Many of the most entertaining first-round games in the NCAA Tournament have been when the #8 seed faces the #9 seed.
#8 Colorado State (25-8) vs. #9 Missouri (23-10) will be a good one.
Both teams were locks to make the tourney after having winning records in their respective conferences.
This game will be debated back and forth, but I explain why this game won’t be as close as many believe.
Who do you think will win? We help you fill out your bracket.
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The first round is over and lacked surprises. All of the players expected to be drafted, were drafted. Most of the selections were underclassmen whose upside warranted a high selection. Teams will hit and miss by using that methodology in their draft strategy. NBA teams have to take a few risks to keep up with the rest of the league.
You can make the playoffs by selecting blue chip prospects in the first round, but you win championships by having a deep bench. You will find those guys in the second round.
The last few years have seen all of the established players who spent all four years in college. Teams can draft players who can contribute right away. I give my analysis for each pick in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft.
31. Charlotte Bobcats – Jeffrey Taylor (Vanderbilt) – He’s a 6’7 small forward who is a catch and shoot player. What sets him apart is the ability to guard a point guard. Taylor was a four year player at Vandy and Charlotte is looking for guys who can contribute right away. I like this pick because the Bobcats need guys who are NBA ready.
32. Washington Wizards – Tomas Satoransky (Czech Republic) – Santoransky is a close friend of Jan Veseley who was drafted last year. He will be stashed for at least two seasons overseas and could end up being a 6’7 point guard when he arrives in Washington. He has great ball-handling skills and makes things happen when the ball is in his hands.
33. Cleveland Cavaliers (traded to Dallas) – Bernard James (Florida State) – A former member of the Air Force who served multiple tours in Iraq. He is 27 years old and can contribute right away. His best attribute is his ability to block and rebound. This is low risk as a second-round pick, but his presence in the locker room is worth it.
34. Cleveland Cavaliers (traded to Dallas) – Jae Crowder (Marquette) – The Big East Player of the Year who played four years at Marquette. Dallas seems to be focused on guys who can contribute right away and leaving the projects for the rest of the league. He is explosive and impressed me by standing out in a loaded Big East conference.
35. Golden State Warriors – Draymond Green (Michigan State) – He is a high volume rebounder who has the versatility to play both forward positions. He is a bit undersized to play a lot of minutes atthe power forward position. He is a proven winner which is always an underrated trait in the NBA.
36. Sacramento Kings (traded to Indiana) – Orlando Johnson (UC Santa Barbara) – He’s a mature pure scorer who is his school’s all-time leading scorer. If the Kings kept this pick, it would have been confusing since they have a lot of players with range. The Pacers need a guy like Johnson, so it all makes sense.
37. Toronto Raptors – Quincy Acy (Baylor) – I am surprised that he fell this far in the draft. He is super athletic and can come in and be an energy guy. He just works the entire time he’s on the floor. Every team needs a guy like Acy on their team.
38. Denver Nuggets – Quincy Miller (Baylor) – I like this Quincy even more than Quincy Acy. He came out after his freshman year and Denver can afford to let him sit. He can put up some points, which fits Denver’s offensive style.
39. Detroit Pistons – Khris Middleton (Texas A&M) – He is a late-blooming prospect. He has a soft touch with a consistent 22-foot jumper. He will be a project for Detroit but he could be worth the time in the long run.
40. Portland Trail Blazers – Will Barton (Memphis) – He has first-round talent but didn’t completely put it together in college. He could benefit from a season in the NBDL to get some seasoning.
41. Portland Trail Blazers (traded to Brooklyn Nets) – Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas) – He is a proven winner with above average skills. He could be a very nice backup point guard in the NBA.
42. Milwaukee Bucks – Doron Lamb (Kentucky) – He can light up the floor with his deep range. He is efficient with nearly 50% from downtown. He has some ball-handling skills if needed. He is a Michael Redd clone, so Milwaukee knows all about that.
43. Atlanta Hawks – Mike Scott (Virginia) – He is a fifth year season who has ankle concerns. He was first-team all ACC with great scoring ability. He is hard to cover and will be a nice bench scorer starting out in the NBA.
44. Detroit Pistons – Kim English (Missouri) – He is a gym rat who is a hard worker. He is only 6’6 and he played power forward last year. He is a pure shooting guard with unbelievable range behind the arc.
45. Philadelphia 76ers (traded to Miami) – Justin Hamilton (LSU) – He is a big guy that could help Miami’s need of size in the paint. He isn’t very athletic, but can rebound and take up space in the paint.
