I have to hand it to J Diggles for his previews of the Midwest and West regions last week, his bracket must be looking pretty good as he correctly picked 7-of-8 teams that advanced to the Sweet 16. Unfortunately, the one he got wrong is probably the one the majority of TastyBooze staff (minus Mitch) wanted the most: Washington. Diggles started the day predicting the No. 1 seeds from the East and South would advance, what about the West and Midwest?
Midwest Region Overview: We got the 1, 2, 3 and 12 seeds left… everything went accordingly to plan with the higher seeds advancing except Arizona. With the exception of a couple high seeds, people could argue that Arizona had the easiest trip to the Sweet 16. The Wildcats beat Utah by 13 then spoiled Cleveland State’s attempt at Cinderella with a 14 point triumph. And what’s their prize - to play the No. 1 team in the country, Louisville. Rough match-up. Kansas and Michigan State are probably the most boring teams left in the tournament. With the games in Indianapolis, there will be plenty of fan representation for each team.
Midwest Favorite: Louisville. They haven’t been dominant in their two wins, but they still have all the right pieces to keep advancing to the Final Four. Arizona is only six players deep, and could present some match-up problems, but expect the Cardinals to continue to roll - especially over the winner of Michigan State/Kansas.
Midwest Region MVP: How about #1 on #1, Terrence Williams. The all-around star point forward at Louisville, and Seattle-native, will continue to average a double-double while doing so much more as the on the court leader of the Cardinals. His NBA stock continues to rise and T-Will continues to deliver. Look for more of the same in Detroit next weekend.
West Region Overview: Glendale will truly be a neutral site for the West Region finals, with UConn, Memphis, Missouri and Purdue, all a couple hours worth of flying time away. No home court advantage here, especially interesting that the top seed in this region has to travel the furthest…oh well. Seeds 1, 2, 3, and 5 remain in the West, so we should have some pretty good match-ups. After a scare in the first round Memphis delivered the beat-down to Maryland. The Memphis/Missouri match-up is sure to be a track-meet, with two teams that love to run up and down the floor. Purdue on the other hand, will have their hands full and match-up headaches against Thabeet and UConn.
West Favorite: Memphis. They have something to prove and who better to prove it to than UConn. However, two of Memphis’ three losses came against Big East teams (G’Town and Syracuse) and we all remember that Memphis has trouble from the free-throw line. With that said, the still have the athleticism, skill and experience to find themselves another trip to the Final Four.
West Region MVP: Tyreke Evans. Sure, as Diggles pointed out, this is Thabeet’s to lose…if UConn makes or misses, it’s likely on the 7-footer’s shoulders either way. But in my scenario with Memphis, it will be Tyreke Evans. The leading scorer of the Tigers will be relied upon for big time shots and his free-throw shooting (70%) down the stretch. Consistancy is key for Evans.
