OnlineSportsFanatic.com

With Selection Sunday approaching fast, here’s my bracket for March 11.

LAST FOUR IN: Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Memphis
LAST FOUR OUT: Washington, UAB, Rhode Island, Dayton
NEXT FOUR OUT: Mississippi, Minnesota, Seton Hall, South Florida

1) Where will Kentucky play in the first two rounds? I was called out on this recently because I had the Wildcats playing in New Orleans, where they would be more accessible to their fans that live in SEC territory, instead of Milwaukee (the closest first round site to Lexington). I’ve been deliberating this all year and after doing more research I’ve decided that more than likely the selection committee will probably place Kentucky in Milwaukee because its the shortest distance away from Lexington. I still feel like placing the ‘Cats in New Orleans would make more sense, because then a larger range of their fans would be able to make the trip. I don’t think Kentucky cares either way, but it’s a hot topic of discussion for the next four days.

2) Is Nore Dame in now? I think so. The Fighting Irish’s victory over Seton Hall, coupled with its strong finish to the season (without star player Luke Harangody), leaves Notre Dame in great shape. At this point I don’t see any way the Irish can get left out of the field. Harangody showed tonight against Louisville that he’s already back to being a dominant player, leaving the Selection Committee with no reason to leave the Fighting Irish out.

3) Will Baylor be a top four seed? The Bears have the RPI (8) of a team that will be seeded highly, but not the overall profile of a team that usually is. I moved Baylor up to a five after re-evaluating my bracket tonight, but the Bears are likely to fall with a loss to Texas (currently a seven seed in my bracket, but just moved up from an eight).

The Marquette forward will need to play a great game in order for the Golden Eagles to defeat Villanova

The first two days of the Big East Tournament have been filled with excitement and great individual performances by Mike Rosario, Jamine Peterson, Edgar Sosa and Dominique Jones. The best part about this tournament is that the basketball only gets better from here and it starts with four good matchups tomorrow at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Here is a preview:

Georgetown @ Syracuse – This is the third meeting between the two teams this season. The Orange have won the previous two, but the last one in Washington D.C nearly was a disaster for Syracuse. They nearly blew a twenty-three point lead in the second half and ended up hanging on by a four point margin. The Hoyas need to get off to a fast start against a Syracuse team that could be rusty playing its first game since March 6^th because of the double-bye. The reason why the Orange excelled in the first two meetings was because of the three point shooting of Andy Rautins and the solid bench play of Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine. For Georgetown to win, they will need to knock down perimeter shots and Greg Monroe needs to attack the paint to try to get Jackson and Onuaku into foul trouble. I think the Orange win a close game because of their depth and the leadership of Rautins and Wes Johnson.

Marquette @ Villanova – In my opinion, this is the best game of the day. The Golden Eagles have been red hot of late and seem to win every close game they have been in. In my preview, I mentioned that Lazar Hayward would have to carry this team if they wanted to make the semifinals. Well, he did that today against St. John’s by scoring twenty points and obtaining nine rebounds. Also, his teamwork showed by setting a screen for his teammate David Cubillan to hit the game winning three late in the game. The two previous meetings against Villanova have not gone well for Marquette, losing both games by a combined four points. It will be a battle of leaders between Hayward and Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds who has hit big shots all year, including in those Marquette games. However, I think the Golden Eagles attack Villanova in the interior and Hayward will be Mr. Clutch once again. Marquette wins a nail biter.

Notre Dame @ Pittsburgh – This is a re-match of a game in which the Fighting Irish blew out Pittsburgh in the Joyce Center to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. One month later, Notre Dame looks like a lock to make the NCAA Tournament and has seen the return of its biggest star Luke Harangody. Tonight against Seton Hall, Harangody had a twenty point, ten rebound performance. For the Irish to win, they need to force Pittsburgh to hit their perimenter shots. Ben Hansbrough and Tim Abromaitis have the ability to shoot the daylights out of the garden. Pittsburgh will need a great performance from one of the most improved players in the conference in Ashton Gibbs. I think the Panthers keep it close due to Jamie Dixon’s success in the Big East Tournament as a head coach, but I am taking the Irish for another reason. That reason is the leadership of Tory Jackson. The senior point guard has so much heart, leadership, and hustle to carry a team to a big win. Also, he always makes the big pass when you need him to the most. Notre Dame in an upset.

Cincinnati @ West Virginia – The Bearcats have been the surprise of this tournament, knocking out Rutgers in the first round, then upsetting Louisville with hot shooting in the second half. These two teams played in Morgantown in February with the result being a Mountaineers victory (74-68). West Virginia needs to get Da’Sean Butler to score early and often because the pattern all year for Bob Huggins’ team has been when Butler scores, they win the game. If you look at West Virginia’s losses, they come with Butler scoring at a minimal value with the exception of the triple overtime game @ Pittsburgh. As for the Bearcats, Lance Stephenson is having his coming out party right in his backyard of New York City. He hit the free throw that won the game against Rutgers and then followed it up with twelve points tonight against Louisville. Mick Cronin’s club has to win the Big East Tournament to make the dance, so they will need not just Stephenson, but also the frontcourt play of freshman Yancy Gates (16 points against Louisville) and senior leader Deonta Vaughn. If Gates can handle Devin Ebanks inside, Cincinatti has a great chance. However,  I think the Bearcats will run out of gas eventually and with West Virginia fully rested, I expect the Mountaineers to pull away late.