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Will Davidson be this year's George Mason? Will Joakim Noah and the Florida Gators repeat? Will Roy Williams' new team take on his team of old? Will Greg Oden be the Carmelo Anthony of 2007 and lead Ohio State to a championship before leaving the Buckeyes for the NBA? In less than 24 hours these questions and more will be answered as the madness Americans have come to love and schedule their lives around, will tip-off. Miraculous shots will be made, critical free throws will be missed, and grown men will be seen crying on national television as 64 teams will battle for that one shinning moment in Atlanta. The regions are set, the analysts have spoken, and you, my fellow Americans, have finalized your brackets for the office pools. You know who you picked, now see who we, the writers of DCMetroSports.com chose to take it all. So, without further ado, for the 2007 Men's NCAA Tournament we select:
Wendell Stevens a.k.a. The Creator
Sweet 16: Florida, Maryland, Oregon, Wisconsin, Villanova, Virginia Tech, Duke, UCLA, UNC, Texas, Georgetown, George Washington. Ohio St., Tennessee, Texas A&M, Memphis
Elite 8: Florida, Oregon, Villanova, UCLA, UNC, Georgetown, Ohio St., Memphis
Final 4: Florida, Georgetown, UCLA, Ohio St.
Toughest 2: Florida & Georgetown
Kings of the Court: Florida
Why I rolled the way I did: In March Madness, you can count on one thing that generally rises above everything else and that is the play of the point guard. I (The Creator) will be posting a piece in the next couple days talking in depth about the omnipresent point guard, especially in the Final Four when the stage gets white hot. With that being said Florida is my pick over Georgetown in a repeat performance not because of Noah, Horford, or Brewer but because of Taurean Green and experience. He's the engine that drives the train.
Teon Abrams a.k.a. The Carolina Kid
Sweet 16: Maryland, Oregon, Wisconsin, Kansas, Virginia Tech., Pittsburgh, UCLA, UNC, Texas, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Ohio St., Albany, Texas A&M, Memphis
Elite 8: Florida, Wisconsin, Kansas, Pittsburgh, UNC, Georgetown, Ohio St., Memphis
Final 4: UNC, Memphis, Florida, Kansas
Toughest 2: UNC & Kansas
Kings of the Court: UNC
Adina Ferguson a.k.a. Audi the Protégé
Sweet 16: Florida, Maryland, Oregon, Wisconsin, Kansas, Virginia Tech., Pittsburgh, UCLA, UNC, USC, George Washington, Georgetown, Ohio St., Virginia, Texas A&M, Memphis
Elite 8: UCLA, Oregon, Kansas, Florida, UNC, Georgetown, Ohio St., Texas A&M
Final 4: Georgetown, UCLA, Florida, Ohio St.
Toughest 2: Florida & Georgetown
Kings of the Court: Florida
Why I rolled the way I did: While I still question the absence of Syracuse, NC State, Air Force and a few others (whatever happened to George Mason?), I think this is the year of a repeat. Last year we slept on the boys of Gainesville and look what happened. With the Gators returning all five starters, who has time to nap—or doubt? On the other side of the bracket, while there was nothing but hype surrounding Ohio St.’s Greg Oden throughout the season, I seriously doubt the baby Buckeye would have the manpower or backup to defeat Roy Hibbert and the Georgetown Hoyas.
Forest Godwin a.k.a. Hurricane
*Picks were given on XM 169
Sweet 16: Florida, Maryland, Wisconsin, Oregon, Kansas, Southern Illinois, Pittsburgh, UCLA, UNC, Texas, Washington St., Georgetown, Ohio St., Tennessee, Texas A&M, Nevada
Elite 8: Maryland, Wisconsin, Kansas, Pittsburgh, Texas, Georgetown, Ohio St., Texas A&M
Final 4: Georgetown, Ohio St., Pittsburgh, Wisconsin
Toughest 2: Georgetown & Pittsburgh
Kings of the Court: Georgetown
Why I rolled the way I did: That’s right America, we will see this match-up for a fourth time this year with the Hoyas coming out on top in the ATL just like they did in the Big Apple a week ago.
Chris DiIonno a.k.a. The Professor
Sweet 16: Florida, Maryland, Oregon, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Southern Illinois, Pitt, UCLA, UNC, Texas, Georgetown, Washington State, Ohio St., Tennessee, Texas A&M, Memphis
Elite 8: Maryland, Oregon, Kansas, UCLA, Texas, Georgetown, Ohio St., Texas A&M
Final 4: Maryland, Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M.
Toughest 2: Kansas & Texas
Kings of the Court: Kansas
Why I rolled the way I did: I have a problem with all those so-called experts on ESPN and CBS -- Too much chalk! I’m tired of seeing all these Final Fours with three #1 seeds and a #2 seed. How many times do all the favorites make it to the Final Four? Never! If the favorites made the finals every year, there wouldn’t be much fun in filling out brackets. In fact, Forest and I are the only ones on this site who don’t think more than two 1 seeds are going to make it to the Final Four.
In my head, my Final Four makes a lot of sense. I have the hottest (or one of the hottest) teams in the country (Maryland); the only team in the nation that has a seventh gear (Kansas); the team with the best player in the country (Texas); and the team with the most clutch player in the country (Acie Law IV). Of course it never plays out the way I think it should – Maryland has a brutal matchup with Florida in the Sweet Sixteen; Texas probably has to go through UNC and Georgetown; A&M has to slow the tempo against Memphis then turn it on against Ohio St; and Kansas has to play consistent basketball for three weeks.
Out of the four of them, the one I’m most worried about is Kansas. I’ve picked the Jayhawks three times in the past to win the national title and they always let me down. Still, if they get hot and are able to play their best basketball now, then no one in the country can play with them (and that includes half of the NBA’s Atlantic division).
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