The Pinkie Previews the 2010 Midwest Region: A-to-Z

A is for “Aldrich”

Cole Aldrich in my opinion is the biggest factor if Kansas is to advance out of this region.  He is arguably the best big man in the country and is an All-American.  Aldrich nearly averages a double double with 11.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.  He is also a huge presence defensively, averaging 3.3 blocks.  The man is a beast in the post and could be the key for a Kansas trip to the Final Four.

 B is for “Bruce”

As in Bruce Pearl.  Pearl did one of the best coaching jobs in America this season in guiding the Tennessee Vols to the six seed in the Midwest Region.  Pearl had to deal with the suspensions of several key contributors and even kicked star player Tyler Smith off the team.  Despite all this turmoil, Pearl guided his team to two upset victories over #1 Kansas and #2 Kentucky while finishing the year 25-8.  Pearl now hopes he and his bright orange blazer can help the Vols make a run. 

C is for “Cougars”

The Houston Cougars have finally made it back to the big dance.  Tommy Penders squad upset heavily favored UTEP in the C-USA final and stole a bubble spot away from several deserving teams.  Houston hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1992 and if they want the party to last a while, they need to pull another big upset over Maryland.

 D is for “Derrick Favors”

Favors was a beast as a freshman for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He was named ACC rookie of the year with averages of 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. Favors led all Atlantic Coast Conference freshmen in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage (60.4), blocked shots (2.0) and double-doubles (8). Among all ACC players, he ranks 19th in scoring, fourth in rebounding, second in blocked shots and fourth in double-doubles.

E is for “Evan Turner”

Evan Turner of Ohio State is arguably the best player in the nation this season.  Turner led Ohio State to both the Big Ten regular season championship and tournament championship.  Turner averaged 20.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.  He has already been named Big Ten Player of the Year and is the favorite to win National Player of the Year honors.  Turner is without a doubt the heartbeat of Ohio State and the Buckeyes need him to play well if they want to advance far in the dance.

F is for “Ford”

That’s right Kentucky fans, Travis Ford has once again taken his Oklahoma State Cowboys to the Big Dance.  Ford, a former star point guard at UK in the 90’s, has done a sensational job in Stillwater since taking over for Sean Sutton.  He is in his second year as coach of the Cowboys and has made the field of 64 in each of those years.  Ford has also taken Eastern Kentucky to the Tournament and led UMASS to an Atlantic 10 Championship.  He is one of the best young coaches in the game and his Cowboys could make some noise in this region. 

G is for “Gauchos”

You may be asking yourself, “What the hell is a gaucho?”  Well, a gaucho is a term used to describe the natives of a South American Patagonian grassland.  These areas are commonly found in Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil. The term gaucho is equivalent to the American term “Cowboy”.  The 15th seeded Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara look to make history when they square of against Ohio State.  UC Santa Barbara are champions of the Big West and come into the Dance with a record of 20-9.  They look to become only the fifth #15 seed in tournament history to defeat a #2 seed.  The last to do so was Hampton in 2001 when they defeated Iowa State. 

H is for “Hoyas”

 The Georgetown Hoyas are one tough team to figure out.  They have shown flashes of brilliance this year in blowout victories over Duke and Villanova, but have been absolutely dreadful in loses to Rutgers and South Florida.  The Hoyas finished eighth in the Big East regular season, but made a strong run in the conference tournament before losing to West Virginia in the final.  Georgetown is also responsible for one of Syracuse’s four loses.  As a number three seed, this team has the potential to be dangerous. Star players Greg Monroe and Austin Freeman might be two names we hear in the Final Four. 

 I is for “Izzo”

 Tom Izzo is the coach with the most tournament experience and tournament success for this region.  Since he took over the coaching job at Michigan State in 1995, Izzo has led the Spartans to the 2000 National Championship and five final four appearances.  He is the winningest coach in Michigan State history and has coached his team into 12 straight NCAA Tournaments.  Izzo and the Spartans were last year’s national runner-up to North Carolina and many favored the Spartans to win it all this year.  Michigan State has run into some bumps this season, but with several key players still on the team from last year, the fifth seeded Spartans are a team you don’t want to take lightly. 

J is for “Jayhawks”

 The Kansas Jayhawks come into this tournament as the favorites to win it all.  Kansas spent most of the year atop the polls and are riding a wave of momentum coming into the dance.  The Jayhawks are the tournaments overall #1 seed and were crowned Big 12 regular season and tournament champions.  They are led by a duo of All-Americans in center Cole Aldrich and guard Sherron Collins (15.6 pts, 4.4 assts).  Kansas also has a fabulous freshman in Xavier Henry (13.6 pts, 4.2 reb) who chose to play for the Jayhawks over Kentucky.  This team is my pick to win it all and it’s going to take a heck of an effort to knock this powerhouse off.

K is for “Kawhi Leonard”

Kawhi Leonard is an absolute beast for the San Diego State Aztecs.  He is a 6’7 freshman forward that leads the team in both points (12.8) and rebounds (9.9).  Leonard led the Aztecs to the Mountain West Tournament Title over UNLV with a monster game of 16 points and 21 rebounds.  He was also named the tournament’s most valuable player.  The Tennessee Volunteers better find a way to contain this man or the Aztecs could pull the upset.

L is for “Las Vegas”

The University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels are the second team from the Mountain West to be selected to the Midwest region.  UNLV finished the season 25-8 and made a run to the Mountain West title game before being knocked off by fellow Midwest Region participant San Diego State.   Louisville fans may be familiar with the Rebels from back in November when the Cards may the trip to Vegas and were knocked off.  Former Kentucky guard Derek Jasper is a Rebel but has been out of action lately due to injury and is expected to miss the tournament.  The Rebels have a tough 8-9 matchup with Northern Iowa before they get a chance at Kansas.  It looks like it will be an early exit back to Vegas for this squad.

M is for “Mountain Hawks”

 The mighty Mountain Hawks of Lehigh enter the tournament as the 16 seed in the Midwest region.  Lehigh is a private university from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that is apparently pretty good at hoops.  The Mountain Hawks were the regular season champions from the Patriot League and earned the automatic NCAA berth by winning the conference tournament.  Unfortunately for the Mountain Hawks, they are rewarded with the opportunity to play the overall #1 seed Kansas.  Keep in mind no #16 seed has ever beaten a #1 seed.  Don’t expect that to happen in this region either as the Mountain Hawks should be one and done. 

 N is for “New Mexico State”

 The Aggies of New Mexico State are in the tourney as the #12 seed in the Midwest after an upset victory over Utah State in the WAC conference tournament.  The Aggies are 22-11, but former Louisville assistant Marvin Menizes has them playing their best ball in March.  New Mexico State will square off against the Michigan State Spartans on Friday in the 5-12 matchup.  I see some upset potential in this group so the Spartans better beware. 

 O is for “Obi”

 Obi Muonelo is a player to watch for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.  The 6’5 senior guard is the second leading scorer for the ‘Ole Pokes, averaging 13.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.  He has scored in double figures nine straight times entering the tournament, including a 31 point outburst against Iowa State.  Georgia Tech and the rest of the Midwest Region will have their hands full with Obi.

 P is for “Panthers”

 The Northern Iowa Panthers have been the biggest surprise of the college basketball season.  The Panthers, hailing from the Missouri Valley Conference, burst onto the scene by starting the season 17-1 and finishing at 28-4.  The Panthers have been ranked in the top 25 most of the year and their #9 seed is way too high for as good as this team is.  The Panthers play like a 4-5 seed and are a team that could create problems.  They should get past UNLV and will give Kansas a tough test in the second round, but ultimately the Jayhawks should end the Panthers magical season.

 Q is for “Quit”

 This is a word that the Ohio Bobcats refuse to say.  The Bobcats had a lack luster regular season in the MidAmerican Conference, finishing 7-9 in league play and 21-14 overall.  The Bobcats earned the #9 seed is the conference tournament and could have easily quit and called it season over.  Instead, Ohio beat heavily favored and #1 seed Kent State in the first round, and later defeated #2 seed Akron in the championship to earn a tourney birth.  Head coach John Groce has his team believing in March and the Georgetown Hoyas better be on upset alert.  This team doesn’t quit.

 R is for “Raymar Morgan”

 Raymar Morgan is the do it all guy for the Spartans of Michigan State.  Last year’s Big Ten Player of the Year is the second leading scorer on State’s team with 11.5ppg.  He is also second in rebounding (6.2rpg) and is third in steals (1.1spg).  He is a senior leader for the Spartans and has plenty of tournament experience as he led his squad to the national title game last year.  Raymar Morgan is a name you will hear a lot this weekend.

