1-Kentucky*
16-ETSU
I'm looking forward to seeing UK go down, but it's not going to happen here.
8-Texas*
9-Wake Forest
The Selection Committee has a sense of humor. I like Texas to come out of this matchup of volatile underachievers, but really, anything could happen. Expect a tough battle under the basket.
5-Temple*12-Cornell
Might be the most fascinating first-round matchup in the entire Tournament. First there's Fran Dunphy matching wits with his former assistant Steve Donahue in an unlikely Ivy coach versus former Ivy coach matchup. Then there's the unstoppable force versus immovable object nature of the matchup, as the best 3-point shooting team in the country takes on the second-best three-point defense in the country. Who will budge? Finally, the favorite is the team who got pounded by Kansas by 30 points on its own floor, and the underdog is the team who nearly upset Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse. It's a legitimate upset pick, but in the end, I suspect that master bests pupil.
4-Wisconsin*
13-Wofford
The Badgers tend to be much better at home than on the road, and they've also tended to underperform in the Tournament when given a high seed. Throw in Wofford's strong form, and there's an outside chance at an upset. But I wouldn't bet on it.
3-New Mexico*
14-Montana
The last time Steve Alford took a team to a 3 seed, it ended with a buzzer-beating defeat. The prospect of facing Anthony Johnson (and his teammates) might giving poor Steve flashbacks. With their star guard and capable 3-point shooting, Montana is probably the most likely 14 seed upset. But it's not clear that their defense is strong enough to pull it off.
6-Marquette
11-Washington*
This looks like a good matchup for the Huskies. They attack the basket and rebound the offensive glass well -- areas where Marquette's defense is weakest. And Washington denies the 3-point shot that Marquette relies on. Marquette may be the better team, but Washington may win this game.
7-Clemson*
10-Missouri
80 minutes of hell? A fascinating game that will feature two teams of Tigers who liberally employ the full-court press diagrammed to the left. Clemson seems less equipped to take what they dish out, with a questionable turnover rate. But they may be able to make up for these missed shots with second-chance points -- Missouri is woeful on the defensive glass. Clemson has also been effective at stifling the 3-point shot, from which Missouri gets about 30% of its points. On top of all that, Mizzou just hasn't been the same since Justin Safford went down with an ACL injury.
2-West Virginia
15-Morgan State
The 'Eers may outscore Morgan State on second chance points alone.
Might be the most fascinating first-round matchup in the entire Tournament. First there's Fran Dunphy matching wits with his former assistant Steve Donahue in an unlikely Ivy coach versus former Ivy coach matchup. Then there's the unstoppable force versus immovable object nature of the matchup, as the best 3-point shooting team in the country takes on the second-best three-point defense in the country. Who will budge? Finally, the favorite is the team who got pounded by Kansas by 30 points on its own floor, and the underdog is the team who nearly upset Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse. It's a legitimate upset pick, but in the end, I suspect that master bests pupil.
4-Wisconsin*
13-Wofford
The Badgers tend to be much better at home than on the road, and they've also tended to underperform in the Tournament when given a high seed. Throw in Wofford's strong form, and there's an outside chance at an upset. But I wouldn't bet on it.
3-New Mexico*
14-Montana
The last time Steve Alford took a team to a 3 seed, it ended with a buzzer-beating defeat. The prospect of facing Anthony Johnson (and his teammates) might giving poor Steve flashbacks. With their star guard and capable 3-point shooting, Montana is probably the most likely 14 seed upset. But it's not clear that their defense is strong enough to pull it off.
6-Marquette
11-Washington*
This looks like a good matchup for the Huskies. They attack the basket and rebound the offensive glass well -- areas where Marquette's defense is weakest. And Washington denies the 3-point shot that Marquette relies on. Marquette may be the better team, but Washington may win this game.
7-Clemson*10-Missouri
80 minutes of hell? A fascinating game that will feature two teams of Tigers who liberally employ the full-court press diagrammed to the left. Clemson seems less equipped to take what they dish out, with a questionable turnover rate. But they may be able to make up for these missed shots with second-chance points -- Missouri is woeful on the defensive glass. Clemson has also been effective at stifling the 3-point shot, from which Missouri gets about 30% of its points. On top of all that, Mizzou just hasn't been the same since Justin Safford went down with an ACL injury.
2-West Virginia
15-Morgan State
The 'Eers may outscore Morgan State on second chance points alone.
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