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The 2003 NCAA Men's Basketball Tourney |
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A couple weeks ago, P Money, Preston, Sidearms and I were asked to handicap the big dance, all 64 games (Don't get me started on that crappy play-in game.)
Per usual, we began with our traditional antics and tom-foolery, mixed in with some legitimate college hoops knowledge, and came out with some rather hilarious and somewhat accurate picks. Little did we know at the time that one of our alma mater's, my alma mater, would actually make it to the Final Four.
It should make perfect sense then, that I should pen the final installment of the Paper Bag Review's NCAA tournament analysis. Keep in mind that my squad, the Syracuse Orangemen, is still alive.
National Semifinals Marquette v. Kansas Two major stories decorate this year's final four: 1. Will Roy Williams leave for UNC? and 2. Have the five best players in the land ever all found themselves in the same Final Four? While we don't know the answer to #1, we know that you'll be hard pressed to find a better collection of college-level players than Dwyane Wade, Nick Collison, Kirk Hinrich, TJ Ford and Carmelo Anthony - boy, what a starting five that would be. Three of the aforementioned studs will square off in game one here, with Wade, easily the best wing player in the nation, tackling Collison and Hinrich. No, at no point will any of these players find themselves on opposite sides of the ball, but they will tangle. Wade is plain and simply the most polished and pro-ready player in the nation; Hinrich and Collison don't seem to have pro game to burn as the others, but they do have a basic understanding of the 'Rock-Chalk-Jayhawk' team mentality. Beyond the stars, Marquette shockingly has a better supporting cast. Sharp-shooter Travis Diener has come alive in the tourney, finding a sweet 3-point stroke that extends any defense. Robert Jackson has the size and ability to slow down, if not contain Nick Collison. Why then, would I pick Kansas to win this? Simple, upsets like this just don't happen in my lifetime. Forget about the seeds, the records, the stats, this is Kansas versus freakin' Marquette. Kansas, perennially one of Dick Vitale's favorites for the Final Four ("I like the Dukies, and I like KANSAS!") Marquette loses by tradition if nothing else. My pick: Kansas Syracuse v. Texas So here it is, the biggest single game in my life as a college basketball fan since I was in college (I was fortunate enough to be on campus during the magical run of '96, when my boys were taken out by a star-studded Kentucky squad.) On the surface, this looks simple: 'Cuse's 2-3 versus TJ's penetration ability (no jokes please.) Everyone under the sun has exploited that angle; lets look a little deeper and find a real key. Following 'Cuse every step of the way this year, I've gotten to know them quite a bit. Anthony is the star, 'nuff said; Warrick is the jump-out-of-the-building rebounder; Mcnamara shoots; Duany and the others fill roles, and very, very well. At one point or another this season, 6 different Orangemen went for over 20 in a single game. With Billy Edelin finding his groove, Josh Pace creating a spark, and Jeremy Mcneil being just a monster as the final leg of defense in the zone (A Big East record 7 blocks in the BE tourney), there are just too many weapons on the Orangemen's side. My coverage of Texas will be short and sweet, because so is their offensive playbook: TJ Ford dribbles for 80% of their possession, attempts to penetrate, then eventually gets bailed out by the refs, or kicks it out to Mouton or Boddicker outside for a J. Predictable, and certainly defeatable. My pick: Syracuse, just too many weapons, and too strong a D. National Final Syracuse v. Kansas I don't have the logic, I don't have the reasoning, but most of all, I have no desire to go against my boys. Syracuse will win this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament...my lord, that feels so good to type. Adding just a touch of analysis here, the clearest disadvantage serving the Jayhawks is their complete lack of depth. While Syracuse plays only one more, KU plays only 2 men of the bench, and their contribution is minimal. Nick Collison's protection against fouls is absolutely crucial, and although Craig Forth and Mcneil don't have the offensive game to challenge Collison, Warrick may do just that. In the battle between Warrick and Collison, he who achieves his third foul last shall lead his team to the title. My pick: Syracuse Salazar |
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