Thursday, March 15, 2007
No. 1 seed Kansas — If you’re reading this newspaper, you already know what you need to know. Kansas is playing the best basketball in the country right now.
No. 2 seed UCLA — The Bruins finished the season losing to two non-NCAA tournament teams. Kansas is on surer footing heading into the tournament, but UCLA staying in California makes it the sexier pick for many.
No. 3 seed Pitt. — All season the Panthers struggled to defeat high caliber competition, but then beat Marquette and Louisville on a neutral floor in the Big East Tournament. Then they lost to Georgetown by 23 points.
No. 4 seed Southern Illinois — Jamaal Tatum is the real deal, a senior with talent and experience. The Salukis haven’t scored 80 or more points in a game this season but the most points they’ve given up in a game is 70.
No. 5 seed Virginia Tech — The Hokies played a non-conference schedule packed with incredible mid-majors and lost to four of them. They swept No. 1 seed North Carolina, but lost three times to NC-State. They can beat or lose to anyone. They’re a typical No. 5 seed.
No. 6 seed Duke — The Blue Devils started 18-3, then lost four in a row, then won four in a row, then lost their last three. Talk about streaky. It’s a bit risky, but don’t sleep on Duke.
No. 7 seed Indiana — Nothing sticks out for the Hoosiers. D.J. White is a quality big man, but the only one they have. If they hit threes they’ll be dangerous.
No. 8 seed Kentucky — The Wildcats were 8-8 in their last 16 games. They have decent shooters, decent defense and a few decent wins. Overall they’re pretty mediocre.
No. 9 seed Villanova — Curtis Sumpter, Scottie Reynolds and Mike Nardi are a good offensive trio. Not one starter for ‘Nova is taller than 6-foot-8, but they are all athletic and good shooters.
No. 10 seed Gonzaga — The Bulldogs tend to do better when they are seeded this low, and actually made the elite eight in 1999 when they were a No. 10 seed. They shoot nearly 40 percent from three-point range and enter on a five-game winning streak.
No. 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth — The Rams have terrific shooters, but no one taller than 6-foot-7. If they aren’t hitting shots they won’t get many offensive rebounds.
No. 12 seed Illinois — The Fighting Illini’s best win is Indiana on a neutral court. They belong in the NIT.
No. 13 seed Holy Cross — One upset special, coming up! The Crusaders have two solid seniors who play more than 35 minutes a game. They will eventually be killed on the glass, but not against Southern Illinois.
No. 14 seed Wright State — The Raiders defeated No. 5 seed Butler twice down the stretch. They have almost no inside presence though, which will be tough to make up for against Pittsburgh’s Aaron Gray.
No. 15 seed Weber State — The Big Sky’s champion has no chance against UCLA. Any mid-major who shoots worse than 70 percent from the foul line has no credibility in my book. The Wildcats should have played last night instead of Niagara.
No. 16 seed Niagara — The Purple Eagles started 1-6 after a bizarre suspension of six players. Since their return they are 23-5 and on a 12-game winning streak. They play fast-pace basketball. Charron Fisher averages more than 20 points per game and all five starters average more than 10.
Robinett is an Austin, Texas, senior in journalism.
— Edited by Mark Vierthaler
Blog: The three point play
A March Madness Preview
Gameday: Kansas vs. Niagara
Kansas plays Niagara in its first round NCAA tournament game. Both teams ...
Chicago bracket dangerous
Jayhawks face Illini, Gators
This weekend the soccer team face Illinois and Florida on Friday and ...
Final: Jayhawks move into Sweet 16
No. 1 seed Kansas makes it out of the second round, beating ...
Small teams to play big in NCAA ...
Some smaller teams may have flown under the radar before entering the ...
Self strives to make first trip to ...
Leading three different teams to the Elite Eight, Kansas coach Bill Self ...
Sarraf: Let's hear it for the little ...
Remember the performances of Wichita State, Bradley and especially George Mason in ...
Bracket Bash
Men's basketball writers Tim Dwyer and Mike Lavieri shed insight on the ...
Season considered success despite loss
The Jayhawks ended their season prematurely with a 68-55 loss to the ...
Tournament time for the Big 12
Kansas men's basketball reporter Kory Carpenter breaks down the chances for the ...
Seeds don't matter for Jayhawks
Kansas coach Bill Self said the Jayhawks can look past the seed ...
Lacrosse moves to playoffs
The Jayhawks will face a formidable Illini team in the quarterfinal.
Live Blog: NCAA Tournament day one
All eight teams in the Oklahoma City sub-regional have open practices Wednesday.
Kansas receives No. 2 seed in NCAA ...
The Jayhawks will face Detroit in first round.
Who’s the best in Texas?
If Michigan beats Wisconsin Saturday, the Wolverines would be undefeated in the ...
Game Day: Nov. 24, 2008
Get ready for the game against Washington.
Nation’s weekend pigskin roundup
The Michigan vs. Ohio State game highlights the weekend of college football. ...
Matching the North Carolina State Wolfpack
After Purdue's matchup frenzy on Sunday, Kansas now faces a more traditional ...
Blog: Bold predictions for college basketball
Will Kansas win the Big 12 again? Who will make it to ...
Teams contend for a spot in the ...
NCAA Midwest Region’s underdogs and top seeds prepare for this weekend’s Sweet ...
A glance at the week in college ...
Tennessee at California is the only top 25 match-up this weekend. Other ...
Twenty years of heartbreak
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Kansas' last championship. Here's a ...
Burras shucks ’Huskers
Kansas falls against Cowboys
The Jayhawks lost their No. 1 ranking, losing to the Oklahoma State ...
Players stay focused, humble
Russell Robinson set his cell phone on vibrate and Julian Wright said ...
Jorgensen: We're number one
Will Kansas be the no. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament? Our ...
Morris twins fuel Kansas to Sweet 16
The Morris twins combined for 41 points and 24 rebounds in Kansas' ...
McCarthy: This year bracket hype is in ...
Don’t worry too much about pre-game analysis.
Jayhawks maintain consistent top seed over the ...
Kansas basketball has dealt with upsets, but only because they have been ...
Three little guards make a big effect
The point guard trio of Russell Robinson, Sherron Collins and Mario Chalmers ...
Jayhawks receive top seed in West
Kansas was placed in the West Region and will play its first-round ...
Blog: Breaking down the Big 12's NCAA ...
With March Madness just around the corner, Sam Kovzan predicts the NCAA ...
Big 12 Tournament first round predictions
Previewing the first-round Big 12 matchups.
Kansas set for tournament matchup with Niagara
It's hard to believe, but Kansas hasn't won a tournament game in ...
Homestate team potential NCAA "Cinderalla"
The Wichita State Shockers made it to the NCAA for the first ...
Speed's the key
Southern Illinois will try to slow Thursday’s game down, but Kansas can ...
Final Four breakdown
It’s the battle of the No. 1 seeds in the Final Four ...
Wheeler: College postseason should be tournament
With consistent upsets of unranked teams beating college football powerhouses this season, ...
Game Day: Kent State strikes
The Golden Flashes are the first of five non-BCS games for KU, ...
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID