Who will solve the riddle of the West Bracket?

 

Published 3/20/2008 by Paul Gotham at Bleacher Report - College Basketball

Who will solve the riddle of the West and cross over into San Antonio? Will it be the heralded UCLA Bruins? They have the #1 seed and a record of 14-2 against tournament teams. The Bruins have been to the final four the last two years. They play stiff defense, have an experienced point guard and a deadly combination of inside / outside threats. Will injuries to Love and Moute slow the Bruins chase? Can #16 seed Mississippi Valley State cause UCLA coach, Ben Howland, to fret? Or at least will the Delta Devils’ 6’10”senior center, Larry Cox, make freshman Kevin Love work harder than he wants to in the first round? If so, can Texas A&M; or BYU take advantage? Will the Cougar squad that won 15 of 16 in the Mountain West show up, or will the BYU squad that lost to UNLV by fifteen take the court in Anaheim? Will the Aggie team that beat Texas by 27 revive themselves, or will we see the A&M; troop that lost to the not-so-vaunted Nebraska Cornhuskers? Can Drake make it three years ... [link]

Tags:

Related Stories
16

Mapping the NCAAs

tziller posted 3/19/2008 from ballhype.com

While my forte is the NBA , I am an equal opportunity cartographer. The NCAA tournament provides endless routes for creativity; there has been more great stuff in the blogdome this week than ever before. Allow me to add a bit of visual stimulation to the mix; if you like what you see, crank that hype button. (And pick Cornell over Stanford, lest you invoke the wrath of Andy Bernard.) ...
1

When fans go to far

jl3 posted 3/20/2008 from ballhype.com

As the NCAA tournament is set to begin Thursday, college basketball is sinking to an all time low...not in enthusiasm but in the attitude of its fans. Sports Illustrated chronicled the story of Kevin Love and his family, and how they were greeted by the Oregon Ducks fans during their home match up with UCLA.  The death threats left on his cell phone got so bad ...
7

ESPN Page 2 - The Sports Guy: A lot to Love

Bruins Nation found this 3/19/2008 on sports.espn.go.com

SPORTS GUY'S PICKS As the Madness begins Thursday, Bill Simmons offers this forecast for the 2008 NCAA tournament: ROUND OF 32 East: UNC over Indiana; Washington State over Notre Dame; Louisville over St. Joe's; Tennessee over Butler Midwest: Kansas ...
2

For UCLA, it's a banner year or bust - LA Daily News

SportsHubLA found this 3/20/2008 on www.dailynews.com

ANAHEIM - It's a banner or disappointment. It's win everything or a lifetime of regret. It's not fair, probably not even reasonable, but it's there and it is very real. Consecutive runs to the Final Four - and those 11 banners hanging at Pauley ...
2

Sports: xx |

SportsHubLA found this 3/20/2008 on www.ocregister.com

Bruins don't shy away from high expectations >ANAHEIM -- The expectations have been there from the start, stemming from back-to-back trips to — and losses at — the Final Four. They did not dissipate when point guard Darren Collison tweaked a knee ...
Related Blog Posts
Down with Goldy • Hey Sports Guy, Stick to the NBA
In Bill Simmons column today about the NCAA tournament, he has this to say about UCLA: the Bruins don't have a low-post stud (like Michael Beasley) or an ankle-breaking perimeter guy (like Jerryd Bayless) Um, I suppose if you really wanted to you ...
Complete Sports • NCAA Bracket Predictions: Final Four
Time for the Final Four Picks! EAST REGION PREDICTIONS MIDWEST REGION PREDICTIONS SOUTH REGION PREDICTIONS WEST REGION PREDICTIONS East Winner: Tennessee VS. Midwest Winner: Kansas This would be an exciting matchup between two teams with very ...
Rush the Court • West Regional Analysis
For our final regional analysis we look to the West which has 2 of the most storied programs in the history of the sport as its top two seeds. Teams #1 UCLA: The Bruins seem to be the popular pick among analysts. We can clearly see why. They ...
SOX & Dawgs • Our Picks For The First Round of Men’s NCAA Tournament
Just like we did with the MLB and NFL playoffs, Steve and I have made our picks for the first round of Men’s NCAA Tournament. Please do not use this advice to gamble. By no means are we experts. We will break them down by region.  ...
Rush the Court • South Regional Analysis
This is our final regional analysis and we’re running short on time to get them in before your brackets are due. Consequently, our analysis of the lower seeds will be very brief. Teams #1 Memphis: We can’t remember a #1 seed that ...
Related News Articles
When fans go to far
As the NCAA tournament is set to begin Thursday, college basketball is sinking to an all time low...not in enthusiasm but in the attitude of its fans. Sports Illustrated chronicled the story of Kevin Love and his family, and how ...
Weekend Preview: UCLA Bruins
Each the last two seasons, the UCLA Bruins have had a team that would have won the national title 8 of 10 years. Both of those seasons, however, they ran into the buzzsaw called the Florida Gators. This year, however, the "04's" have moved ...
Final Four losses provide motivation for UCLA
Nothing motivates the UCLA Bruins more heading into another NCAA basketball tournament than remembering heading home from the ...
Wooden doing well at rehab center after fall
John Wooden is getting his strength back at a rehabilitation center, three weeks after the 97-year-old UCLA coaching great broke his left wrist and collarbone in a fall at home. Wooden's daily exercises are making him "stronger every day," his ...
Banged-up UCLA seemingly has easy opener (AP)
Having survived five close calls in the last two weeks, UCLA seemingly has it easy in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. The top-seeded Bruins are favored by 32 points against 16th-seeded Mississippi Valley State. History is on their side, too. ...