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OAKLAND REGION: Morrison's Mojo Working

Gonzaga star has what it takes to carry his team to the national championship

March 13, 2006

By Adrian Brijbassi
BodogNation Contributing Writer

Danny Manning. Carmelo Anthony. Adam Morrison?

Gonzaga’s star forward has the skill to overcome double teams, heavy workload and high expectations to be the next player to power his team to the NCAA championship. Morrison and the Bulldogs, seeded third in the Oakland Region, begin their March Madness experience in Salt Lake City against No. 14 Xavier on Thursday. Although No. 1 Memphis and No. 2 UCLA both have outstanding individual talents on their rosters, it’s Gonzaga that owns the region’s premier player.

The Zags, who’ve become the perennial David of March Madness despite their recurring presence in weekly Top 25 polls, will draw plenty of attention this year because Morrison is a Goliath: a 6-8, 205-pound scoring machine who could finally put Gonzaga into the Final Four.

After eight straight appearances in the tournament under coach Mark Few, the Zags are aiming to reach the national semifinals for the first time. Here’s a look at Contenders, Sleepers and Pretenders among the 16 teams aiming to pass through Oakland on the way to Indianapolis and the national semifinals.

CONTENDERS
No. 1 Memphis Tigers (30-3, Conference USA)
John Calipari’s squad is a young team that’s already learned some hard lessons.

Last year, the Tigers lost to Louisville in the conference championship game when freshman Darius Washington missed two free throws with no time left. While the Cardinals went on to make a run to the Final Four, Memphis was relegated to the National Invitational Tournament after that 75-74 defeat. To the credit of Calipari and his players, the Tigers didn’t hang their heads in the “other” tournament. They showcased their abilities on their way to a semifinal appearance. Having matured into a cohesive unit, Memphis has been a surprise all season and proved to be a good bet early in the year, amassing an 8-1 record against the spread before the books caught on.

On Saturday, Memphis avenged its only conference loss when it defeated Alabama-Birmingham, 57-46, to capture the C-USA title. The Tigers have completed the preparation work for the NCAA Tournament and appear ready for the difficult test to greatness that the Road to the Final Four presents.

The Tigers entered the C-USA tournament on a 2-6 ATS slump, but rattled off three impressive victories by double-digit margins, covering the final two games.

No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs (27-3, West Coast)
For all the talk of the NCAA Tournament Committee appeasing the small conferences in recent years, Gonzaga is the best example that the respect just isn’t all there yet.

This may be a one-man team, but that man, Morrison, is capable of dominating the tournament. His 28.6 points-per-game average leads the nation and he’s propelled the Bulldogs to 18 consecutive victories, the longest active streak in the country. Gonzaga’s three losses all came in 2005 and two of the setbacks were to teams seeded No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament (at home vs. Connecticut, 65-63, on Nov. 23; on the road at Memphis, 83-72, on Dec. 27). The third loss was in a 99-95 shootout against Washington on Dec. 4.

It’s true the Zags’ performance in the WCC tournament raises questions, as does their 4-10 ATS mark since Jan. 16. They played three tight games against inferior teams in claiming their seventh WCC tournament title in eight years. Still, Morrison can dominate and when he does face the inevitable double teams, senior forward J.P. Batista is a viable option.

No. 2 UCLA Bruins (27-6, Pac-10)
Past UCLA teams have been known as the JuCo version of the L.A. Lakers’ Showtime, without the results. Yeah, the likes of Jason Kapono and Dijon Thompson delivered more on the flash than the promise they brought to Pauley Pavilion, and over-his-head coach Steve Lavin could never mold anything other than his hair into Pat Riley’s image. The Bruins languished and won only 10 games in 2002-03, Lavin’s last season on the sidelines.

Professional Ben Howland has taken over and rebuilt the Bruins into a bruising outfit. In his third season as coach, Howland delivered UCLA its first Pac-10 crown since 1997 and the Bruins are playing tough, aggressive basketball that’s winning games as well as money for bettors. The Bruins have rattled off seven consecutive covers and were 19-10 ATS (four of their regular-season games had no lines). With subregional and regional games in California, Howland’s crew won’t be an easy out.

SLEEPERS
No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks (25-7, Big 12)
Under Roy Williams, Kansas always seemed to be a favorite and anticipated target of opposing teams. Since Bill Self took over as coach last season, the Jayhawks have flown undetected by some, including bettors who haven’t taken advantage of their ATS mark this year (19-11; no lines on two regular-season games). The Jayhawks have won 15 of 16 straight up and have a young squad peaking at the right time.

No. 11 San Diego State Aztecs (24-8, Mountain West)
Coach Steve Fisher, 60, is more than a decade removed from his up-and-down career at Michigan, which included a national title in 1989. He takes a talented team into the tournament with a solid one-two punch in Marcus Slaughter and Brandon Heath. Florida transfer Mohamed Abukar is a 6-10 senior who could pose matchup problems for Gonzaga in the second round.

PRETENDERS
No. 10 Alabama (17-12, SEC)
Sure, they’ve played a tough schedule, but the Crimson Tide have also failed to cover their last three, were 9-14-2 ATS (no lines on four regular-season games), and lost to such non-tournament teams as Temple, South Carolina and Mississippi.

No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers (18-11, Big Ten)
The Hoosiers have a lame-duck coach in Mike Davis and had a 10-16 ATS mark (no lines on three regular-season games). They reached the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament before being edged 52-51 by Ohio State on Saturday and had won five straight before that defeat. Nevertheless, the Big Ten isn’t as good as it has been in other years and the low-scoring Hoosiers are pitted against teams in this region that feature explosive offenses.

PHOTO: Adam Morrison leads the nation in scoring and has the Zags on an 18-game winning streak (AI Wire photo).

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