Writing the Pine

Finally, the South…

1. #1 Duke Blue Devils v. #16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions – As much as I would love to hate on the dookies, my Heels are in the NIT so I won’t say anything.

2. #8 California Golden Bears v. #9 Louisville Cardinals – Cal is one of the more disappointing teams in the country (but at least they made the tournament) and I can’t see them advancing past the first round.  They did not win a game against elite competition earlier in the year in New York and don’t really have a single quality win.  The line is even but to be honest, Louisville should be favored by 5.  I’m going with Pitino’s bunch here.

3. #5 Texas A&M Aggies v. #12 Utah St. Aggies – The Aggies will advance.  (Texas A&M that is.)

4. #4 Purdue Boilermakers v. #13 Siena Saints – I said before that Maryland was the most overrated #4 seed.  Well, I take that back and give that title to Purdue.  They are absolutely awful without Robbie Hummel and a disrespected Siena team will steamroll them on their way to the Round of 32 (and in my opinion, the Elite Eight).

5. #6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish v. #11 Old Dominion Monarchs – I’m not buying into the Notre Dame hype but I’ll buy them to advance here (then lose to Baylor).

6. #3 Baylor Bears v. #14 Sam Houston State Bearkats - Who is the genius that decided to purposely misspell the nickname of a university?  Ekpe Udoh gets a triple-double in this one.

7. #7 Richmond Spiders v. #10 Saint Mary’s Gaels – I have to admit, I don’t know much about either of these teams.  I did watch Richmond play impressively against Temple though, so I’ll go with them.

8. #2 Villanova Wildcats v. #15 Robert Morris Colonials – I am waiting for a potential showdown between Baylor and Villanova.