Eddie Griffin Region and Bobby Phills Region Breakdowns

Seeing as the deaths of Bobby Phills (drag racing David Wesley, serious question that was never answered by the way: Who won the race?) and Eddie Griffin (drove into a train) are my favorites of the four, I will be breaking down those two brackets.

EDDIE GRIFFIN REGION BREAKDOWN:

(1) Wake Forest v. (8) Iowa

The Players (G, F, C):
Wake Forest – Chris Paul, Josh Howard, Tim Duncan
Iowa – Ricky Davis, Adam Haluska, Reggie Evans

Preview: Wake brings the perfect blend of talent and team work to this tournament and has to be considered a favorite. If they have a weakness, it is that they don’t have a dominant scorer who was made to play in a street ball type game. Ricky Davis has the flair of the street ballers that you’ve seen on ESPN but it’s tough to see these Hawkeyes matching up defensively.
Pick: Wake Forest

(4) Marquette v. (5) Arkansas

The Players:
Marquette – Travis Diener, Dwyane Wade, Steve Novak
Arkansas – Jamero Pargo, Joe Johnson, Ronnie Brewer

Preview: Marquette favors to rely heavily on Wade and even though Novak is 6’11”, he is a liability on defense. Arkansas is small at the center position so expect Novak to be hoisting 3’s over Brewer all day. Johnson against Wade is what we’re really anticipating though; these two should be going back and forth all night.
Pick: Arkansas

(3) Alabama v. (6) Villanova

The Players:
Alabama – Mo Williams, Gerald Wallace, Antonio McDyess
Villanova – Kyle Lowry, Randy Foye, Tim Thomas

Preview: Alabama, much like Wake, is a good, all-around team, if only slightly less talented than the Demon Deacons. Fortunately for ‘Bama they have the advantage of having a straight THUG in Gerald Wallace on their side in a street ball game, so that’s got to count for something. Villanova counters with the worst human being alive (next to ‘Sheed,) Tim Thomas, and a couple of young but talented guards. If Foye catches fire, the Tide could see their title dreams fade away like Mcdyess’s knees.
Pick: Alabama

(2) Kansas v. (7) Florida State

The Players:
Kansas – Kirk Hinrich, Paul Pierce, Drew Gooden
Florida State - Sam Cassell, Al Thornton, Alexander Johnson

Preview: It’s tough to imagine anyone on FSU’s trio guarding Pierce and Gooden should have a mismatch against whoever guards him so this game could be over fairly quickly.Florida State is very young and it’s unclear how Johnson and Thornton will play, but if The World’s Ugliest Human can shoot and dish it out at his advanced age then this could be a game.
Pick: Kansas

BOBBY PHILLS REGION

(1) UNC v. (8) Stanford

The Players:
UNC – Vince Carter, Rasheed Wallace, Antawn Jamison
Stanford – Brevin Knight, Josh Childress, Jason Collins

Preview: UNC’s lack of a true point guard is made up for by their high level of talent and ‘thugness.’ Physically they match up with anyone and it will be interesting to see how teams guard against the duel 7’0” threat of ‘Sheed and ‘Tawn. For Stanford, if either Childress or Collins manages to get open, Knight will find them seeing as he’s been one of the most underrated point guards in the NBA for years.
Pick: UNC

(4) Syracuse v. (5) Wisconsin

The Players:
Syracuse – Jason Hart, Carmelo Anthony, Hakim Warrick
Wisconsin – Devin Harris, Alondo Tucker. Michael Finley

Preview: This should be one of the best games of the first round. Wisconsin enters a roster of good, all-around players however their lack of size could be an issue. Syracuse figures to rely heavily on Melo and it’s tough to envision anyone stopping him. The x-factor could be the play of Hakim Warrick considering his size advantage over whoever guards him.
Pick: Syracuse

(3) UCLA v. (6) Utah

The Players:
UCLA – Baron Davis, Jason Kapono, Ryan Hollins
Utah – Andre Miller, Michael Doleac, Andrew Bogut

Preview: Utah shapes up to be the most dangerous 6th seed considering the matchup problems their size could create. Ryan Hollins showed us two years ago against Florida that even though he is 7’0” he has difficulties guarding men his own size. UCLA will need Baron to make smart decisions when he drives the lane, but even if he does run into that big Australian, Kapono will be waiting on the wing to drill a three ball. This should be a fast paced game with little defense where possessions that don’t result in a score could be rare.
Pick: UCLA

(2) Duke v. (7) Gonzaga

The Players:
Duke – Grant Hill, Carlos Boozer, Elton Brand
Gonzaga – Dan Dickau, Adam Morrison, Ronny Turiaf

Preview: Duke shouldn’t have much of a problem here considering the monsters they have down low. It will be interesting to watch Hill run the point in this tune-up game, but judging by his ball handling skills it shouldn’t be hard for him to make the transition there. The only way Gonzaga makes this a game is if Morrison, one of the guys who figures to play his heart out in this tourney, catches fire. Unfortunately for the Zags, they may be the worst defensive team of the 32 and it really shouldn’t be legal to have Boozer posting up Morrison.
Pick: Duke