46. New Orleans Hornets – Darius Miller (Kentucky) – He is the lone senior on Kentucky who was the leader on a National Championship squad. He is a mature player who can contribute right away. He can help with the development of Anthony Davis, who he played with for one season.
47. Utah Jazz – Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech) – He is the only player to score 50+ points in D-1 college basketball last season. He is a pure shooter with skills to get to the free throw line. He didn’t face elite talent, but stood out in his conference.
48. New York Knicks – Kostas Papanikolaou (Greece) – This is a value pick at #48. He won’t be in the NBA for a couple years, but he was great in Greek League. He was the best player during the Euro League Final last season.
49. Orlando Magic – Kyle O’Quinn (Norfolk State) – He was the nation’s top mid-major player this season. He’s a big guy (6’10 242 lbs.) and has a wingspan of 7’5. He might surprise some people and make Orlando’s squad.
50. Denver Nuggets – Izzet Turkyilmaz (Turkey) – He’s a 6’11 thin power forward who may never play in the NBA. This is an extreme reach, but at #50, it’s worth a shot in the dark.
51. Boston Celtics – Kris Joseph (Syracuse) – A good stand-still 3-point shooter. He could help fill the void if Ray Allen leaves via free agency. He already has something in common with Allen…he isn’t a good defender.
52. Golden State Warriors – Ognjen Kuzmic (Bosnia And Herzegovina) – He’s a 7’0 center with only one year of high-level competition. He may never make it to the NBA, but once again, teams use late second-round picks on players worth taking a flyer on.
53. Los Angeles Clippers – Furkan Aldemir (Turkey) – He’s 20 years old with major rebounding skills aat only 6’9. He averaged 15 rebounds per game in an under-20 tournament.
54. Philadelphia 76ers – Tornike Shengelia (Georgia) – He is a scorer who attacks the basket. He lacks a good jumper who will be overseas for a few seasons. He goes by the nickname ‘Toko’.
55. Dallas Mavericks – Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette) – He has a 40-inch vertical who can drive in the paint. He is a hard worker who can make an NBA team.
56. Toronto Raptors – Tomislav Zubcic (Croatia) – He’s a big project who will stay oversears (surprise, surprise). He has average rebounding skills and Toronto hopes that he improves and can bring him to the NBA in a few years.
57. Brooklyn Nets – Ilkan Karaman (Turkey) – Another Turkish player drafted in the second round of this year’s draft. He is an undersized power forward who will either be a big hit or a big miss.
58. Minnesota Timberwolves – Robbie Hummel (Purdue) – He was once a projected first-round draft pick, but was derailed by serious knee injuries. He is a two-time All-American and can really help Minnesota. This could be a huge steal if he can overcome his past knee problems.
59. San Antonio Spurs – Marcus Denman (Missouri) – I love this pick. He is an undersized guard who isn’t afraid to take big shots. He impressed me in many games this season and along with Hummel could surprise a lot of people by making the team and earning playing time.
60. Los Angeles Lakers – Robert Sacre (Gonzaga) – 7’0 260 lbs…he’s a big guy with ball skills. He is a good rebounder, but lacks shot blocking ability. The last three picks all have the ability to make their respective teams.
Earlier in the week, I broke down the early rounds in the Midwest, East, West and South Region analyses. Before the field was set, I mentioned some possible underdogs and upsets. All that is left is for me to breakdown who I think will still be there in the Elite Eight and the Final Four. Will a Cinderella team advance this far?
South Region Elite Eight: Kentucky & Baylor
I think this will be an epic match-up with many future NBA players in this contest. Baylor’s pre-tournament resumé is impressive, but at times, they have looked very beatable. The play of Perry Jones III will need to be consistent for Baylor to make the Elite Eight. If these teams meet, Anthony Davis and Terrence Jones will dominate and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has a chance of being a standout in this tournament. Baylor won’t be able to match the talent on Kentucky and the Wildcats advance to the Final Four.
South Region Winner: Kentucky Wildcats
West Region Elite Eight: Louisville & Missouri
Rick Pitino has the Cardinals playing very well. They ended the season on a high note and winning the Big East tournament validates your team as being a contender in this tournament. Louisville should be able to beat Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen. I just think that they are a better “team,” since the Spartans rely heavily on Draymond Green. As far as Missouri is concerned, they will be tested against Florida, Marquette, and possibly Murray State, but the Tigers have elite talent. I love Marcus Denman and Ricardo Ratcliffe and Missouri will benefit from having a balanced inside/outside offensive attack. Louisville and Missouri play different styles and the Cardinals will play a lot of full-court press and trap. I’s take Louisville’s defense over Missouri’s offense.
