The D-Dobbs Basketball Blog

This is the second hardest region to pick, with a lot of good teams here. I don’t know how Florida lucked out with a 2 seed, I think its way too high for them. I see one of two things happening: Jimmer Fredette goes off for 30-40 points every game and carries BYU to the Elite 8 and possibly Final 4 (BYU will go as far as he takes them), or a team will upset BYU in the early rounds, ending Fredettes historical season and career. I see Pitt as the team to take BYU down in the Elite 8. Do not sleep on Wisconsin or St. Johns, two very dangerous teams.

Best Team: Pittsburgh or BYU

Who Will Win: Pittsburgh

Player(s) to Look Out For: Jimmer Fredette (BYU), Ashton Gibbs (Pitt)

Matchup(s) to Look Out For: St. Johns vs. BYU (3rd Round), Pittsburgh vs. Wisconsin (Sweet 16), Pittsburgh vs. BYU (Elite 8 )

Possible Upset(s): Wofford over BYU (2nd Round), Utah St. over Kansas St. (2nd Round)

Everyone most likely will have Kansas or Notre Dame out of this region, which is why I’m going out on a limb and picking Purdue. There is no doubt in my mind Kansas could very well win it all. However, with a few big upsets things could look bright for Purdue even without 6th man Kelsey Barlow. Notre Dame is just as good as any other 2 seed, but can lose to anyone. May not happen but I predict Richmond to upset Vanderbilt, and then to move on to face Kansas, where they shock the world and win.

Best Team: Kansas

Who Will Win: Purdue

Player(s) to Look Out For: Morris brothers (Kansas), Justin Harper (Richmond), Ben Hansbrough (Notre Dame)

Matchup(s) to Look Out For: Notre Dame vs. Purdue (Sweet 16), Richmond vs. Louisville (3rd Round)

Possible Upset(s): Richmond over Vanderbilt (2nd Round), Richmond over Kansas (Sweet 16)

This was one of the toughest regions to pick. But after I sorted everything out, I came to the conclusion that I am not having Duke going to the Final 4. Big surprise. This is the best region in the entire bracket, and I believe either of the top four seeds (Duke, San Diego State, UConn, Texas) have a shot at making it to the Final 4. I have Texas and San Diego State in the Regional Finals with Texas advancing to the Final 4. They are a tough Big 12 team who has what it takes, just as much as any other team in the region. Also, with their first two rounds in Arizona, San Diego State shouldn’t have a problem advancing to Regionals in Anaheim. Their home court advantage will give them a win over Connecticut and a chance at a Final 4 birth.

Best Team: Duke

Who Will Win: Texas

Player(s) to Look Out For: Nolan Smith (Duke), Jordan Hamilton (Texas), Kemba Walker (UConn), Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State)

Matchup(s) to Look Out For: Duke vs. Texas (Sweet 16), UConn vs. San Diego State (Sweet 16)

Possible Upset(s): Texas over Duke (Sweet 16)

Cutting it as close to the deadline as possible, I’ll be breaking down each region of the 2011 NCAA Tournament, starting with the East region. There shouldn’t be any real surprises in this region, but then again Northern Iowa did shock the world with their upset of Kansas last year. I see the Ohio State Buckeyes storming through this region without a problem, and punching their ticket to Houston for the Final 4. Their run won’t stop there as they will play for the National Championship on April 4th, and win. Their biggest threat will be Syracuse.

Best Team: Ohio State

Who Will Win: Ohio State

Player(s) to Look Out For: Jarred Sullinger (Ohio State), Tu Holloway (Xavier), Kendal Marshall (North Carolina)

Matchup(s) to Look Out For: Syracuse vs. Xavier (3rd Round), Syracuse vs. North Carolina (Sweet 16)

Possible Upset(s): Princeton over Kentucky (1st Round), Washington over North Carolina (3rd Round)