gpikeA look at the Southeast Region of the NCAA tourney
March 16th 2011 23:24
Justin Harper and Richmond want the upset over Vanderbilt
Kansas leads this region as the number one-seed. The Jayhawks enter the tournament with a record of 32-2 and winners of the Big-12 conference. Boston University is the opponent as the 16th-seed. The Terriers won the America East conference and are 21-13. John Holland leads the way for the Terriers with 19 points and six rebounds. Kansas has too much talent for this game to be close as the Morris brothers, Marcus and Martief roll on.
Notre Dame is the second-seed, taking on 15th-seeded Akron who won the MAC conference final. The Zips are 23-12 this year, while the Fighting Irish are 26-6. Ben Hansborough leads the way for the Irish, averaging 18 points. Akron center Zeke Marshall had nine blocks in the tournament final against Kent State. The Irish don't have a big guy to match up with Marshall, making this game interesting. Notre Dame wins, but the final score will be closer then many expect.
Purdue is 25-7 and the third-seed here. Saint Peters is the opponent for the Boilermakers as the 14th-seed. The Peacocks won the Metro Atlantic conference, and have a record of 20-13. Saint Peters easily dispatched of top-seed Fairfield in the conference tournament. Purdue has too much talent with JaJuan Johnson and E'tuawn Moore here. Purdue wins with ease.
Fourth-seeded Louisville is 25-9 this year, facing off against 13th-seeded Morehead State who won the Ohio Valley conference final. The Eagles are led by Kenneth Faried who is the NCAA's all-time rebounding leader. The senior has 84 career double-doubles for the 24-9 team. Louisville has a deep bench, and are led by Preston Knowles. The Cardinals win here, pulling away in the second half.
Vanderbilt enters the tournament as the fifth-seed, they face off against 12th-seeded Richmond. The Spiders are 27-7 after winning the Atlantic 10 conference final. Justin Harper and Kevin Anderson lead the way as very talented players for Richmond. Vanderbilt has struggled after a great start this year. The Commodores are 23-10 entering the tournament. John Jenkins averages 19 points per game for Vanderbilt. Richmond wins here, making it two straight first round losses for Vanderbilt.
Georgetown as the sixth-seed faces off against the winner of USC and Virginia Commonwealth. The Hoyas are 21-10 after another typical season. Georgetown started out fast only to fade down the stretch. Both USC and VCU can give the Hoyas problems. Austin Freeman leads the way for Georgetown with 18 points. Chris Wright and Jason Clark are main contributors. Georgetown will win a close battle against either USC or VCU. Both the Trojans and Rams have solid frontcourts making for an interesting game.
Texas A&M is the seventh-seed set to take on 10th-seed Florida State. The Seminoles of Florida State are 21-10 out of the ACC. Texas A&M is 24-8 on the season. The Aggies lost three times to Texas this season, while Florida State was the first team to defeat Duke. Florida State will miss Chris Singleton who was lost for the year after breaking his foot, as Khris Middleton and the Aggies win a tight battle.
UNLV and Illinois round out the region as the eight and nine-seed matchup. Illinois raced out of the gate, but faded in conference play, entering the tournament at 19-13. UNLV is 24-8 on the season. UNLV is led by TreVon Willis who averages 13 points for the at-large from the Mountain West. Illinois has a solid forward in Mike Davis, and great guard in Dmetri McCarmey. This game comes down to what Illinois team shows up. UNLV wins here, as the same old Illinois team shows up, inconsistent variety.
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