Davison: Bracket breakdown

Friday, March 16, 2007

To put March Madness in perspective, on Wednesday more people showed up to cheer for the men’s basketball team as it left for Chicago than were at the baseball game.

Everyone is high on the Jayhawks’ making a run to the Final Four. The road begins today against Niagara.

Let’s look at how the regions break down:

The East is loaded with talent and is the most difficult region in recent memory. North Carolina, Georgetown and Texas are legitimate National Championship teams. A North Carolina vs. Texas Sweet Sixteen match-up would be similar to the first two Kansas vs. Texas games. Both teams have NBA-ready players. Arguably, it would be the two most athletic teams in the country on the same floor. I hope this game comes to fruition because it is destined to be an instant classic.

nutgraf

Of course, I like Kansas in the West. The second round game, if it’s Villanova, poses problems if it gets hot from beyond the arc. That’s how Oral Roberts took down Kansas early in the season.

Georgetown is a tough team with great post players in Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green, but its guard play is questionable. The Hoyas should make the Elite Eight, before they fall to the Longhorns. After seeing Texas’ Kevin Durant twice in person, it is hard to pick against Texas.

The South has a strong No. 1 (Ohio State), weak No. 2 (Memphis) and good No. 3 (Texas A&M). If it plays out Ohio State vs. Texas A&M for the Final Four, I like Ohio State. The Aggies have the most clutch player in guard Acie Law IV, but it’s hard to see Antanas Kavaliauskas handling Buckeyes’ freshman Greg Oden.

The Midwest region is the easiest, by far. Without Brian Butch, Wisconsin is not a serious contender anymore, and I don’t see Oregon doing anything. Florida is the clear-cut favorite in this region, although its second-round game will be challenging. Arizona has freshman stud Chase Budinger, and Purdue played its way into the tournament late in the season. Bottom line: Florida is talented, deep and has the easiest road to the Final Four.

Of course, I like Kansas in the West. The second round game, if it’s Villanova, poses problems if it gets hot from beyond the arc. That’s how Oral Roberts took down Kansas early in the season, but after two come-from-behind victories against a Texas team that was hitting threes, KU should be able to win even if ‘Nova is on from the three-point line.

From there, I’d like to see Kansas in rematches against Florida and Texas. The games were great, and they both ended in Kansas’ favor.

Davison is an Overland Park senior in journalism.

— Edited by Kelly Lanigan

Davison: Jayhawks claim Big 12, focus on ...

After defeating Texas for the second time in eight days to wrap ...

/news/2007/mar/12/davison/

Robinett: Why is Texas A&M left out?

Talk continues about who will be considered for number one, but why ...

/news/2007/feb/27/robinett/

Davison: Georgetown to win it all

The Florida Gators will defeat the UCLA Bruins with ease as Georgetown's ...

/news/2007/mar/30/davison/

Bracket Bash

Men's basketball writers Tim Dwyer and Mike Lavieri shed insight on the ...

/news/2011/mar/14/bracket-bash/

Davison: 'Collins in a nutshell'

Sherron Collins should be a starter, but he is hesitant to break ...

/news/2007/feb/23/Davison/

Pre-tournament brackets had Kansas in Sweet 16

Many thought Villanova as undeserving of tournament selection, but the team now ...

/news/2008/mar/26/pretournament_brackets_had_kansas_sweet_16/

Jayhawks need help to move up BCS ...

Jayhawk fans may be new to having to calculate the chances that ...

/news/2007/nov/07/jayhawks_need_help_move_bcs_rankings/

Nelson: Jayhawks deserved better

Kansas shouldn't have been the No. 1 seed in the West region. ...

/news/2007/mar/26/guest_column/

Tournament time for the Big 12

Kansas men's basketball reporter Kory Carpenter breaks down the chances for the ...

/news/2012/mar/12/tournament-time-big-12/

Brew: If basketball ruled realignment

What would the college sports landscape look like if the six major ...

/news/2011/sep/22/brew-if-basketball-ruled-realignment/

Jayhawks receive top seed in West

Kansas was placed in the West Region and will play its first-round ...

/news/2007/mar/12/bracket/

Basketball Preview: Nov. 8, 2007

The national title is up for grabs this year in college basketball. ...

