March Madness: Notre Dame and Texas Look to Start Strong; Michigan Returns
By Jason Lisk
WEST REGIONAL- #4 Texas vs. #13 Oakland (CBS, 12:15)
Texas is a bit of a lightning rod here. Final Four contender, or first round flop? Oakland was on my short list of potential upset teams, but that was before getting a bad draw. The Golden Grizzlies will play fast and will run with Texas for a bit. Texas’ big men have more depth, and if Oakland’s duo of Keith Benson and Will Hudson can stay out of foul trouble, they can keep it close.
The Pick: Texas. Oakland will be game, but Texas eventually pulls away late.
WEST REGIONAL- #8 Michigan vs. #9 Tennessee (TruTV, 12:40)
Two teams going in opposite directions. Tennessee has the tournament experience and some notable wins over good teams earlier in the year. Michigan came on in the latter half of the Big Ten schedule, and beat both Michigan State and Illinois in the final week. Tim Hardaway, Jr. is emerging, and John Beilein can coach in the tournament.
The Pick: Michigan. They’ve played better of late, and Tennessee is a little overvalued for my taste. Besides, who couldn’t use a good Michigan/Duke game after the Fab Five documentary?
SOUTHWEST REGIONAL#2 Notre Dame vs. #15 Akron (TBS, 1:40)
Akron’s 7-foot center, Zeke Marshall, is one of the best shot blockers in the country. The Zips shoot a lot of three pointers, and they will counter the Fighting Irish with Brett McLanahan and Steve McNees, who have both attempted over 200 deep shots. While they don’t have anyone as tall as Marshall, the Irish will have the height advantage everywhere else, and can use the diversity of their big men to counter him. Notre Dame has been deadly efficient on offense of late, and I suspect that continues here.
The Pick: Notre Dame.
EAST REGIONAL – #8 George Mason vs. #9 Villanova (TNT, 2:10)
This should be a fun game, as Villanova’s perimeter threesome of Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes and Maalik Wayns goes against George Mason’s team of guards and small forwards, led by Cam Long. George Mason shoots and defends three pointers really well, and avoids turnovers. Villanova, meanwhile, doesn’t tend to create many turnovers, so look for GMU to get opportunities. Fisher and Wayns take too many threes (Wayns is only shooting 27%) and need to penetrate. Mouphtaou Yarou needs to come up big in this game, because the matchup dictates that he should be an integral part of the game plan in attacking George Mason.
Oh, and this is the Gus Johnson/Len Elmore pod in Cleveland, (above sporting an apparent gift from an Indiana State supporter), so expect some cold blooded action.
The Pick: George Mason’s shooters beat Villanova’s chuckers, and the Wildcats’ slide comes to an end.
[Hardaway photo via Getty; Gus via Trib-Star, h/t: @TheSplenda]