  S is for “St. Louis”

 St. Louis is the sight of the Midwest Regional semifinals and finals.  Only four teams will make it to The Arch and it looks like Kansas, Ohio State, Georgetown, and Michigan State will be those teams.  All 16 teams from this region have dreams of cutting down the nets in St. Louis to earn a trip to the Final Four, and I will be surprised if  Kansas is not that team.

 T is for “Terps”

 The Maryland Terrapins have been a surprise out of the ACC this season.  The Terps struggled early in the season, suffering back to back losses in the Maui Invitational and another loss in early December to Villanova.  But Gary Williams got his fighting turtles back on the right path by the time conference season came around.  Maryland ripped through the ACC, going 13-3 in conference play, and earning co-championship honors with the Duke Blue Devils.  In fact, Maryland beat #1 seed Duke during the last week of the season before losing to Georgia Tech in the ACC tournament. Williams knows what it takes to win in March, leading his team to multiple tournament births and a 2002 National Championship. 

 U is for “Ugly”

 This is exactly the word to describe Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl’s orange blazer.  The thing is absolutely hideous.  Some people think that Rick Pitino in his all white suit is bad, this tops the charts.  If Pearl wasn’t a basketball coach, he could pass for the Syracuse mascot.  Take a look!

 V is for “Vasquez”

 Greivis Vasquez is the go to guy for the Maryland Terrapins.  He  is a first team All-ACC performer and is one of the best guards in the entire country.  Vasquez leads the ACC in assists (6.3) and is second in scoring (19.5).  He also leads his team in steals (1.7).  Vasquez  is the do it all guy for Terps and they will go as far in this tournament as he can carry them.

 W is for “Wayne Chism”

 Wayne Chism is a First Team All-SEC selection from the Tennessee Volunteers.  The senior F-C leads the Vols in points (12.5), rebounds (7.1), and blocks (1.4).  He is also second on the team in steals (1.2).  Chism is a force on both the offensive and defensive end.  He is very athletic and creates matchup problems for a lot of teams.  He is a smart, experienced player that has the ability to take over a game.  If he plays at the top of his game during this tournament, Tennessee could make a deep run.

  X is for “Xavier Henry”

 Xavier Henry is the fabulous freshman from the Kansas Jayhawks.  Henry was a highly touted freshman that chose the Jayhawks over the Wildcats of Kentucky.  As a freshman, Henry earned Big 12 postseason honors by being named to the Big 12 Honorable Mention list.  He leads the Jayhawks in steals (1.5), is second in scoring (13.6), and is fourth in both rebounds (4.2) and assists (1.2).  He is also third in blocks (0.5).  Henry is a very versatile player that not only starts for the number one team in America as a freshman, but is a major contributor. Henry can flat out play and could be the x factor for the Jayhawks to win a national title. 

 Y is for “Yellow Jackets”

 The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets barely played their way into the dance.  Tech started the season strong, going 13-2 and finding themselves ranked in the top 25.  The Yellow Jackets even beat Duke early in the conference season, but fell hard once late January and February hit.  Georgia Tech went 3-6 down the stretch heading into the conference tournament and found themselves on the bubble with little hope of getting an NCAA tournament invite.  Tech finished the regular season 19-11 and had a losing conference record of 7-9.  There were even rumblings that coach Paul Hewit would be fired.  However, the Yellow Jackets pulled it together at the right time and made an improbable run to the ACC conference championship game against Duke.  The conference tournament run persuaded the selection committee that Tech belonged in the field of 64 and the Yellow Jackets look to prove the committee right. 

 Z is for “Zahir Carrington”

 Zahir Carrington is a starting forward for the #16 seed Lehigh Mountain Hawks.  Carrington is the best big man that the Hawks have and will have the tough task of trying to stop Cole Aldrich.  Carrington leads the team in both rebounding (6.7) and blocks (1.3), while he is third on the squad in scoring (10.8 ppg) and steals (1.1).  The senior was named to the second team All-Patriot League team for his outstanding play.  If Lehigh is going to have any chance at all of shocking the world and making history, Zahir Carrington must shut down Aldrich.