Campus Confidential

By Adam Abramson

Someone strike up the Luther Vandross because the field has been set.

I like the No. 1 seeds. I’m okay with UCLA at No. 2 because that’s what happens when you lose your last two games.

The committee pretty much got it right. While Syracuse, Drexel and Florida State have great arguments, none are tragedies. Syracuse and Drexel could have been swapped with Arkansas and…ODU (but ODU beat Drexel two times).

Watching the aftermath of the announcement, it sounds like someone woke Bob Huggins up after a long night of drinking to inform him Kansas State didn’t make the tournament. The dude sounded so depressed/out of it.

Am I allowed to say that?

In the next four days, I’ll break down each bracket for ya’ with a quick writeup and what I feel is each team’s strength and weakness as well as The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player (horrible song, by the way).

We’ll start with the Midwest region. I think there’s a lot of parity in this region. It’s probably the second toughest (the East being the most grueling). The West follows below. Tuesday I'll reveal my thoughts on the East and wrap up with the South on Wednesday.

If you want to see my selections, join the bracket challenge (click on the green, blue or orange banners on the page and sign up, jerks) and put your picks up against mine. If you’re better than I, you can make fun of me. More details in the post below.

MIDWEST

The region's best player: Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
The region's best team: Florida
The region's sleeper(s): Winthrop, Georgia Tech

No. 1 Florida 29-5 (top overall seed)

Can the Gators win it again? The pressure is squarely on them and I feel it will be tougher this year. The competition the Gators faced in the SEC is not the same as last year and this could be a problem come the Sweet 16.

Strength: Experience, experience, experience.
Weakness: Free throws. Repeating won’t be easy and shooting 68% from the line will only make it tougher.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Jr. F/C Al Horford (13 ppg, 9 rpg, 2 apg)

No. 2 Wisconsin 29-5

The Badgers have been strong all season and were in the hunt for a No. 1 seed for a while, but losing two out of three to the Buckeyes made it easy for the selection committee.

Strength: Discipline. The Badgers have zero foul outs this season and are 10th in the country in turnovers per game.
Weakness: Offensive firepower. The Badgers average 71 points per game and have only two guys that average double figures in scoring.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. F Alando Tucker (20 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg)

No. 3 Oregon 29-5

The Ducks started the year off the man and beat up just about everyone. This team has INCREDIBLE balance on offense. Four of their seven losses were by a total of 10 points. This is a good ball team that can run.

Strength: Staying in the zone. Oregon won its first 13, had a bit of a rough spell, but are now riding a 6-game win streak.
Weakness: The Pac-10 Tournament champions rely heavily on the three. Although they’re pretty darn good at making them, if they go cold, watch out.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. G Aaron Brooks (17.6 ppg, 4.6, 4.4)

No. 4 Maryland 24-7

When Maryland was in the midst of a 3-5 skid, the Terps were very much a bubble team, but a win over Duke sparked a seven-game run that included a wins against Duke and UNC in a three-day span.

Strength: Backcourt. The Terps have three 6’5” guards (D.J. Strawberry, Mike Jones and Greivis Vasquez) who create a lot of matchup problems.
Weakness: Turnovers. The Terps love to give the ball to their opponent about 16 times per game. This could lead to an early upset: Davidson, Butler and Old Dominion are all very capable of making waves.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Jr. F James Gist (12.7 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 bpg)

No. 5 Butler 27-5

Remember when Butler was the Cinderella of the ball? Now the pressure is on them to not fall to the curse of the 5-12…and they probably have the toughest task with Old Dominion who might be missing the slipper this year…that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

Strength: Defense. Butler is seventh in the country in scoring defense.
Weakness: Forcing mistakes. The Bulldogs are among the worst in the land in steals and blocks.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Jr. G Mike Green (14 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg)

No. 6 Notre Dame 24-7

The Irish are another team that can put the ball in the hoop with the best of them. Losses against DePaul, South Florida and St. John’s make me a little weary about ND’s first-round game against Winthrop (who’s very sound on defense). If the Irish get by in the first round and face Oregon, can you imagine how many points will be scored?

Strength: I just said it. Offense.
Weakness: Not many weaknesses. I think it’s fair to say that Notre Dame plays to the level of their competition. This can hurt in the tourney, but then again, ND has shown it can win when the game’s on the line.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Jr. F Rob Kurz (12.6 ppg, 8 rpg, 2 apg)

No. 7 UNLV 28-6

UNLV’s losses: UC Santa Barbara, Arizona, Air Force, Wyoming, BYU and San Diego State UNLV’s impressive wins: at Nevada, at Texas Tech, BYU Ehhhhhhhhh….Seven seed? I guess they did win 28 games, that’s pretty impressive.

