Friday, March 23, 2007

Seeds of doubt not to be found in this tourney

Half of the Elite Eight is set.

No. 1 Ohio State versus No. 2 Memphis. No. 1 Kansas versus No. 2 UCLA.

I still don't know what to make of this tournament. I guess it's easy to say that the seeding committee "got it right" this postseason. But with the possibility of all four top seeds making the Elite Eight, this tournament seems a little bland.

Don't get me wrong. The games are still exciting. It's fun to keep track of the whole tournament on my now scratched up, screwed up bracket. But with the lack of upsets in this tournament, it really does make you appreciate the George Mason-type teams that make completely unexpected runs to the Final Four.

If USC gets past UNC, or Oregon or UNLV can upset Florida, that will bring about the same effect. But if the Elite Eight consists of three 1 vs. 2 match ups and a 1 vs. 3, this NCAA tournament will have one thing that you don't see when Cinderella schools are still playing at this point in the tournament.

Better match ups. Tighter games. More exciting outcomes.

In the Final Four last season, Florida essentially pulled down George Mason's pants. Of course, it wasn't really an embarrassment for an 11-seed who I believe was just happy to be there. But the game was never close. The only people who were happy about the blowout in the championship game last season live in Gainesville.

Maybe that was just because Florida was that good, or that George Mason and UCLA weren't the complete teams that we see in this year's tournament. The complete teams had been upset earlier in the tournament.

But with no major upsets (except No. 7 UNLV over No. 2 Wisconsin) in this tournament, the Elite Eight and Final Four games will be a lot closer and a lot more exciting for the fans.

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