March Madness, Microwave Edition

My infatuation with March Madness began in 1995 when this happened:



Since that day I've been hooked. By some strange coincidence I found myself falling ill around the end of March every year to where I couldn't make it to work or school or anywhere that didn't have a TV. March Madness streaming on my phone made the illness easier to handle. Brackets, upsets, and shining moments became my favorite time of the year. With all the warm and fuzzies out of the way, let's quickly examine the spectacular abyss that is this year's March Madness.

South Region

Things to Watch For:

Aaron Craft
Seriously, it seems like this guy has been playing for at least a decade now. He plays D, he plays hard, but do the fans of OSU believe he can be anything but an offensive liability at the end of close games?

A Syracuse/Kansas Sweet 16 match up would give us 3 potential top 10 picks in Tyler Ennis, Andrew Wiggins
and Joel Embiid in a 40 minute battle. It will be interesting to see which guys can carry their teams and elevate their games throughout the Madness.

My Pick:
Florida
Considering we don't know the status of Kansas big man Joel Embiid and his back(which could scare some pro teams away), I'll go with Florida here. Syracuse has played bad ball leading into the tournament, UCLA goes through too many lethargic stages in their games, and I'm not sleepy enough to pick VCU. The Gators have a very solid defense and are well coached by the perpetually underrated Billy Donovan.

East Region

Things to Watch For:

Shabazz Napier
The smallish PG will draw a lot of comparisons to the guy he used to back up in Kemba Walker. He plays with just as much heart and passion, and he'll look to cut down the nets one more time before he leaves the Huskies.

Marcus Paige
Full disclosure, I'm a huge Tarheel fan. After a fantastic February and, a slow start to March, Paige picked it up against Duke and Pitt during the ACC tourney. He's going to have to be fearless in order to keep this UNC squad playing in March and through April.

Nova vs. UConn
What could be more fun than the two former Big East foes facing off with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line?

My Pick
Michigan State.
Such a trendy pick, but it's hard to go against the inside outside combo of Gary Harris and Adreian Payne. It's even harder to go against Tom to the Izzo in March.

West Region

Things to Watch For:

DOUG MCDERMOTT!!
The Creighton senior(yes those still exist) forward has been my favorite player in college hoops for the past few seasons. He's tough and he can put the ball in the basket, as evidenced by his slot at number 5 on the NCAA all time scoring list. Just watch his 45 point performance against Providence this season, he can score many ways and should have his full arsenal on display for the world to see during the tourney.



Nick Johnson
This uber athletic SG and new Pac-12 POY could potentially match up against Marcus Smart in the round of 32, which would be one of the more entertaining individual match ups of the West.

Xavier Thames
He's been the key playmaker on the 4th seeded Aztecs averaging a smooth 17/3/3 plus providing SDSU with senior leadership . The former Sacramento native (TREE CITY!) is already 23, older than former Aztec and current Spur Kawhi Leonard, but with a long postseason run, he could win the hearts of some NBA scouts.

My Pick:
Arizona
Scary defense, scary athleticism.

Midwest, AKA the Region of Doom

Things to Watch For:

It's safe to say if the Shockers of Wichita want to stay undefeated, they're going to have to run the gauntlet to do so. Last year's NCAA champion Louisville and runner up Michigan, the Duke Blue Devils, and Kentucky Wildcats all reside in the torturous Midwest.

One player to keep an eye on will be Wichita State's Cleanthony Early. The senior will be looking forward to earning some respect for the overlooked Shockers.

Julius Randle was at some point this season a consensus top 3 pick. It's no coincidence his stock slipping coincided with the struggles his Wildcats were having. He'll be looking to get both ships in the right direction.

My Pick:
Duke.
Believe me, it was as hard for me to type that as it was for you to read. This isn't your usual Blue Devils team. They're athletic, fast, and have a legitimate blue chipper in Jabari Parker. A Pitino/Coach K or Kentucky/Duke match up in the regional final would be a hoop purists' dream.