Thoughts on Day 1 of the Sweet 16, and Day 2 Picks!

Went 2-2 yesterday, and I was very frustrated by what I saw.

First off, Purdue has every possibility of beating UConn throughout the entire game. They just kept shooting themselves in the foot. Their defense was amazing, as was Hummel. But beyond that, they could not stop making stupid mistakes on offense. Missed free throws, missed layups, dumb turnovers. They went in their intimidated by UConn and it showed. They had so many opportunities to take the game over and couldn't capitalize. Missouri will have this problem.

Secondly, yeah, I had Duke beating Villanova. I didn't realize that they were going to go ice cold from the floor for a solid 40 minutes. They couldn't score and they switched into panic mode with about 15 minutes left in the second half, and when a team does that, its usually all over.

Pitt beat Xavier, although once again it was a struggle. They always keep it close, but never let it slip at the end. Thats how this team operates. Someone steps up and doesn't let them lose. Last night it was Fields. His three at the end of the game was so clutch. They may give their supporters a heart attack, but they do pull through. I expect more of the same against Nova.

Missouri beat Memphis. I had this from the time the brackets came out, with Missouri in the final 4. I don't see where Memphis got all their support from. They haven't played anyone all year and lost Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas Roberts. Not really a tough call in my estimation, but people had them winning it all. Nuts.

For tonight:
1 Louisville vs. 12 Arizona
I'm still waiting for this Arizona team to go away already. I think Louisville will make that happen.
2 Michigan State vs 3 Kansas
This Kansas team is hot right now and they do scare me quite a bit. I would not be surprised to see them win this game. To be honest, they scare me more than Louisville does. But I can't pick against my bracket at this point, so I will say Michigan State wins, but by very little.
1 North Carolina vs 4 Gonzaga
I don't think Gonzaga can hang with North Carolina. Especially with Lawson back. It could get ugly.
2 Oklahoma vs 3 Syracuse
I have Syracuse in my final 4 and nothing has been done to change that. They will force Oklahoma to knock down outside shots and I just don't think they can do it. Oklahoma goes home.