You didn’t see it coming. I didn’t see it coming. They didn’t see it coming. One team is taking the college basketball world by storm this season and it’s the Miami Hurricanes.
After fighting through some early season injuries that left unfavorable results, the Hurricanes have run roughshod over the ACC. They’ve beaten both North Carolina and Duke by more than 20 at home and went to Raleigh to steal a road victory over NC State.
In an era of all-world freshmen, the key to Miami’s success is its age. Miami is one of the most experienced teams in the ACC and you can see it with the way its being physical with its foes.
Every once a while a team pops up out of nowhere to have a special season a la Saint Josephs in 2004 and Auburn in 1999. This could be one of those seasons for the ‘Canes.
Stock Up: The Atlantic 10. The additions of Butler and VCU to the conference are paying instant dividends as the quality of the A-10 rivals most power six conference. The league could legitimately send 5 or 6 teams to the Big Dance and some of those teams would be real threats to make it to the second weekend.
Stock Down: Colonial Athletic Association. Yikes. What a difference a year makes. This was a league you could rely on to possibly send two teams to the NCAA tournament. Not this year. The conference champion would do well to get a No. 14 seed in the tournament.
Stock Up: Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs haven’t lost a game since December 12 and is coasting through the WAC right now. At 21-3, they’ve already dispatched Denver, New Mexico St, and Utah St, their chief rivals once and have return meetings set up. Those three games are the only thing keeping me from declaring that race completely over.
Stock Down: The NCAA. Collegiate athletics is taking so many L’s these days it’s not even funny. From the way the organization handled the Myck Kabongo situation to the way it handled the Shabazz Muhammad situation, there’s no consistency and what seems to be selective enforcement. At a time where colleges are grabbing more power for themselves the NCAA needs to stop self inflicting wounds.
On to the bracket.
Last Four In: North Carolina, Arizona St, Baylor, Temple
Last Four Out: Stanford, Alabama, St. John’s, California
This bracket is good for games played through 2/10
MIDWEST
1.Indiana16.Charleston Southern/Norfolk St Dayton, OH
8.San Diego St9.Colorado
5.Marquette12.Belmont Kansas City
4.Kansas13.Middle Tennessee
6.Kentucky11.Indiana St Salt Lake City
3.Arizona14.Davidson
7.NC State10.Saint Louis Philadelphia
2.Syracuse15.Florida Gulf Coast
WEST
1.Michigan16.Northeastern Auburn Hills, MI
8.UCLA9.Wichita St
5.Oklahoma St12.Temple/North Carolina Austin
4.Louisville13.Lehigh
6.Cincinnati11.La Salle Salt Lake City
3.New Mexico14.Valparaiso
7.Minnesota10.Oklahoma San Jose
2.Gonzaga15.Montana
EAST
1.Duke16.Bryant Philadelphia
8.Missouri9.Creighton
5.Wisconsin12.Baylor/Arizona St San Jose
4.Pittsburgh13.Stephen F. Austin
6.Oregon11.Mississippi Dayton, OH
3.Butler14.Vermont
7.Notre Dame10.Iowa St Auburn Hills, MI
2.Michigan St15.Long Beach St
SOUTH
1.Miami(FL)16.Niagara/Southern Lexington, KY
8.Memphis9UNLV
5.Ohio St12.Louisiana Tech Austin
4.Georgetown13.Akron
6.Colorado St11.Virginia Kansas City
3.Kansas St14.Harvard
7.VCU10.Illinois Lexington, KY
2.Florida15.Western Illinois
Bracketville USA 