As the Sweet 16 kicks off, many of you are still getting over the bracket busting upsets that was the first two rounds of this year’s NCAA Tournament. As predicted, this year’s tourney has been full of unpredictables.
The first round was amazing. Who knew that Montana would upset Nevada or that Wisconsin-Milwaukee would pull it out against Oklahoma? Perhaps the most surprising outcome was Northwestern State getting a last second 3-pointer to advance to the second round. Many also expected the Syracuse magic to take them to the Final Four, but they were upset by Texas A&M. Must have been the infamous fifth-seed curse. There were some games that ended as expected. Villanova, Memphis and Duke all easily took care of their opponents, while those who watched thought perhaps UConn would be the first No 1 seed to lose in the first round. Oh well, those folks were let down when the Huskies pulled out the victory.
The second round was somewhat different, featuring just a few upsets. Who knew that little ol’ Bradley would upset Final Four favorite Pittsburgh? It’s pretty safe to say that nobody expected Tennessee and North Carolina to be upset by Wichita State and George Mason.
That leads us to the much anticipated Sweet 16. This year brings some great matchups. Duke and LSU, Villanova and Boston College, Florida and Georgetown, and Gonzaga vs. UCLA all promise fireworks. Don’t forget Texas and West Virginia or the two Cinderella teams, George Mason and Wichita State. Who will make the Elite 8? My picks are Duke, Texas, Memphis, UCLA, UConn, George Mason, BC and Georgetown.
By now you’re wondering who will be the Final Four. I am sticking to my picks from last week, but I must say that Memphis has me a little worried. However, I still don’t believe they are too inconsistent for UCLA, a team that knows how to play big in big games. For those who may have forgotten, my picks were Duke, UCLA, UConn and Boston College, with Duke and UConn advancing to the finals. Of course, those Duke Blue Devils win prevail victorious in a close one to be crowned NCAA Champions.
Don’t you just love this game?
Patrick Thompson is a sophomore mass communication major from Fairfield, Calif.