So Sweet to be Elite

Despite Maarty Leunen's best attempts to completely give the game away, the Ducks march on with a victory over the Runnin' Rebels. Aaron Brooks was absent, as was Bryce Taylor, but Tajuan Porter showed up in a big way to lead the O into a showdown with the defending champs. The last couple of minutes really pissed me off for a couple of reasons. First of all, we had an opportunity to really make a statement by closing out the game and winning by about 20. Instead, we try to run out the clock and Vegas all of a sudden gets hot and we win by four. I'm not mad, just irritated. Honestly, what the hell was up with Maarty Leunen. In a two minute span, he committed three turnovers, missed two free throws, and gave up an offensive rebound that led to a Rebel bucket. It reminded me of the days of Ian Crosswhite trying to give games away for the Ducks two years ago. Anyway, we won so take that Maarty and whoever paid him off.

I went for a two hour, 16-mile run this morning to try and figure out how the Ducks can win on Sunday and I couldn't figure it out. Oregon's two starting big men (Leunen and Malik Hairston) aren't quick enough to hang with Joakim Noah and aren't strong enough to hang with Al Horford. I could see Joevan Catron checking Horford for a period of time but I could also see him getting into immediate foul trouble. There are some fouls to give off the bench with Mitch Platt, Ray Schafer, and Adam Zahn but they are complete liabilities on offense. If Leunen and Catron, the only legit and effective big men, get in foul trouble, the Ducks are done. As far as the perimeter, I wouldn't be surprised to see Corey Brewer on Brooks to start the game. Brooks struggled against UNLV and will probably be looking for his shot early. If they put a long, athletic guy like Brewer on him early, it could frustrate Aaron and neutralize him like he was against Vegas. That would leave it up to Porter to hit long threes to keep Oregon in it, which may work against UNLV but it won't work against the defending national champions. This game may look a lot like the last time Oregon was in an Elite 8 when they lost to Kansas in 2002. The Ducks stayed in it for about a half before KU imposed their will with outstanding inside play and rebounding in the second half. That's probably what will happen tomorrow.

Another issue could be the absolute shock of facing a good team. Oregon's last five games have looked something like this: Cal, an exhausted USC team, Miami (OH), Winthrop, UNLV. Not exactly world beaters. The game before Cal was Arizona and the game before Arizona was Oregon State. The last time Oregon played a game against real competition was Feb 22 and 24 against the Washington schools. It may be difficult to adjust to playing a team that has Oregon completely overmatched.

As for the games today, does it get any better? Both could literally go either way. Memphis showed the nation a little somethin-somethin by beating A&M. So did Ohio State by overcoming a huge deficit against Tennessee. I like Ohio State to advance in a close one. The other game could end up being a classic. Neither team will run away from the other. UCLA won't allow it because of the defense they play and Kansas won't allow it because of their insane level of talent at every position. I picked UCLA to win this game in my bracket and I'm sticking with it because the game is in San Jose and Ben Howland can outcoach Bill Self. This is not a Pac-10 homer pick. I don't like UCLA. Not on the level that I hate Oregon State or Washington. I'm just jealous of UCLA's success and the fact that Kevin Love jilted the O for Westwood. I respect the Bruins, but I don't necessarily want to see them win. I do see them winning tonight though.

Speaking of Pac-10, I know I should have been rooting for USC last night but I was not. Part of it was for the same reason I won't exactly be rooting for UCLA tonight. But the other reason was the possibility of a North Carolina-Georgetown match-up 25 years later. For a 19 year old, I happen to be in touch with my historical side and it would be sweet to see the two teams on the floor with John Thompson, Patrick Ewing, and all the G-Town alumns in the house along with the UNC guys like Dean Smith and maybe James Worthy, Sam Perkins, and, dare I say, His Airness himself? I get chills thinking about it. I have the Hoyas in Atlanta in my bracket so I'm picking them in this one, though I had them playing the Hook 'Ems in tomorrows game. I know, total brain fart. I was under the impression that Kevin Durant would somehow be able to overcome Rick Barnes' "coaching" and lead them on a Carmelo-esque run. I forgot that Durant probably trusts Barnes to an extent and will do what he tells him to do which eliminates any possibility of Texas winning anything. My Final Four teams are still alive (Florida, UCLA, G-Town, Ohio State) and I still think they will all advance.

For those of you who have missed it, the Blazers have surpassed their win total from two years ago and are now 4-0 without Zach Randolph. If this learning curve continues, the Blazers are a solid playoff team in two years. They have the Rookie of the Year in Brandon Roy, the second best rookie in the league in Lamarcus Aldridge (he put up 27 and 14 last night), a coach who I trust, and an abundance of other young talent. Not to mention one of the best young front office guys in the league (Kevin Pritchard). I will jump off the Autzen Footbridge if he isn't hired as the new GM. It's not that big of a leap and there's no chance I would actually die but I would be badly bruised so it would make a nice statement. By the way, I want Jeff Green in a Blazer uniform next year. My second choice would be Al Thornton. I have a soft spot for guys who have had solid college careers. That's why I liked Carmelo over Lebron, Bogut over Marvin Williams, and Brandon Roy over everybody. It's the same reason I don't like Josh McRoberts, Brandon Wright, Hasheem Thabeet, Spencer Hawes, and anybody else who has a fabulous "upside." Give me ready-made talent who can contribute and are used to leading a team over a guy who may be a specimen but has never been "the guy" at a high-level and has never been looked to in a big situation to win a game. Brandon Roy is Portland's go-to guy in big spots. He takes all the big shots and has single-handedly won at least four or five games this year with his clutch play late in games this year. Long story short, I like college players. I like guys who have won conference player of the year awards, have been first-team all-Americans, and guys who have been the best players on their team.