Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 18, 1992 TAG: 9203180098
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: CINCINNATI LENGTH: Medium
What direction do you choose? Southwestern or Northeast Louisiana? Who is this year's Xavier or Richmond or Eastern Michigan? Can Princeton go through the back door enough to beat Syracuse?
The NCAA Basketball Committee picks the 64-team field and then goes home, leaving millions to pick 63 games with their heads, their hearts and their wallets.
It's tougher this year to forecast the NCAA Tournament, for a couple of reasons. First, some of the emotional selectors have no one to pick against since the Rebel rousers of Nevada-Las Vegas aren't in the field. Second, college basketball has just completed its most competitive season.
That's why even the NIT field looks better than decent this year.
That said, there doesn't appear to be as many prospects for first-round NCAA shockers Thursday and Friday. Because of upsets in conference tournament play, many lesser leagues haven't sent their best to this ball.
However, because of the balance in hoops this season, there are potential second-round matchups that leave buzzer-beaters and overtime to the imagination - LSU-Indiana, North Carolina-Alabama, Cincinnati-Michigan State, Arizona-Michigan or Temple, Georgetown-Florida State.
Looking for first-round upsets? How about the four games pitting Nos. 6 and 11 seeds - Syracuse-Princeton, Georgetown-South Florida, Memphis State-Pepperdine and Michigan-Temple.
How much patience will a team have against the masterful coaching of Princeton's Pete Carril and Temple's John Chaney? And, if North Carolina figures to have an easy time against 13th-seeded Miami of Ohio in the Southeast at Riverfront Coliseum, the Tar Heels should remember that the Mid-American Conference has grown two straight small seeds into Sweet 16 trips.
OK, so who's who in my bracket?
The East Region is so easy, it appears the bracket was drawn by a certain Duke alumnus that used to write in this space. I thought of several reasons to pick against the Blue Devils, but they were all in the NBA standings.
I like Princeton over Syracuse, although people say I look a bit like Orange coach Jim Boeheim. The problem for Syracuse is, Boeheim coaches like me. Iowa State is the pick over UNC Charlotte, because the Cyclones have to prove they belong in the field.
Duke should beat Kentucky in the East final. In the West, Indiana is the pick, because coach Bobby Knight is hotter than a pizza oven after IU lost its finale to Purdue, earning a trip to Boise instead of Cincinnati.
By the time Indiana sees Duke - Coach K against Coach K - the Hoosiers will have gotten past LSU, Florida State and UCLA. In earlier rounds, Wake forest will have knocked out Louisville, FSU will have stopped Georgetown, and Oklahoma will have sent former VMI coach Marty Fletcher and his bad ties back to Southwestern Louisiana.
In the Midwest, Kansas has a major break by getting the regional at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, where the Jayhawks won the Big Eight tourney last week and the NCAA in 1988.
However, Kansas won't win the Midwest. Arkansas will. The Razorbacks lost to Kansas in the Southeast final last year, and, when motivated in tournament play, the terrific trio of Todd Day, Lee Mayberry and Oliver Miller can pig out offensively.
Besides Arkansas, it's tough to see many seeds not following the Midwest bracket. The Southeast, the tournament's toughest region, could be different.
How about Alabama over UNC, Temple over Michigan and Arizona, and St. John's taking Oklahoma State to the wire before the Cowboys win a 44-43 game that's wilder than Lou Carnesecca's sideline sweater.
After all of that, Ohio State wins the regional as expected. In the Final Four, Duke beats Indiana, and Arkansas beats Ohio State. In the championship game, Arkansas upsets Duke.
It's tough to repeat in these tournaments. I know. I haven't picked a winner since John Wooden retired from UCLA.
by CNB