Strength: Leadership. Four of their top 5 scorers are seniors, and they take care of the ball.
Weakness: The glass. The Runnin’ Rebels are a wash with their opponents on the boards.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. G Wendell White (14 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 apg)

No. 8 Arizona 20-10

Another trip down memory lane…this one a little more fresh: Remember when Arizona was a Top 10 team? Well, they climbed to No. 7 in both polls and then lost six of the next eight games. This team can ball though, their 12-1 start (opened with a road loss at Virginia, a 4-seed in the tourney) included wins against UNLV, Illinois, at Louisville, against Memphis, Stanford and at Washington.

Strength: Distributing the ball. The majority of the Wildcats’ field goals have an assist somewhere. Thank Mustafa Shakur for that one.
Weakness: Passiveness. Is that a word? Either way, I don’t think they challenge teams enough on the defensive end. They foul the least of any team in the country and they yield 72.5 points a game (that’s a lot).
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. F/C Ivan Radenovic (15 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2 apg)…wish his name was Ivan Drago

No. 9 Purdue 21-11

How did this club get stomped by Larry Bird’s alum? I mean, it was a beating. I really can’t get this out of my mind. Only three of Purdue’s nine Big 10 wins were against teams in the tourney (Illinois, Michigan State, Indiana). This is another very ehhhh team.

Strength: Commanding the tempo. While Purdue isn’t bonkers on offense, it’s solid on defense and can control the environment.
Weakness: Experience. Only one guy on the roster has experienced the tournament.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. F Carl Landry (19 ppg, 7 rpg, 1 apg)

No. 10 Georgia Tech 20-11

If Georgia Tech is on, the Jackets can beat anyone (wins over Duke, UNC and Memphis). However, if they fall into a lull, they can lose to a team like Miami or Wake Forest. They definitely have the tools to make a Sweet 16 run though.

Strength: Making their shots. Georgia Tech shoots 49% from the field. That’s unconscious.
Weakness: Youth. The team’s top two scorers are freshmen (pretty good freshmen though, one is right below).
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Fr. G Javaris Crittenton (14.6 ppg, 4 rpg, 6 apg)

No. 11 Winthrop 28-4

The greatest moment of Selection Sunday: The camera switching to Winthrop celebrating their announcement and the T.I.-looking player in front of the camera saying “What about it, what about it” (I’m 99% sure it was Antwon Harris). Anyway, Winthrop is pesky and the first round game should be great against Notre Dame.

Strength: Defense. They block shots, they force steals, they make teams give the ball up.
Weakness: The stripe. 63% from the free throw line. Not too impressive.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. F/C Craig Bradshaw (13 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 apg)

No. 12 Old Dominion 24-8

Everyone is griping about Drexel not making it, but the ODU sweep of the Dragons didn’t help at all. I honestly think you can point to that fact and the case is closed. Hate to see a great mascot left out though. As for ODU, half of the Monarchs’ wins came in the last 13 games. Guess it’s good they got hot when they did.

Strength: Defense. Becoming a theme among mid majors…I think have a theory about this.
Weakness: Strength of schedule. ODU beat Georgetown. Not much else to write home about, with respect to wins or losses.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. F Valdas Vasylius (16 ppg, 2 rpg, 1 apg)

No. 13 Davidson 29-4

The Wildcats have played one team that’s in the tournament, Duke. They lost by 28. A lot of people like Davidson to wreak some havoc, I don’t because of that reason.

Strength: Scoring points, 82 of them a game. Davidson eclipsed the 85-point mark 13 times. Maryland better be ready to run.
Weakness: Turnovers. The Wildcats average 14.5 a game. While it’s not a killer, they better be careful.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Fr. G Stephen Curry (21 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3 apg)

No. 14 Miami (OH) 18-14

A clock error kept from writing about the 26-7 Akron Zips here.

Strength: Forcing bad shots. Teams put up just 58 points a game while shooting 41 percent from the floor.
Weakness: The three. The Redhawks make 5 a game…that’s a ranking of 290 out of 325.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. F Nathan Peavy (14 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 bpg)

No. 15 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 25-6

The Islanders’ only bad loss was to Sam Houston State. Otherwise, I really don’t know what else to say. When I saw CC, I thought community college. Took a second to remember they won the Southland.

Strength: Location. It’s right near the water, they must have fun there. They also shoot 52% from the floor.
Weakness: The humidity. I’ve never been to Corpus Christi, but I’d imagine it’s a lot like where I grew up. The humidity is as bad as the Islanders’ effort to take care of the basketball (16 turnovers a game).
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. C Chris Daniels (15 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.5 bpg)

No. 16 Jackson State 21-13

Everything goes through Trey Johnson, literally. His 27.1 points per game are second in the country, tops amongst Tournament players.

Strength: Steals. The Tigers actually pick off about 8 errant balls a game. Not bad at all.
Weakness: About everything else. They let teams score about 73 points a game on them.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. G Trey Johnson (27.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.5 bpg)

Below is the West.