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After watching enough basketball over four days to make my eyes bleed, here's what I've learned:
--The Missouri Valley Conference was worth the hype. Bradley and Wichita State have both dominated their opponents.
--The Big Ten should be ashamed. It got lots of love in the RPI, being called the top conference in the country, but it flamed out in the tournament. Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State should all be particularly embarrassed by their losses.
--Memphis is unbelievably fast. It's like the tape is rolling a bit too fast when the Tigers have the ball. If you aren't ready for the transition, they are past you and at the basket. They have been the best-looking team so far, though Florida and Duke have been close.
--Patrick Sparks of Kentucky is the least likely big-time college hoops player in the world. He looks like he should be serving beer at the corner bar. He sure can ball, though.
--Brandon Roy of Washington is really impressive. So are Patrick O'Bryant of Bradley, Paul Miller of Wichita State, Glen Davis of LSU, Roy Hibbert of Georgetown, Marcus Williams of Arizona and Randy Foye of Villanova.
--Hate Duke if you want to (and I do), but nine straight Sweet Sixteens is an incredible feat.
--Seeding means much less than it used to. Two No. 7s, an 11 and a 13 are playing next weekend. Low seeds getting through usually happens, but rarely have they looked as good as they have this year. There isn't a fluke win among those teams. Only the No. 1 seed seems to mean anything anymore.
--George Mason was told by everyone that it had stolen its spot in the tournament. Then the Patriots handily beat Michigan State and North Carolina. I guess they did deserve to be here after all.
--There's something about teams from Washington - both Washington and Gonzaga are from the state of Washington, while George Mason and Georgetown are from Washington, D.C.
Now that most of our brackets have huge holes in them and many of our predictions fell flat, here's a quick look at what is actually happening in the Sweet Sixteen.
Atlanta Region:
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 4 LSU - Duke had some questions coming in after a couple of weeks of sluggish performance, but the Blue Devils have been in top form so far. They play an LSU Tigers team that barely won against Texas A&M, but could challenge the Blue Devils if playing their best. Duke is a solid favorite, but an LSU win is not out of the question.
No. 2 Texas vs. No. 6 West Virginia - I was down on Texas coming into the tournament, but the Longhorns have looked very good. They will have their hands full with West Virginia, however. The Mountaineers have been all business. They have been here before just last year and it shows. This is a very intriguing game. I have Texas on my bracket, but I'd change it if I could. I think.
Oakland Region
No. 1 Memphis vs. No. 13 Bradley - On paper this should be no contest, but they won't be playing on paper. Bradley should be outclassed, but it has controlled its first two games completely. Make no mistake, the Braves are for real. They will need to find a way to contain the incredible Memphis speed. I look for Memphis to burst the Bradley balloon, but then I said the same thing about Kansas, too.
No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 3 Gonzaga - The match-up I have been waiting for. The Bruins play amazing defense, so it will be interesting to watch how they handle Adam Morrison. Gonzaga finally played to its potential in the second round. It will have to try to get the young UCLA team off its game. I have UCLA to win on my bracket, but it's going to come down to the last minute.
Washington, D.C. Region
No. 1 UConn vs. No. 5 Washington - If someone gives me a dollar for every lame Huskies vs. Huskies pun we hear before this one is over, I can retire. UConn is practically an All-Star team, but it hasn't played like it yet. The eastern Huskies have obviously won, but both Albany and Kentucky kept it closer than it should have been. As for the western Huskies, the world is discovering how good Brandon Roy is and he will be looking to take the love to the next level. I still like UConn to win it all, but they can't look past Washington.
No. 7 Wichita State vs. No. 11 George Mason - Of course, we all had this on our brackets. To use a terrible pun, the Shockers are shockingly good. They didn't just beat Seton Hall and Tennessee, they manhandled them. My first reaction would be that they would easily handle George Mason, but the Patriots controlled a very good North Carolina team. Either way, we have a new Cinderella for the Elite Eight, but I think that Wichita State will be wearing the slipper after a very interesting game.
Minneapolis Region
No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 4 Boston College - I think B.C. dodged a bullet when it avoided Nevada in the second round. It looked vulnerable against Pacific, so I have no idea how it will match up against Villanova and its embarrassment of riches at guard. I will be quite surprised if Villanova doesn't cruise into the Eight.
No. 3 Florida vs. No. 7 Georgetown - Florida has yet to break a sweat. It has won by 26 and 22. Georgetown will be a much bigger challenge. It's hard to tell if the Hoyas were that good or Ohio State was that bad, but Georgetown looked fantastic. I am much more impressed by both of these teams than I was four days ago. Hibbert will be a nightmare for Florida to guard, but I suspect that it will find a way.
The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of Doc's college basketball picks service.
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