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DEL.ICIO.USMark Bradley’s Friday Fallout
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Every Friday through the regular season, Mark looks at who’s up, who’s down and what you should be watching as the countdown continues to the Final Four in Atlanta.
THE TOP SEEDS
If the season ended today, here’s what the top four seeds in each region should look like:
• SAN ANTONIO
1: Ohio State
2: Florida
3: Memphis
4: Virginia Tech
• SAN JOSE
1: UCLA
2: Texas A&M
3: Georgetown
4: Nevada
• EAST RUTHERFORD
1: North Carolina
2: Pittsburgh
3: Washington St.
4: UNLV
• ST. LOUIS
1: Kansas
2: Wisconsin
3: Southern Illinois
4: Maryland
RISING: Kansas
Kansas has won seven in a row, can win the Big 12 outright by beating Texas on Saturday and looks more like a Final Four team with every week. Still, having been upset by the Bucknell Bison and the Bradley Braves in the past two NCAAs, the Jayhawks want no part of any BB — the Butler Bulldogs, say — this time.
FALLING: Florida
Is it boredom? Is it the pressure that comes from defending a title? Whatever the explanation, Florida needs to correct something posthaste. The Gators have lost three of four, and to secure the No. 1 NCAA seed that once seemed its manifest destiny, Florida now needs to win the SEC tournament.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
• Colonial Athletic Association championship game, 7 p.m. Monday, ESPN
Some project the CAA getting three NCAA berths, which lessens the stakes a bit. Still, it’s worth recalling that George Mason, which reached the Final Four last season, needed to rally to beat Georgia State in the CAA quarterfinals.
MID-MAJOR OF THE WEEK: Gonzaga
Gonzaga is the most famous mid-major going, and now the Bulldogs offer a case study in the perils of being a mid-major. They played a tough nonconference schedule and won the West Coast regular-season title but still need to win the conference tournament. An RPI of 71 doesn’t buy NCAA at-large passage.
FUN WITH NUMBERS
Three, according to the Associated Press, is the number of live chickens allegedly thrown on the court by Kansas State students before the Feb. 19 home game against Kansas. (K-State equates a chicken with a Jayhawk.) PETA protested, and now K-State has banned the chicken ritual. FYI: Kansas won the game 71-62.
NAMES TO KNOW
• Hofstra’s Loren Stokes and Antoine Agudio
Guards Loren Stokes and Antoine Agudio of Hofstra are the only teammates in Division I averaging 20 points apiece. The Pride, 22-8, probably need to reach the Colonial tournament final to have an at-large NCAA chance, and what opponent likely looms in the quarterfinals? Why, it’s George Mason.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment | Categories: Final Four, Mark Bradley
Comments
By lawdawg
March 2, 2007 5:26 PM | Link to this
UNLV a 4 seed? Not that anyone other than me really cares, but why is UNLV ahead of Mountain West Conference leading BYU? BYU just beat Air Force on the road and ran UNLV out of the gym the last time they played.
By March Madness Man
March 2, 2007 7:37 PM | Link to this
lawdawg- I care man, I care. UNLV has a slightly higher RPI than BYU right now (12 vs. 18), so I’m a bit surprised as well. Maybe Bradley’s taking into account the ‘BYU can’t play a Friday/Sunday’ setup?
By GT80
March 3, 2007 12:57 AM | Link to this
I like the fact that Bradley has VT a 4, UNC a 1 and Maryland a 4. Uh, last I checked Virginia was in first place in the ACC and just smoked VT last night. I’m afraid Bradley’s been hanging with Barnhart and paying attention to the AP poll.
By Andy M. Griffith
March 3, 2007 9:38 AM | Link to this
OK, so there is no more commenting allowed on Teri Moore columns? Is that because of all the racist abuse heaped upon him? Did the AJC make an announcement?
By GT80
March 3, 2007 10:15 AM | Link to this
Maybe there is no more commenting on TM columns because they are irrelevant.
By jaybird
March 3, 2007 12:11 PM | Link to this
Amen,GT80. However, you should have added “clueless” to your assessment.
By Lord Doom
March 3, 2007 1:12 PM | Link to this
Terence Moore was bringing drama from his gay relationship to his job.
By time for the truth
March 3, 2007 4:18 PM | Link to this
shouldn’t your moniker lord doom be grand wizard, since your bollocks chewing, bile swilling sorry carcass are no more euro aristocracy than rednekkk socialist lefty afterbirth? whilst i too have no love for the dark ones, god save the king from filthy new worlders claiming aristocracy which they are far too imbecilic to hold.
By GTBL
March 3, 2007 6:19 PM | Link to this
I still think it is funny that UGA lost to Vandy in football. I know its Basketball season…….Still funny