The madness is back and with us Bruins having no real rooting interest, who to root for in any particular game usually comes down to who the underdog is. Well, when was the last time we had a Sweet 16 day with not just four pretty clear underdogs, but three teams hailing from a non-power conference and another that's a double-digit seed? If you like the upset, you've got four chances tonight. Here's the schedule, all times pacific of course for a healthy west coast bias.
- (5) Butler vs. (1) Syracuse- 4:07 pm
- (11) Washington vs. (2) West Virginia- 4:27 pm
- (6) Xavier vs. (2) Kansas St.- 6:37
- (12) Cornell vs. (1) Kentucky- 6:57 pm
So how can we get some upsets? Syracuse is well known for it's zone, but it's tougher to rebound in a zone and they're missing their starting center. Add in a Butler team that can shoot well enough from the perimeter to bust a zone and you've got a chance. West Virginia will have to play without their starting point guard against a team that pressures the ball and has one of the better on-ball defending guards out there in Vinoy Overton. Turnovers often lead to upsets. Xavier has Jordan Crawford, one of the best players in the country and someone who can win a game all by himself and the Kentucky has been susceptible to zone defenses and good outside shooting teams, both of which they face in Cornell.
It should be a fun one and if you're a neutral like most of us, this is setting up for about as exciting an NCAA tourney as you can have. March Madness On-Demand has all the games online again and you can grab it in the widget below. More madness. More fun. More open thread. Have fun with it everyone.