West Region Winner: Louisville Cardinals
East Region Elite Eight: Syracuse and Ohio State
I think this region will be very “chalk.” I could see Southern Miss giving some teams some trouble early and possibly a team like West Virginia could get hot. Even without Fab Melo, Syracuse’s route to the Elite Eight is pretty light. I see them beating Southern Miss and Vandy/Wisconsin, those teams don’t match up well with the Orange. The bottom half of the bracket will also be as expected. I like Florida State a lot, but if they face the Buckeyes in the Sweet Sixteen, I don’t like them in that game. I expect a nice tournament from Jared Sullinger and William Buford. Syracuse and Ohio State are pretty similar teams, but without Melo, Sullinger will be able to work inside. This will be the first game that will hurt the Orange without Melo. I see the Buckeyes moving onto the Final Four in the East Region.
East Region Winner: Ohio State Buckeyes
Midwest Region Elite Eight: North Carolina and Kansas
This region will have a few upsets with Temple advancing over Michigan and I like San Diego State against Georgetown. After those upsets, it’ll be North Carolina versus Kansas in the Elite Eight. This is a game that I have been waiting for all season. I love a lot of players in this game. It will be fun to watch Harrison Barnes and Thomas Robinson in the same game. I’m not a huge fan of John Henson, he also comes into the tournament with injury problems. I think Kansas is a better team, even though the Tar Heels come into this contest with the most talent on paper. The Jayhawks should be the team that advances into the Final Four in the Midwest.
Midwest Region Winner: Kansas Jayhawks
Final Four Matchups
Kentucky vs Louisville & Ohio State vs. Kansas
These teams met earlier this season and it wasn’t very close. This is a different Louisville team than when the Wildacts faced them. They have learned to play in big games and they proven it by winning the Big East tournament. I don’t think they will beat Kentucky, but it will be a closer game. The freshmen on Kentucky will have to give their best to pull out the win, I believe they will step up and advance to the Championship Game.
Kansas and Ohio State will be an epic game as well. Tyshawn Taylor will probably cover William Buford, who had trouble scoring against other great talent. Ohio State will have to rely a lot on Sullinger, who has a hard time scoring against Robinson inside. He has a hard time playing “above the rim” and Robinson will take advantage of that. I see Kansas beating the Buckeyes in a close game.
Championship Game: Kentucky vs Kansas
This will be a rematch of the game that happened in November. Kentucky won that game 75-65 with Anthony Davis registering 7 blocks. Taylor lead the Jayhawks in scoring, but got most of his 22 points from the free-throw line. The Wildcats had a very balanced offensive attack with Jones, Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist, and Doron Lamb scoring in double-digits. I see the same kind of game happening the second time around. Kentucky just has too much talent on the team and they gelled as the season progressed. I see the loss against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament final as an aberration. The Wildcats excel in all aspects of the game and even hit their free-throws, which is odd for a John Calipari team. He will prove that a team can win the NCAA Tournament with mostly freshmen.
2012 NCAA Tournament Champion: Kentucky Wildcats
This team has the makings of an epic tournament. A lot of the seed from #3 to #10 are closer than in year’s past. A double-digit seed has a chance of advancing into the Sweet 16 or beyond. Everyone has their “favorite Cinderella team” and we would like to know which team is your dark horse to win the tournament? Is it a lower-seeded power conference team or one of the elite mid-major teams? Which power conference will disappoint?
Do you want to know which team is our super upset pick? We love Iona to win a couple games in the tournament this year. They barely squeaked in, but they have NBA-level talent on their team. They will have to win their “play-in game” to officially be a part of the field. They may not win the whole thing, but I like how they play together as a team.
As much as the Big Ten was praised this year, the teams lack greatness. There are a lot of good teams, but even Ohio State and Michigan State have over-looked some weaker opponents. I don’t see many teams in this conference advancing into the Sweet 16. I like the Big 12 & SEC teams in the tournament field. Kansas, Baylor, and Missouri could easily end up in the Final Four. Baylor needs to be consistent and get the most out of Perry Jones III.
Let us know about your brackets and why your bracket will win your 2012 NCAA Tournament pool.