/news/2007/nov/08/Basketball_Preview/

Vernon: Ideal tournament matchups for the Jayhawks

Mike Vernon breaks down the Jayhawks March Madness prospects and tells why ...

/news/2012/mar/07/vernon-ideal/

Teams contend for a spot in the ...

NCAA Midwest Region’s underdogs and top seeds prepare for this weekend’s Sweet ...

/news/2008/mar/27/sweet16/

Kealing: All basketball, all the time

Live streaming video allows fans to watch out-of-market games. Fans can watch ...

/news/2007/mar/15/kealing/

Men's Basketball releases non-conference opponents

The Men's Basketball team releases its non-conference schedule, which includes trips to ...

/news/2010/may/24/mens-basketball-releases-non-conference-opponents/

Colaianni: Confidence couldn’t be higher

This team honestly believes that it can come back from any deficit, ...

/news/2007/mar/13/colaianni/

Live Blog: NCAA Tournament day one

All eight teams in the Oklahoma City sub-regional have open practices Wednesday.

/news/2010/mar/17/live-blog-ncaa-day-1/

Cinderella vs. Dorothy

The Jayhawks defeat Villanova 72-57 and will face America's favorite and upset-happy ...

/news/2008/mar/29/cinderella_vs_dorthy/

Big 12 men's basketball standings

With four weeks left until "Selection Sunday," how many teams from the ...

/news/2012/feb/14/big-12-mens-standings/

Rothman: A look ahead at the NCAA ...

A breakdown of the teams that will make up each round of ...

/news/2011/mar/13/rothman-look-ahead-ncaa-tournament/

Davison: Something's missing

The melting pot that is the Big 12 tournament has rivals sitting ...

/news/2007/mar/09/davison/

Wheeler: NFL draft looms for Talib

The NFL draft is this weekend.

/news/2008/apr/25/wheeler_nfl_draft_looms_talib/

Colaianni: March may reveal weakness

Matchups with Florida, Georgetown and North Carolina may prove to be too ...

/news/2007/feb/27/colaianni/

Baseball team releases schedule

Nobody will be able to doubt the strength of the Kansas baseball ...

/news/2007/nov/20/baseball_team_releases_schedule/

Padway: Breaking down Kansas vs. N.C. State

N.C. State doesn't rely on three-point shooting much, but could change against ...

/news/2012/mar/23/padway-breaking-down-kansas-vs-nc-state/

Breckunitch: 2000s’ best basketball games

Highlights include two showdowns with Durant, two games from 2003 tournament The ...

/news/2007/oct/30/breckunitch_2000s_best_basketball_games/

Men's Basketball: The season in review

Beginning with Boot Camp and ending at the Elite Eight in San ...

/news/2007/apr/04/mbb/

Carpenter: Tips to make your bracket a ...

Read this for guidance when filling out your brackets.

/news/2011/mar/16/tournament-tips/

Brew: Rivalries and rematches of the Final ...

Here's some background information on the four teams remaining in the NCAA ...

/news/2012/mar/27/brew-rivalries-and-rematches-final-four/

Football schools improve basketball programs

Athletics Department hopes to follow the lead of other schools and make ...

/news/2007/mar/01/football/

Final Four breakdown

It’s the battle of the No. 1 seeds in the Final Four ...

/news/2008/apr/04/team_capsule/

Winless tennis squad fights to end streak

Singles and doubles players face tough seeding as they head toward the ...

/news/2007/apr/20/tennis/

Big 12 Tournament first round predictions

Previewing the first-round Big 12 matchups.

/news/2011/mar/08/big-12-tournament-first-round-predictions/

Jorgensen: We're number one

Will Kansas be the no. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament? Our ...

/news/2007/feb/28/jorgensen/

Soccer team seeks redemption in Stillwater

After losing to Oklahoma State in last year’s Big 12 Tournament, the ...

/news/2008/oct/10/soccer/

Matson: Taking a look at the Midwest ...

Kendall Marshall's right-wrist injury could affect the outcome of the Midwest region.

/news/2012/mar/21/matson-taking-look-midwest-region/

Chicago bracket dangerous

/news/2005/mar/14/sports_basketball_mens_bracket/

Big 12 power rankings

A breakdown of the big 12 standings

/news/2012/feb/20/big-12/

2008 nonconference schedule takes shape

The 2008 Jayhawk schedule will feature competition more inline with the success ...