After months of anticipation March Madness is finally here. With
the start of the NCAA tournament on Thursday, players and fans
alike will take place in one of the most exciting events in sports
with a goal of finding the best college basketball team in the
country. This tournament promises to be one of the best ever, and
right in the middle of the madness are the Mississippi State
Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs will open play Friday night in nearby Birmingham,
Ala. After making the finals of the conference tournament, the
Bulldogs are seeded fifth in the East Region. The No. 12 seed
Butler will be the Dawgs first round opponent. After getting
snubbed by the tournament committee last year, Butler will be ready
to make a statement and could be a tough opponent for MSU. They
have tournament experience and a well-rounded offense, and head
coach Rick Stansbury knows the importance of being focused for the
opening game against Butler. “We are happy to be in Birmingham,”
Stansbury said. “The proximity is great for our team and crowd. I
remember (Brandon) Miller and (Darnell) Archey from the 2000-2001
team. In the past two years, Butler has won 50 games. That tells
you how good they are. We popped in Hoosiers to get our kids in the
mood. They filmed the championship in Hinkle Fieldhouse, where
Butler plays their home games.”
Archey and Miller provide a legitimate three-point threat from
the outside, while center Joel Cornette has led them in scoring six
of the past 10 games. If MSU plays its style of game, the Dawgs
should come away with a victory. However, Butler is a very
confident and capable team and could pull the first round
upset.
If the Bulldogs get by Butler they could be headed for a
possible second round matchup with Louisville and former Kentucky
coach Rick Pitino. While the Cardinals struggled down the stretch,
they were No. 2 in the country a few weeks ago and won the
Conference USA tournament. Player of the year candidate Reece
Gaines will be a tough test for Timmy Bowers and the Bulldog
defense.
“Our competitive nature is what makes Derrick (Zimmerman) and
myself better,” the junior guard said. “We refuse to lose
mentality. You have to have confidence and know that you will not
be outworked on that court.”
The next opponent for the Bulldogs could be No. 1 seed Oklahoma,
who the Bulldogs beat earlier this year. Whether or not a repeat
would happen is hard to say, but should State get past the Sooners,
they would seem to be the favorites to come out of the East region.
Jay Bilas of ESPN already has the Bulldogs projected into the Final
Four, and if the Bulldogs play like they have recently and back in
December, this is a definite possibility. There is a lot of talent
in this region with Syracuse, Wake Forest, and Oklahoma State all
in the top 25, but the bottom line is that the Bulldogs have a good
shot of making it deep into the tournament if they play their game
and can make some free throws.
Elsewhere in the tournament, SEC champion Kentucky has a No. 1
seed in the Midwest. They are probably the favorites heading into
the Big Dance, and should advance to the Final Four. Missouri is a
definite sleeper in this region, and a possible second round
matchup with Marquette would be very entertaining. Either of these
teams could give Kentucky trouble. Also watch out for No. 2 seed
Pitt, who felt they should have been given a one seed after winning
the Big East tournament. Pitt is currently No. 4 in the
country.
Arguably the toughest region is the West, where pre-season
number one Arizona will have a tough road to the Final Four as a
one seed. Other teams in the West include Big Ten tournament winner
Illinois, ACC tournament winner Duke, and Big 12 power Kansas.
Throw in top 25 teams like Notre Dame, Creighton, and Memphis,
along with sleepers like Gonzaga and Arizona State, and it’s
anybody’s guess of who will come out of this region. This is by far
the most talented region, and could be the most fun to watch. Look
for some bracket busters here.
The final of the four regions is the South, where Texas is the
No. 1 seed. This bracket is also loaded with good teams. Florida
scored a No. 2 seed, while A-10 winner Xavier is No. 3. Do not
overlook UConn at the five seed, and even the defending champion
Maryland Terrapins who are the sixth seed. Maryland has a very
interesting first round matchup with UNC Wilmington, but this team
has loads of experience and could make a run to the Final Four. A
Maryland-Xavier matchup in the second round would also be very
entertaining.
The bottom line of this year’s tournament is that it is wide
open. While Kentucky is playing the best ball in the country right
now, there are 10-15 teams with a legitimate chance of winning the
whole thing. Anybody who correctly picks all Final Four teams
should be congratulated. Do not feel bad if the bracket you
predicted gets pretty beat up, because it is guaranteed that most
other people’s will, too. However, that is what makes this
tournament so great, and maybe even the most exciting times in
sports.