-rated high school QB. Paulus is a tough-minded and intelligent player who can dish the ball with ease. He was one of the first freshmen to lead the ACC in assists, averaging five a game.
The Blue Devils do not have a deep bench and ultimately will rely heavily on the efforts of Redick and Williams to win.
