Friends of the Program

Best “White Guy Celebration” since Tiger Woods on 16 at the Masters

We are but mere hours away from the start of the NCAA’s, a spectacle filled with monumental upsets, last second miracles, and historic match-ups……oh, and of course Gus Johnson…oh Gus Johnson, we bow at your church’s ivory steps, rain your vocal goodness upon me and mine as we share with you a few tournament thoughts.

Obvious Favorites: UNC, Kansas, UCLA, and Memphis.  The preseason top 4 are your tourney top 4, but none are flawless.  Carolina lacks consistent defensive effort, Kansas has big game cancer Bill Self, UCLA has trouble shooting it at times, and Memphis loses control of its bowels at the free throw line.  Look for at least two of these, despite the pock marks, to make it to San Antonio.

Big East Infection:  Several analysts predict the Big East to show up in spades.  Pittsburgh, Louisville, Marquette, UConn, and Georgetown are all getting ushered forward and seem to be the sexy picks to pull an upset over a #1 seed.  We dont necessarily disagree, but dont overlook…

The Streakers:  Squads like USC, Vandy, Clemson, Stanford, Wisconsin, and even West Virginia (yeah I know those first three are all in the same bracket, but we’ve just got a feeling) can ride hot shooting and a couple of fortunate breaks into the Elite 8 and beyond.

The Sleepers:  Like a group of insurgents circling schematics spread out on a card table under a singular light bulb, these teams could blow up the whole thing with a big game or two.  Winthrop, Davidson, Baylor, and St. Mary’s all have the talent to win games and get beyond the first weekend.

Guys you don’t know now, but will soon (aka: The All Harold “The Show” Arceneaux Team):

Stephen Curry, Davidson:  The son of Dell (he of the turquoise pinstriped Charlotte 3 point shooting Currys) is a scorer supreme.  Averaging 25 a game, this undersized guard can play with anyone.

AJ Graves, Butler:  This senior guard led Butler to the Sweet 16 last year.  He controls a game’s tempo, can find the open man, and can score it when he needs to.  Butler will go only as far as Graves takes them.

Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky:  This NBA prospect leads the Hilltoppers in scoring and steals.  He could single-handedly get WKU past Round 1.

Curtis Jerrells, Baylor:  One of the truly uplifting stories of the tournament, Jerrells leads the Bears from the near-abyss into the Dance.

Joe Alexander, West Virginia:  Versatile forward who can post up and shoot it from distance.  Will be a tough match-up for just about anybody.

FOTP Final Four Picks:  UNC (no one in that bracket stopping them, Tennessee never even makes it to play them), Clemson (somebody is beating Kansas, why not them), Stanford (Memphis loses to Miss. State in round 2 then the bracket is wide open), and UCLA (been riding a lucky streak for a month).  UCLA beats UNC for the title.