We're just 24 hours away from tip-off of the NCAA Tournament, so let's take a closer look at the right half of the bracket.
Star Power: The East and South Regionals somehow managed to monopolize the majority of the tournament's big names, starting at the top with freshmen phenoms Greg Oden of Ohio State and Kevin Durant of Texas.
Don't blink, because this month will probably be your last chance to watch these two guys play in their college uniforms. Oden (15.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.5 blocks per game) leads the South's No. 1-seeded Buckeyes, but he has plenty of help, including his classmate and former high school teammate Mike Conley Jr., who is averaging 10.1 points and 6.4 assists per game.
It has been more of a one-man show, on the other hand, for Durant and Texas. Durant averaged an astounding 25.1 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, making him perhaps the best freshman in NCAA history. While the East's No. 4-seeded Longhorns are not extraordinarily deep, don't be surprised to see Durant lock horns with Oden on March 31 in the Final Four if the Longhorns can get past sophomore Tyler Hansbrough (18.8 points, 8.0 rebounds per game) and North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen.
A pair of superstars lead the East and South's No. 7 seeds, as well. Boston College's Jared Dudley, who led the ACC in scoring and rebounding (19.3 and 8.5, respectively) on his way to earning conference Player of the Year honors, almost single-handedly helped the Eagles recover from the midseason dismissal of Sean Williams, the nation's blocked shots leader. Despite this, don't expect the Eagles, who are only 7-7 since Jan. 20, to get past twin towers Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green of Georgetown in the second round.
The South's No. 7 seed, Nevada has a primetime player of its own in senior forward Nick Fazekas, a three-time WAC Player of the Year who averaged 20.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game this season. Fazekas and the Wolfpack are poised for a meeting in the second round with No. 2-seeded Memphis, who went 30-3 but played in the weak Conference USA.
Set Your TiVo: The early rounds in the East and South regions could be ones to remember.
A potential second round meeting between Texas and No. 5-seeded USC in the East will renew the rivalry between these traditional football powerhouses on the hardwood. Expect that contest to play out similarly to the 2006 Rose Bowl, in which Vince Young and Texas edged out the Trojans. USC will need a heroic performance from its guard trio of senior Lodrick Stewart and juniors Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt to hang with the Longhorns.
The Sweet Sixteen could also see the renewal of one of college basketball's great coaching rivalries between Rick Pitino and John Calipari.
Kentucky's coach in the 1990s, Pitino twice eliminated Calipari and his alma mater UMass in the NCAA Tournament, once in the Sweet Sixteen and once in the Final Four. It will be a golden opportunity for Pitino to pick up the hat trick against his nemesis, this time coaching Louisville against Calipari's Memphis; but the Cardinals will first have to overcome Acie Law (18.2 points, 5.3 assists) and Texas A&M in the second round for that matchup to come about.
And, finally, in the "Coincidence? I think not" department, tomorrow will mark the 10-year anniversary of then-11-seeded Boston College upsetting the No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers, coached by Bob Knight, in the 1996 NCAA Tournament's opening round (BC had also ousted the Hoosiers in the Sweet Sixteen two years earlier). Tomorrow, the Eagles meet No. 10-seeded Texas Tech, which is coached by none other than Bob Knight.
Upset City, Baby: Of course, it won't be an opening weekend of the tournament without its share of upsets.
Last year, No. 16-seeded Albany led UConn by as many as 12 points in the second half, almost doing the impossible and dispatching the No. 1 Huskies in the first round. This year, the committee respected the Great Danes with a No. 13 seed in the South and the chance to send Virginia packing. With senior guards Jamar Wilson and Jason Siggers bringing memories of last year's near-miss against UConn, don't be surprised if Albany isn't just one-and-done.
The dreaded 5-vs.-12 game in the South could also provide an upset. No. 12-seeded Long Beach State brings five senior starters and one of the highest scoring averages in the nation (80.3) to the table against Tennessee. This contest could turn into a shootout as the Vols sport a high-octane offense as well (79.7 ppg), and if the 49ers get hot early, they could get the confidence to send the Vols packing.
Lastly, don't sleep on the East's No. 14 seed Oral Roberts in its opening-round match-up against the vastly overrated third-seeded Washington State. Oral Bob brings a starting lineup of three juniors and two seniors, including three-time Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year Caleb Green (20.8 points, 9.3 rebounds per game) to the table and is poised to take advantage of the committee's most egregious seeding error.
Tomorrow's action kicks off with Virginia and Albany at 12:15 p.m., and it won't stop until well after midnight, so skip class, cancel your plans and strap yourself in for March Madness.
