March Madness Q&A
It’s Tournament Time -- finally. After months of needlessly hitting “refresh” on Gamecast and staying up well past midnight to watch games in Hawaii, the field of 65 is just days away from being set. Who’s in, who’s out? I have no idea. What I do know is that the first 2 rounds of the NCAA Tournament are the most gambled-on event this side of the Superbowl - so it’s going to take more than a non-production week the week of the tournament to keep The Stool from covering March Madness. Obviously we don’t know the brackets as of yet, but hopefully this article will help answer some questions you might have in preparation for the next few weeks.
Q. – Where are the opening round games and does “home court” have an impact?
A. – The opening round games are in Lexington, Sacramento, Buffalo (huh?), Winston-Salem, Chicago, Columbus, New Orleans and Spokane. “Home court” does have an impact, but not as much as you might think. For example, let’s say Duke is placed in Winston-Salem. Don’t automatically assume just because they’re from North Carolina, they’ll have the home crowd. These tickets are sold WELL in advance of the tournament – you’ll have UNC, Wake Forest, NC State and plenty of other fans who hate Duke in attendance. If a lower seeded team is keeping it close against the Blue Devils, you can expect at least half the crowd to start pulling for them, and in turn, THEY would gain the home court advantage over Duke. Same theory applies really to any of the teams other than if Kentucky is assigned to Lexington or Ohio State draws Columbus.
Q. – Can a team like Florida “flip a switch” come tournament time?
A. – In the last 10 years the only team that has successfully “flipped the switch” was the Connecticut team of 2004 with Okafor and Ben Gordon. They were clearly the best team going into the season, then underachieved, qualifying for the NCAA’s as a #2 seed before rattling off 6 straight to win the National Championship. So sure, it can happen. Is it likely? Well, Florida certainly has the talent to repeat, but coming out of a weak SEC, I’d be surprised if they did.
Q – Wat are the top free throw shooting teams in this year’s tournament?
A. – Good question. Most gamblers know that free throws at the end of games are HUGE when it comes to covering spreads. Certain teams just kill you, others become your new best friend. So if you’re expecting a close game, here are the top 8 teams in this year’s field from the line: Villanova, Air Force, Butler, Nevada, Creighton, Gonzaga and Arizona. Who CAN'T shoot free throws? Memphis. The Tigers' embarrassing 61% puts them dead last in the field.
Q – Is the Pac-10 really the “Conference of Champions”?
A – First of all I didn’t come up with that name, that’s what the Pac-10 calls themselves in their commercials. But yes, this year I think they are. This might be the strongest Pac-10 field I can remember and am very much looking forward to watching (and betting on) this week’s Pac-10 tournament as well as the Pac-10 teams who qualify for the NCAA’s. Namely UCLA, USC, Washington State and Oregon. All 4 of those teams I can see in the Elite 8, maybe 2 in the Final 4. And as a free pick, I like 10th seeded Arizona State to outright Washington in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament on Wednesday. Just buy me a beer at The Place on the 16th….
Q – Who is Gus Johnson and what impact will he have on the Tournament?
A - If you’ve been following the tournament the last 10 years and especially if you’ve been reading The Stool the last 3, you know Gus Johnson is the CBS announcer who has just a ridiculous, uncanny ability to call upsets. 2005 he had Vermont over Syracuse. Last year, who do you think was the announcer for George Mason’s first 2 games? You got it – Gus. The problem is we don’t know where CBS is going to send him until the day of the game so it’s tough to handicap accordingly. As soon as we do though, we’ll keep you posted on Barstoolsports.com.
Q – Who’s the most “electrifying” player in the tournament?
A – Easy one. Oregon’s Aaron Brooks. I’ve seen him play a few times this year - he reminds me of God Shammgod with the ball, except he can shoot. The Ducks are an overlooked team out west that I think is scary with Brooks (a senior) and Tajuan Porter (a freshman) in the backcourt.
Q – Who’s the most overrated team in this year’s field?
A – Air Force. First of all they’re 3rd in the freakin’ Mountain West but somehow getting an 8 seed in the latest “Bracketology”. I don’t get this team. Sure, they’ve got some good early wins against Texas Tech and Stanford, but they finished horribly losing to Utah and TCU, both of whom stink, before losing at UNLV and then BYU at home. I’m picking against them in the first round and frankly, I think San Diego State is a stronger team than Air Force out of the Mountain West if they can get in. 2nd most overrated team in the field - Southern Illinois.
Q – How will BC do this year?
A – Ugh. Last year the Superfans had Villanova by the balls in the Sweet 16 after overcoming the “1000 pounds of adversity” in the first 2 rounds – this year, I just don’t see any evidence to suggest they’re going anywhere in this year’s Dance. Maybe a strong showing in the ACC tournament will change my mind, but as of today, I don’t think the Eagles advance past the first round.
Q – Who has the best name in this year’s tournament?
A – I thought it was “Luc Richard Mbah a Moute” on UCLA, but after seeing Creighton play on Sunday, I’m going with the Blue Jays’ “Nate Funk”.
Q – Speaking of UCLA, are they your pick to win it all?
A – Yes. As of now. They’re the best team in the best conference in the country. I’ve heard people say they tanked the Washington game the last game of the season – not true. This irks me more than anything – did you WATCH the friggin’ game? UCLA was down 18 and cut the lead to 4 in the second half of a game that was essentially meaningless because they had already clinched the Pac-10 on Thursday. I think the Bruins have all the ingredients for a championship – great defense, check. Great guard play – Afflalo, Collison. Check. Experience – they made the finals last year. Check. Ability to win on the road - UCLA only lost 4 times away from home. Check. How can anyone bet against this team? I know I’m not.
Good luck in your brackets and we’ll see you March 16th at The Place.