Field of 65....

It’s been another interesting opening weekend for the NCAA Men’s field of 65. Brackets have been busted. Final fours have been finagled. And in some cases, champions have been challenged. Alliteration aside, we’re gonna step away from the paid players and delve into the collegiate ranks for a night.
With the Sweet 16 set (I didn’t mean to do that), questions loom large and answers are sure to come. Which bodes better for the future, UCLA’s harrowing escape versus or UNC’s trashing of back-to-back opponents? Does UCLA now have ‘game experience’, meaning they won’t get rattled next time someone shakes the cage? Does UNC have enough mo’ that they’ll never get touched? I’m honestly more impressed by UCLA’s first two games. No, they didn’t play perfectly like UNC. But their game experience should serve them well should they be playing March 5th down 6 late in the second half. How will UNC react to similar circumstances if they run through next weekend as they did this one?
G’Town and Pitt waged war for the Big East ‘Chip. Now, neither will be in the Sweet 16. The Hoyas torched Nova and WVU to reach the Big East finals. Pitt beat L’Ville impressively in the conference quarters. Those three ‘losers’ are now moving on in the Big Dance, even though they couldn’t win the Big East. I guess those days rest meant more than the momentum Pitt carried into the madness.
In saying that, I prove my theories on UNC and UCLA to be wrong. UNC has tons of momentum and UCLA had to fight tooth and nail. I know there are more than these two programs remaining, but I still think they have the best chance of winning. What it’ll come down to is the ability to make shots, play D and, most importantly, rebound. Then there’s the match ups, Furious T vs. Love & Collison vs. Lawson. I think if Love can match Hansbrough’s production, I have to give the Bruin’s backcourt the edge over the Heels. I’m putting this out there cuz I had Pitt and G’Town in my Final Four and my bracket just went from Lindsay to Britney…