March Madness

With the first of the opening round games now complete and the next half getting underway I feel it is time to talk about who I believe are the favorites and cinderellas of the 2011 NCAA tournament.

Here are the teams that I feel, if they play their cards right, should be a lock for the Final Four:

Ohio State - Getting the top overall seed in the tournament means they have seemingly been given the sweetest deal. From the looks of the East Bracket, there does not seem to be any team with the exception of Syracuse who could match up well with the Buckeyes. North Carolina is formidable, however even if they should make a run Ohio State, lead by their top man Jared Sullinger has the offensive and defensive fire power to shut down any team that they are matched up against.

Kansas - I think it is a safe bet to think that Coach Bill Self's team is more than capable of reaching the Final Four or better yet winning a national championship. Having the Big 12 player of the year Marcus Morris on your side is quite an advantage to have. Combined with rather intimidating prowess Kansas should be able to stand up to any challenge posed in the Southwest Bracket

Duke - Many analysts have placed Duke in the toughest spot of the four number 1 seeds, I will remind everyone that the Blue Devils have already proven hey can handle it by winning it all in 2010. I will agree that this year The road could be much more difficult to manage, but Mike Krzyzewski welcomes challenges and has an ire for getting his teams to push their limits and achieve. Potential match ups with Texas, UConn, and Possibly San Diego State down the road could trip Duke up, but with Players like Seth Curry, Kyle Singler, and ACC player of the Year Nolan Smith, there is enough talent and leadership to get Duke through the fire.

Pittsburgh - To say that the Panthers are not a lock is a huge spit in the face to their accomplishments over the last decade. With multiple Big East regular season and tournament championships, they have shown that they are the cream of the crop in the most competitive conference in college basketball. Though there could be a big threat in St John's, Should the Johnnies get hung up, Pittsburgh should have no problem bowling over the competition in the Southeast.

Notre Dame - Though they are not in my top four, I will say that the Fighting Irish can indeed make a run to Houston. If they can avoid any type of shooting slump for six games they stand a chance in scoring a major upset over the favored Jayhawks should they meet in the elite 8. But that is only a speculation

Now its on to the cinderellas:

George Mason - We all remember the 2006 tournament when George Mason made a run for the ages by taking out some of the top teams in the nation too reach the Final Four. They have the talent and motivation to do the same thing all over again so every team should put a red flag on the Patriots.

St John's - Now you may wonder way I would have a number 6 seed as a cinderella, but taking into account that the last time St. John was legitimately in the tournament, and had a record this good, Omar Cook was their point guard. The loss of DJ Kennedy is huge, but Steve Lavin already has gotten the Red Storm to a much better place than they have been in a decade, the only way to go is up. With wins over Pittsburgh, Duke, Notre Dame and UConn, St. Johns certainly has no fear of top tier teams in the NCAA

Bucknell - This is a talented and steady group of players who know how to play as a cohesive unit. They may not have the team which ran out the heavily favored Kansas Jayhawks in 2005 but the Patriot League champions could repeat those events if anyone should take them too lightly