And Now For Something I Know Nothing About...March Madness

I know about as much about NCAA Basketball bracketology as I do rocket science, but fortunately my friend Walker is a little better informed. Below are his picks for your reading pleasure.

After four non stop days of NCAA tourney action last weekend we’ve been graced with four days (good thing or bad thing…you decide) to stop, breathe, analyze, and breakdown the remaining 16 teams in the tournament. So, with four more days of basketball looming starting tonight and continuing through Sunday when the Final Four entrants will be set, where exactly do we stand? +/-

East Region: The Games: No. 4 Washington State vs. No. 1 North Carolina, Thursday, 7:27 PM ET; No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 2 Tennessee, 9:57 PM ET The Chalk: North Carolina became the first team to score over 100 points in their first two NCAA games since Loyola Marymount pulled off the feat in a surprise run to the Sweet 16. With Ty Lawson officially back and Psycho T in typical form, UNC is the established frontrunner to win the title. The Tar Heels will try to stay hot against a Washington state team that over the past three halves of basketball has limited first and second round opponents Winthrop and Notre Dame to an absurdly low 52 points. Something’s got to give. Against any other team Washington State might have a chance, but going up against a determined and experienced UNC club hungry for a championship, in Charlotte no less, makes it an extremely uphill battle for the Cougars.

Opposite that, Louisville, perhaps the only team in the tournament playing as well as UNC, takes on Tennessee, which after letting American hang around too long and then surviving Butler in overtime, has not looked impressive thus far. Add Rick Pitino’s coaching ability with the Cardinal’s deep roster and it equals the tournament’s most threatening non No. 1 seeded team. For Tennessee to prevail, star Chris Loften will need to be on top of his game and “da Smith boyz” will need to provide him with adequate backup scoring. The Picks: As good was Wazzu is on defense, no one is going to stand in the way of this Carolina ball club right now; UNC wins going away while Louisville delivers Tennessee the loss it deserved against Butler before falling to Carolina in a double overtime thriller in the East Regional final.

West Region: The Games: No. 7 West Virginia vs. No. 3 Xavier, Thursday, 7:10 PM ET; No. 12 Western Kentucky vs. No 1. UCLA, 9:40 PM ET The Chalk: Xavier takes its multi-balanced offense west to Phoenix to do what Duke and Arizona couldn’t, stop versatile forward Joe Alexander and knock off the three-point minded Mountaineers. With memories of last year’s second round collapse and loss to Ohio State finally exorcised, the X-Men will hope to get off to a quicker start than they have in wins over Georgia and Purdue.

After narrowly avoiding an upset of epic proportions against Texas A&M, UCLA attempts to get back on track against Western Kentucky, a team that has had no shortage of drama itself – advancing past Drake in the first round by nailing a buzzer beating three in overtime. UCLA’s half-court man-to-man defense is as good as anyone and while the Hilltoppers will look to get out and run and make this a high scoring affair, UCLA and Kevin Love should be able to refocus and snuff out WKU’s dreams of advancing. The Picks: Xavier’s balanced scoring paces the Musketeers past WVU while the Bruins come out fired up and jump all over Western Kentucky to cruise to an easy win; Ben Howland gets one step closer to a National Championship as UCLA suffocates Xavier’s perimeter threats in the regional final.

Midwest Region: The Games: No. 10 Davidson vs. No. 3 Wisconsin, Friday, 7:10 ET; No. 12 Villanova vs. No. 1 Kansas, Friday 9:40 ET The Chalk: Without a doubt, Stephen Curry and 10^th seeded Davidson has been the story of the tourney to date. In upsets wins over Gonzaga and mighty Georgetown, Curry dropped 40 and 30 points respectively, with the bulk of those points (55) coming in the second half of both games. Davidson, a school with an enrollment of under 1,500, was down 17 points against the Hoyas with just under ten minutes remaining before Curry took over and well, how to put this eloquently, made it rain.

The Wildcats were rewarded with a Sweet Sixteen match up against Wisconsin; the Badgers shot a blistering 52.2% from the field while manhandling Kansas State in the second round in what was likely Michael Beasley’s last collegiate appearance. Unless Curry can explode for another 30 plus night, which will be a tough task against a defense that ranks top ten in the nation, Davidson’s run will come to an end.

On the other end of the bracket Kansas matches up with Villanova. While the Midwest region’s other Wildcats stormed back to beat Clemson (not exactly a team known for its postseason prowess) in the first round and then shook off pesky Siena, they don’t match up well against the talented Jayhawks who are licking their chops for their first Final Four trip since 2003 when they fell to Syracuse in the championship game. The Picks: Wisconsin over Davidson in a close, low scoring affair. Kansas runs away from Villanova early and Bill Self gets the Final Four monkey off his back as his Jayhawks trump Wisconsin in the regional final.

South Region: The Games: No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 2 Texas, Friday, 7:27 PM ET; No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 1 Memphis, Friday, 9:57 PM ET The Chalk: Stop the twin towers of the Lopez brothers and Stanford will fall harder and faster than their stately tree mascot would if the History Channel’s “Ax Men” set upon it. Guard D.J. Augustin is the key for Texas, if he can penetrate and dish to open teammates that can finish, the Longhorns should advance. If not, and Brooke and Robin set up shop down low, the Cardinal could be on to the Elite Eight.

Although you wouldn’t know it from watching ESPN, Memphis, the number one ranked team in the country for a good deal of the season, is still playing ball. The Tigers get an interesting match up, facing a Michigan State team that seemed to peak in December and is flying under the radar. There’s no disputing that Tom Izzo is one of the best postseason coaches around and the Spartans, after knocking off chic Final Four pick Pittsburgh, could be poised for another shocker. The Picks: While no one questions Stanford exploits, not many expected the Cardinal to get this far. The Lopez twins combine to score 50 and Stanford surprisingly advances. There’s a reason Memphis has been doubted all season, and Michigan State, thanks to a prolific performance by Drew Neitzel, confirms those doubter’s thoughts, creating the most unexpected Elite Eight matchup. The Lopez twins continue they’re roll, give the Pac-10 two Final Four teams, and get a shot at revenge against UCLA.