Sixteen Candles

Since my partner in crime can't seem to figure out how to use an iPad, I'm being forced to submit this on his behalf.  Unless, of course, it's really awesome stuff, in which case it was all my idea...

After an exhilarating first weekend of the NCAA Tournament we are left with sixteen teams still vying for the national championship.  Whose bubble will burst, whose flame will be extinguished, and who will celebrate their one shining moment?  More importantly, can Rob Fritsch crawl out from the immense shadow of Bob Loblaw and write something meaningful so Mr. Altman keeps him on the payroll?  I can't say I've picked the brackets correctly so far but that won't stop me from dusting myself off and trying again.  So without further ado here is who will ( or might) win starting this Thursday and get to hang out in Atlanta...

WEST REGION
If you know anyone that correctly predicted Wichita St. would be playing LaSalle in the Sweet 16 either take them to Vegas right know or slap them in the head to wake them up.  Both teams have made it farther then anyone thought they would.  Since I think the old rule (like picking a 12 to beat a 5) is that the 9 beats the 13 in the Sweet 16, we'll got with Wichita St. especially after the way they took down Gonzaga.
In a battle of two heavyweights, Ohio St vs Arizona, look for Solomon Hill and DeShaun Thomas to battle it out inside, both scoring 20 points or more.  But the difference like last weekend, will be Aaron Craft for OSU.  Ask Iowa St about getting a hand in his face from behind the arc.....
Ohio St will then have too much for Wichita St in the regional final on Saturday and the Buckeyes will continue a banner year in the sports most fans care about.  A Final Four trip in 2012, and undefeated football season, and another trip to the Final Four.

EAST REGION

In the east Marquette has already won two games by the skin of their teeth.  Don't expect a third as Miami, with superior athletes and experience will knock off Marquette.  Look for Shane Larkin to have a big night with the absence of Reggie Johnson. 
Meanwhile Indiana will meet Syracuse in a rematch of the 1987 National Title game.  Will Keith Smart and Derrick Coleman be in the building???  Look for the Orange to pack the 2-3 zone around Cody Zeller and force the Hoosiers to score from the outside, which they have done this year when left open.  Syracuse will try to mimic what Temple did when nearly upsetting IU last Sunday, slow down the pace and limit shots.  But IU will find a way to win and march on to face Miami on Saturday night where the Hoosiers will win a faster paced game that is more to their up tempo liking.  Indiana will reach the final 4 as expected by many and Charles Barkley will be left speechless looking at 2 Big Ten teams from what he called an "overrated" conference heading to Atlanta.

MIDWEST REGION

Playing close to home in Indianapolis will help Louisville and with Siva and Smith the Cardinals will be able to outrun Oregon and roll on to the Elite Eight. 
They will face Duke, who will win a hotly contested game against Michigan St with two of the top coaches in the land.  Duke has better players but no Tom Izzo team gets out hustled or plays more scrappy.  Plumlee and Payne will battle inside all night and fouls could be key, but Duke' shooters will out score Gary Harris from outside and the Blue Devils will move on.  In the Regional Final Duke's defense will force Russ-diculous out of his comfort zone.  Duke will create more turnovers and have more quality possessions which will lead to a slight upset of the favored Cards and Rick Pitino will become the first coach to lose Elite Eight heartbreakers to Duke while coaching 2 different schools from the same state (1992 anyone?) at least according to our crack research staff....

SOUTH REGION

In a state championship game of sorts Florida will come out tight, allow Florida Gulf Coast to hang around, then pull away and win by double digits in the second half.  The Gators will make their third straight Elite Eight appearance.  There they will face Kansas.  The Jayhawks will play like they did in the second half against UNC, Jeff Withey will control the paint, and Michigan will not be able to repeat the almost perfect game they played last Saturday in crushing VCU.  However if Kansas plays like they did in the first half of the UNC game, the Michigan will win, but we don't think that will happen...but it might....  Then after 2 straight Elite Eight losses, Florida with their experienced team, will knock off the Jayhawks and return Billy Donovan to the Final 4 for the first time since the back to back National Title teams in '06 and '07.

So there you have it, the (possibly) correct regional picks.  We may be wrong but at least we tried.  Sit back, relax,and enjoy the weekend, maybe next week this guy will find time to guess at the Final Four......