Read the opposing arguments from Bleacher Fan and Sports Geek.
Hours of non-productivity will take place again today at the office as day two of March Madness began at noon. How does your bracket look? Mine would look great if it wasn’t for Georgetown laying a big egg! Rough day for the Big East, huh? Today, as we complete the first round, we are going to take a look at the regions and decide which is going to be the most difficult to win. I am going to branch out a bit and say the South region will be the toughest to win.
Yesterday, there were four games from this region, and three of them were hotly contested down the stretch. The unpredictability of the entire region is what makes it so fascinating, and so difficult to win. Several teams in this end of the bracket have had “moments” throughout the season at one point or another.
Villanova, who escaped yesterday with an overtime win over a feisty Robert Morris team, has had his ups and downs lately. But don’t forget they were a Final Four team last season. They also were ranked as high as number two in the polls in early February. Purdue is obviously a different team with the loss of forward Robbie Hummel. And I am aware that they are coming off an absolute thumping to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Big Ten tournament. But they are still 27-5, and they did not get there exclusively on the back of Hummel.
Watch out for Louisville. The Cardinals spent much of the season on the proverbial bubble, but they played well down the stretch to find a way into the Big Dance. Their two high profile wins came against Syracuse, and one of those victories was when the Big Orange was number one in the country.
Duke is number one in this bracket and fresh off a march through the ACC in Greensboro last week. Winning the ACC, even in a down year, is nothing to frown at by any stretch. But, Duke really did not play all that well. They struggled in wins against Virginia and Miami. And they had to hold on to beat Georgia Tech in the championship game. Love them or hate them, they are still Duke, and they are always a threat at this time of year.
The sexy sleeper pick in this side of the bracket is Siena. The Saints come in with a record at 27-6, and four of those losses (Georgia Tech, Butler, Northern Iowa, and Temple) are to tournament teams. It is important to remember that Siena is tournament tested of late, as they have knocked off Vanderbilt and Ohio State in the first round the past couple of years. Might they be game for another upset?
The unpredictability of the South region is what makes it the toughest to win. Duke is a solid number one seed, but how many of you actually have them in the Final Four? I sure don’t. Enjoy the madness!
