Eight teams will be left standing after Friday — and four of them could be
the top seeds.
Kansas and Ohio State both advanced on Thursday night and today it'll be the
defending national champion Florida Gators and North Carolina who will try to
avoid the distinction of becoming the first No. 1 seed to get knocked out.
The Gators needed a last-second shot from Mike Miller to knock off Butler in
the 2000 NCAA tournament. They had better hope the Sweet 16 game doesn't come
down to a final possession, because Todd Lickliter's team has proven it can
knock off high-majors this season.
The Gators have struggled to put together a full 40-minutes in their first
two tournament games, but when it mattered, they made plays down the stretch.
It would certainly be a surprise if Billy Donovan's club didn't get past the
Bulldogs to face the winner of the Oregon-UNLV matchup.
Talk about a game that's difficult to figure.
Ernie Kent wasn't even supposed to be here. In fact, he was nearly fired a
year ago. The chatter among numerous college coaches a little more than a year
ago was that he was out after personal problems and his team's failure to live
up to expectations.
Now Kent has his perimeter-oriented Ducks in the Sweet 16 — and he's busy
telling people he'd talk to Michigan if they call. Don't sit by the phone,
Ernie. It's not going to happen.
Kent does have some talent, though. It starts with senior guard Aaron Brooks
and goes all the way down to diminutive freshman point guard Tajuan Porter. He's
got wings Malik Hairston and Bryce Taylor in between.
But Lon Kruger has his kid, Kevin. You know, the one-year transfer that
forced the NCAA to change the rule that allowed kids who graduated and still had
a year of eligibility remaining to transfer without having to sit out a year.
Kevin makes big shots. He's got help from Wendell White, but this team is
just that — a team. Kruger (the coach) is smart. His name's being mentioned
for Michigan also, but he's mum on the topic.
It's about the game. No distractions. He wants out of Vegas as much as Kent
wants to bolt Eugene, but he's bright enough to give a cool "no
comment" when asked about other jobs.
Vanderbilt and Georgetown will play in the East region. The Hoyas seem to be
everyone's "hot" pick these days because Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert &
Co., are on a roll after starting out the season by struggling.
But name the Hoyas guards? OK, maybe you knew it was Jonathan Wallace and
Jessie Sapp, but doesn't everyone know that guards are what matters most in
March? Hibbert isn't going to bring home a national championship — and the
backcourt duo of Wallace and Sapp doesn't exactly measure up to Affalo and
Collison, Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey or even Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers.
But Vandy may be overmatched nonetheless. Kevin Stallings' duo of Derrick Byars and Shan Foster has carried the Commodores so far, but they will need more
out of their big guys, which may be asking too much.
The most intriguing game of the night will likely be the Tar Heels against
the USC Trojans.
Two of the best coaches in America: Roy Williams against Tim Floyd.
Two teams with completely different personalities.
The Tar Heels are ridiculously talented and most of their players have had
their egos stroked throughout much of their lives. They've been told how good
they are — and many of them play as though they believe it.
If Ty Lawson and Brandan Wright start to play with even half the intensity of
their teammate, Tyler Hansbrough, you can end this tournament right now.
However, it hasn't happened yet — so don't expect the Tar Heels to start
playing a full 40 minutes now.
Floyd's Trojans are a bunch of under-the-radar guys who play with a chip on
their shoulder. They wanted to be recruited by North Carolina and UCLA, but were
passed over and told they weren't good enough.
Nick Young wants the ball in his hands with the game on the line, but the key
for Floyd will be making certain that aged freshman Taj Gibson stays out of foul
trouble — because USC isn't deep up front and the Trojans will need to find a
way to contain Hansbrough and Wright.
The day won't result in a pair of No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups — as Thursday
did. However, it could provide us with a full set of top seeds going into the
Elite Eight.