6B / SPORTS/ TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
First and second rounds played in Cleveland, Ohio, Charlotte, N.C. and Tampa, Fla.
— East division final played in Newark N.J.
How about this coaching lineup? Two coaches with national titles under their belts (Roy Williams and Jim Boeheim) and another five with a Final Four. Ohio State is the No. 1 overall seed, but they'll have a tough road to the finals. If seeds hold, the Buckeyes would have to beat a coach with a Final Four appearance prior to this year in every single game to win the title. I don't know if coach Thad Matta's Buckeyes are up to it.
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Sleeper Picks
No. 6 St. John's (Southeast)
The Johnnies are a tough matchup with Dwight Harvey and Dwayne Polee, Jr. leading the charge. New coach Steve Lavin has led an incredible first-year turn around in New York City, and the winning attitude (and a weak region) could spell a deep run for St. John's. I've got the Johnnies in my Elite Eight.
No. 7 Texas A&M (Southwest)
No.7 Texas A&M (Southwest) The Aggies may put you to sleep while they're doing it, but they've got the right coach and the right system to make a deep run.Mark Turgeon has been to the Sweet 16 as a seven seed before, back in 2006 with Wichita State. He's got more talent and No.2 Notre Dame plays a similar brand of basketball to the Aggies.
Wisconsin (Southeast)
The Badgers (great team name) fell flat in the Big Ten tournament, but there's too much talent on the roster for them not to be a threat. Jordan Taylor is one of the best point guards in the country, and forward Jon Leuer has a Morris-like ability to stretch the floor. He averages more than 18 points and seven rebounds. They're in my Final Four.
No. 7 Washington (East)
Isaiah Thomas is a clutch-time threat — see this year's Pac-10 tournament for evidence - and his Huskies aren't far off statistically from the Tar Heels, who they'd meet in the second round.
Cinderellas These double-digit seeds might live to see the second weekend
No. 13 Morehead State
The great Cinderella teams always have that one transcendent guy who can flat out play, regardless of the conference he comes from (remember Steph Curry?). Kenneth Faried, who averages 17.6 points and 15.4 rebounds — he passed Tim Duncan as the NCAA's all-time leading rebounder this year — is the type of guy that can play with anyone in the country. Louisville doesn't have a great post presence, so I'm picking the Eagles. With Richmond or Vanderbilt lined up in the next round, these guys could make a Sweet 16 run before running into Kansas.
No.12 Utah State
Kansas State got overseeded as a five, but then got a brutal 12-seed draw with Utah State. The 30-3 Aggies are ranked No. 17 in the final coaches poll. The Wildcats? No. 23. I'm no bracketologist, but the Aggies as a 12 seed is nothing short of ludicrous. If the Aggiesplay up to their record, they'll make life very difficult for Kansas State in the first round, and whatever teams they go on to play beyond that.
No.10 Michigan State
My bracket sees the Spartans losing in the first round to Jayhawk-killer Tyler Honeycutt and the UCLA Bruins. But is anybody really going to bet against Tom Izzo in the NCAA Tournament? Outside of Mike Krzyzewski (I had to look that up), there's not an active coach with a better tourney resume.
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