2021 Sweet 16 (Day Two)

(5) Creighton 65-83 (1) Gonzaga

Creighton was nice, had a coupla nice scoring spurts. But Gonzaga is good at every position and disciplined and they're gonna outscore most every team they play. Southern Cal is a curveball.   

(4) Florida State 58-76 (1) Michigan

I thought the refs did the Seminoles no favor early on, lot of 50/50 calls that just put FSU on the backfoot right off the bat. Michigan took advantage and throttled them throughout. (Meh, I don't usually blame the refs, but I thought here they inserted themselves a little over much that early in the game) Michigan is tough and they got a bunch of good scorers, they're a tough out, and I'd say they're clearly better than UCLA.

(11) UCLA 88-78 (ot) (2) Alabama

Fun game, back and forth, felt like Bama would finally get the upper hand after Juzang fouled out but it kinda flipped on them. Anyway, nice Bama buzzer beater to tie it up but UCLA got all point-happy in OT and salted it away. Good W for UCLA, overcame adversity against a top notch opponent. Michigan is rolling right now but the Bruins might give them a scare. 

(7) Oregon 82-68 (6) Southern Cal

I didn't see any of this one. Seems like USC got hotter quicker and piled on as Oregon faltered. Southern Cal is probably the weirdest, most dangerous side Gonzaga has played all year, this is probably the most logical upset if Gonzaga is gonna stumble. 

PS -- Oh yeah, I hate replay. I hate it. I have never liked it, never needed it and the more intrusive it becomes, the less I like it or need it. Shit, they still get the calls wrong, so why are they wasting so much time? I hate replay. Hate it in all sports. (*)

(*) Replay works in one sport: tennis. First, there's only one thing to look at: in or out, nothing much else to even considering. And second, they show the replay in the stadium, the players pause, and the audience all watches the replay together and sees the definitive result and then we move on. Every other sport it's annoying pain in the ass, in tennis its actually kinda fun and helpful. But in no other sport is replay worth as much time as it gets. 

2021 NCAA Tourney (Sweet 16)

(5) Villanova v (1) Baylor

Baylor is deep and talented at every position; if anyone can knock them off, you'd think a Hall of Fame coach (like, Jay Wright, for example) would the be the logical choice. But I don't think this 'Nova team has enough to outlast Baylor. 

(15) Oral Roberts v (3) Arkansas

Oral Roberts has been hanging around but Arkansas can run and score and doesn't seem as likely to fall prey to the underdog as Florida or Ohio State. Love Abmas and Obanor, but I think it ends here for Oral Roberts. 

(I'll take Baylor over Arkansas)

(12) Oregon St v (8) Loyola-Chicago

I know I got hyperbolic in the immediate aftermath of Loyola's drubbing of Illinois....so a week later...I still think Loyola is arguably the best team in this tourney and as nice as Oregon State has played, I don't think they have a chance against Loyola. I don't even think Loyola has to play their best game to win this game. 

(11) Syracuse v (2) Houston

Normally a #2 seed would look up and see nothing but underdogs ahead and feel pretty good about themselve, but honestly I'm not sure I'd rank Houston in the top 3 out of this bracket. If Syracuse hits 3's, they will beat Houston. Houston isn't bad but they're not particularly special either, I think Syracuse can take them. 

(I'll take Loyola-Chicago over Syracuse)

(5) Creighton v (1) Gonzaga

Gonzaga is the best team in the land and I haven't seen anything from Creighton that makes me think they can beat Gonzaga. 

(6) Oregon v (7) Southern Cal 

Oregon plays fast, if they're making shots, they'll roll. If Southern Cal can slow Oregon down, then they can hang and steal it. We'll see. This one is a tossup...I'll say...Trojans...?

(I'll take Gonzaga over....either team)

(4) Florida St v (1) Michigan

Michigan is getting themselves right again, nice win over LSU (a team not dissimilar to Florida St), and I gotta feel like they're gonna find a way to get past the Seminoles. That said, Florida St. is not gonna be an easy out, this is probably the best game of the Sweet 16 slate. I'll take the Wolverines. 

(11) UCLA v (2) Alabama

Should be a high scoring, fast paced, score-fest. Okay, I'm ready. Alabama has been playing high tempo all season long, feels like UCLA is just now figuring themselves out. I wouldn't be shocked to see an upset but I'll take Alabama. 

(I'll take Alabama over Michigan)

The six tiers of the Sweet 16:

1) Gonzaga

2) Loyola-Chicago, Baylor

3) Michigan, Alabama

4) Florida State, Arkansas, Houston, Oral Roberts

5) Oregon/Southern Cal, UCLA, Syracuse

6) Oregon State, Creighton, Villanova