2011 NCAA Tournament Picks:
Sweet 16 Redo | East | West | Southwest | Southeast | Final Four | Winning Tips | 2011 NCAA Tournament Home
2011 NCAA Tournament Bracket Breakdowns:
West | East | Southwest | Southeast | Final Four | Schedule
2011 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Breakdowns:
West | Southeast |
2011 NCAA Tournament Preview:
ACC | Atlantic 10 | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Mid-Majors | Mountain West | Pac 10 | SEC
These are notes I took while studying each NCAA Tournament team. Most of this is unedited. I’ll have a more coherent breakdown in my NCAA Tournament picks.
BYU (30-4)
EXPERIENCE: Top six scorers: Sr, Sr, Jr, Jr, Fr, So
WHY TO LOVE: Elite offense (7th).
Good defense (33rd).
Jimmer Fredette is one of the top players in the country. He’s a terrific, clutch shooter.
10-1 road record. Quality road wins: San Diego State, UNLV.
Fulfills all five requisites in the Portrait of a Champion (returning head coach, scored 76 ppg, 10+ margin of victory, in the tournament last year, seeded 1-5).
WHY TO HATE: Sophomore forward Brandon Davies (11.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg) was kicked off the team because of BYU’s dumb honor code. This team is not the same without him.
In the past four seasons, head coach Dave Rose has taken 25-9, 27-7 and 25-8 Cougar teams to the NCAA Tournament. The first three ventures into the Big Dance resulted in first-round losses. Last year, they were blown out against Kansas State in the second round.
The Mountain West as a whole usually underachieves in the NCAA Tournament.
Only five conference wins of 15+ points.
San Diego State (32-2)
EXPERIENCE: Top six scorers: So, Sr, Sr, Sr, So, So
WHY TO LOVE: Elite defense (5th).
Great offense (26th).
Experience: Three of the top four scorers are seniors.
11-1 road record. Quality road wins: UNLV, Gonzaga.
WHY TO HATE: Has the game passed by 65-year-old head coach Steve Fisher? Fisher sold his soul with the Fab Five in the early 90s, but hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 1994.
The Mountain West as a whole usually underachieves in the NCAA Tournament.
Only four conference wins of 15+ points.
NCAA Champions average 76 ppg or more. San Diego State averages 72 ppg.
UNLV (24-8)
EXPERIENCE: Top six scorers: Sr, Jr, Jr, So, So, Sr
WHY TO LOVE: Elite defense (14th).
Head coach Lon Kruger has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in five of his six previous trips.
9-3 road record. Quality road wins: Kansas State.
WHY TO HATE: Average offense (54th).
2011 NCAA Tournament Picks:
Sweet 16 Redo | East | West | Southwest | Southeast | Final Four | Winning Tips | 2011 NCAA Tournament Home
2011 NCAA Tournament Bracket Breakdowns:
West | East | Southwest | Southeast | Final Four | Schedule
2011 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Breakdowns:
West | Southeast |
2011 NCAA Tournament Preview:
ACC | Atlantic 10 | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Mid-Majors | Mountain West | Pac 10 | SEC
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