Rumor has it that after UCLA's 54-49 win over Indiana Saturday night, Arron Afflalo called his father and said, "Hire the party planner, book Jay-Z and buy me a sports car, Pops. I'm goin' to the Sweet Sixteen!" Afterwards, Arron's friends were quoted as saying (while fighting for position in front of a camera), "Oh my God, that was, like, the illest game ever. Arron looked so good tonight. I'm mad jealous."
Yes sir, Arron, not only did your parents spell your name wrong, but you're also two games away from getting back to the Final Four.
Looking at this year's bracket to date, it makes me wonder if everyone really overthunked each game. Hindsight is 20/20, which is why if I could have one superpower it would be hindsight, but there really haven't been many surprises. All of the top seeds are alive, and Wisconsin is the lone two-seed to fall, while No. 3 Washington State, clearly the weakest of the higher seeds in the tournament, was the only three-seed to lose. Could this be the year that all four of the top seeds reach the Final Four?
In the Midwest bracket you have to like top-seeded Florida. Last year's champion retained all its top players, had by far the easiest road to the Final Four even before Kammron Taylor, a.k.a. Chris Rock, and the No. 2 Badgers fell to No. 7 UNLV, and will likely have its biggest challenge from the less-than-mighty No. 3 Oregon Ducks. Although, Oregon might have a chance if Aaron "Way-to-spell-your-name-correctly" Brooks remembers that ducks fly together. Flying V.
Moving slightly more west to the West bracket, No. 2 UCLA has something of a home court advantage because the games will be played in California. But it also has to win two tough games, starting with No. 3 Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, No. 1 Kansas is matched up against No. 4 Southern Illinois, whose roster has been absolutely devastated since the loss of super star Renaldo Balkman to the NBA draft. (Take that, Isiah Thomas!)
A head-to-head match-up in the Elite Eight between Kansas and UCLA is a toss-up, but I'll take the Jayhawks to move on to the Final Four because of their significantly superior regular-season point differential and because they are less likely to lose in the Sweet Sixteen.
In the East bracket, plenty of people forgot to use their hindsight superpowers to anticipate that in order for the much anticipated No. 1 UNC vs. No. 4 Texas match-up to take place, the Longhorns would have to beat Reggie Bush and No. 5 Southern California ... wait, what? USC has a basketball program now? Screw that. UNC, probably the most talented team in the field, should have no problem overpowering Matt Leinart n' Co.
No. 6 Vanderbilt has had a nice run and showed that it can beat elite teams in its regular-season win over Florida, but it won't be able to get past No. 2 Georgetown, which might have the most impressive combination of size and athleticism in the NCAA. Watching 7-foot 2-inch Roy Hibbert grab offensive rebounds over opposing centers without ever leaving the ground is reminiscent of the one six-footer in the 12-and-under leagues that just dominated the boards without really having to try.
The Hoyas should put up a fight against the Tar Heels in the Elite Eight, but as good as Hibbert and Jeff Green are, they are lacking a true go-to scorer and someone who will absolutely refuse to let the team lose.
I have No. 1 OSU falling to both No. 2 Memphis and No. 3 Texas A&M in the Elite Eight of two brackets that I filled out, but how often do No. 1 seeds slip up twice? The Buckeyes should have lost to No. 9 Xavier but had one of those insane final three minutes that featured several huge shots, lots of luck and some bonehead plays by the Musketeers. The entire Buckeye team has already experienced that feeling where it knew it was going to lose, then escaped with a stunning overtime win. Ohio State won't want to experience it again.
Besides, you can't bet against a team whose best player, Greg Oden, is still the consensus number-one pick in the NBA draft - despite Kevin Durant's historic freshman year - looks 45 years old and could eat a baby without surprising anyone.
Okay, so I picked all No. 1 seeds, which might seem lame at first glance, but it has still never happened before. Do my predictions make me the most courageous sports columnist ever? Probably, but most columnists don't have superpowers. Go-go-gadget end column!
Tom Trudeau '09 also boldly predicts the Suns, Spurs and Mavs will make the playoffs.
