The Skyliner

Issue date: 3/28/07 Section: Sports

The Way it Is
David Sons


How's your bracket? Like the warm weather and budding leaves, this question signifies the arrival of March or more importantly the arrival of the greatest three weeks in sports entertainment the entire year through. Just two weeks ago, many of us printed out our brackets, filled them out online, joined Facebook pools, and challenged our co-workers to what is quickly becoming a national pastime; trying to predict the outcome of one of the most unpredictable tournaments in sports. Anybody can play because many of the picks depend on blind luck. Every person has 50/50 shot of picking the correct team For example, my 9-year-old sister picked 26 of the first 32 games correctly. Prodigy I tell you. So, how is your bracket? If you are like me and banked too heavily on the upset, your bracket has more holes in it than Hilary Clinton's foreign policy. However, I did manage to salvage my bracket late and pick all four Final Four teams. So there you have the extent of my expertise. On that note, here is a preview of the Final Four games.

1) Florida -vs- 2) UCLA
This is a rematch of the 2006 NCAA National Championship. Florida pounded an overmatched UCLA squad in that game, on the way to winning their first national championship, 73-57. Though times have changed, many of the players stay the same. Florida returns all five of its starters from that national championship run a year ago and the Gators already have quality wins over Jackson State, Purdue, Butler and Oregon in this year's tournament. Florida is lead by an experienced, diverse group of players, who can beat you inside or out on the perimeter. The Gators have the uncanny ability to make defenses pick their poison, defend the post and let them shoot the deep ball (they shoot 40 percent from beyond the arc), or guard the perimeter and watch as they abuse you inside. UCLA, on the other hand, is a very different team from a year ago, even though all the Bruins starters played on last year's national championship runner up team. The 2007 Bruins look to smother teams with their defense, whereas last year's team relied on offensive prowess. The Bruins have had a little bit tougher road to Atlanta, battling through Weber State, Indiana, Pittsburgh and Kansas for their shot at the national championship. The Bruins have not forgotten what it was like to watch Florida hoist the Naismith Trophy at their expense. This game will be a Jerry Springer quality slugfest; enjoy it.

1) Ohio State -vs- 2) Georgetown
An intriguing match up pitting the Big Ten regular season champions against the Big East regular season champions. Both teams have had to rely on big comebacks and last second shots to get to this point in the tournament, so neither team is a stranger to adversity or late game heroics. The Ohio State Buckeyes enter the game coming of the best record in school history (34-3) and wins over Central Connecticut State, Xavier, Tennessee and Memphis. The Buckeyes center, freshmen Greg Oden, will more than likely be the first pick in this year's NBA draft, and many of his teammates look to test the NBA waters as well, so this is probably Ohio State's only shot. Ohio State loves to shoot the three and if Oden can stay out of foul trouble, he is a legitimate double-double threat. The Buckeyes are full of freshman talent but lack the experience of the other three teams remaining. The Georgetown Hoyas enter Atlanta having knocked off Belmont, Boston College, Vanderbilt and North Carolina. The Hoyas are lead by Big East Player of the Year, junior Jeff Green, whose last second shot boosted Georgetown past Vanderbilt in the regional semifinals. Georgetown is an old school team that loves to play in your face defense and pound the ball inside to their big guys. Look for the Buckeyes to have real problems keeping Oden out of foul trouble, and for the Hoyas to take advantage.

Two weeks ago, 65 teams dreamt of making it this far. The field has narrowed to four, and the top teams in the country have risen out of their respective brackets. I have enjoyed this year's edition of the madness, and if I am not mistaken, my sister owes me some lunch money.

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