WHO IS GOING HOME EARLY?

Basketball Previews By: Jimmy Boyd
Jimmy Boyd of Locksmith Sports is the most consistent handicapper across all sports that the industry has to offer. Earning top 5 finishes in MLB, NBA, and College Football over the 2004 seasons, there isn't another handicapper that you can trust more than Jimmy Boyd.

Who's Going Home Early in 2006? - Which Top Dog is going home early in the 2006 NCAA Tournament? The obvious choice is the team who wasn’t a lock for a #1 seed, the Memphis Tigers. Although Memphis was a likely candidate for a 1 seed, Texas or Ohio State could have leapfrogged them by winning their conference tournaments.

The Memphis Tigers are an athletic team with good guards, led by Darius Washington, but playing in a weak Conference USA, with the departure of schools heading to the Big East, could hinder them in the Tournament. They played Duke close early in the season, and also beat Gonzaga and UCLA, but Texas crushed them on their home floor. If Memphis comes up against a team who is as athletic and more physical than they are, such as Texas, they will have problems as they haven't played a quality opponent since they faced Tennessee nearly 2 months ago. Memphis could have trouble getting out of the second round in a potential matchup with Arkansas. Arkansas has won 6 of their last 7 games going into the tournament with their only loss during that stretch coming to Florida, who they beat back on February 18th. If Arkansas can’t get the job done Kansas or Pittsburgh will take out the Tigers in the round of 16.

Ironically, Memphis’ last quality win was against Tennessee, who is a questionable 2 seed and will have problems with either Seton Hall or Wichita State. I think they will face Seton Hall, who finished the Big East strong with good wins over West Virginia, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh on the road, in the second round. If the Volunteers can get out of the second round Michigan State or North Carolina will be ready to mop up the floors with them. In fact, none of the 2 seeds are safe in the second round. Georgetown could give Ohio State fits with their size inside. UCLA, playing in a weaker Pac 10 this year, will have their work cut out for them against Alabama or Marquette, and N.C. State or Cal won’t be a cake walk for Texas. In this year’s second round matchups, the 2 seeds will likely be coming up against fellow major conference teams who will be able to matchup physically and athletically, and it could come down to which team’s shots are falling. Make sure you take a 2 seed out in the second round because it going to happen in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.

Be sure to take these things into consideration when filling out your 2006 Tournament bracket.

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