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The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

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The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

March Madness Discussion

Here at The Pitch Online, we’ve been following the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament very closely. Editorial editor Ian Green, staff writer Ryan Lynch, editor-in-chief Abby Singley and staff writer Daniel Fanaroff discuss everything from upsets to predicted winners.


WHAT IS THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE TOURNAMENT SO FAR?

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Ian Green: KU losing to Teen Wolf and Shrek.
Ryan Lynch: I was most surprised by the No. 1 overall seed, Kansas, losing to Northern Iowa as well as how St. Mary’s center Omar Samhan completely dominated Villanova. To be honest, I’m also astounded that Kansas State head coach Frank Martin hasn’t hit any of his players yet! That’s a scary-looking dude right there.
Abby Singley: No. 1 seed Kansas losing to Northern Iowa was certainly a shock; I figured that the tournament heads had already engraved “University of Kansas” on the winner’s trophy. Lucky for me, my passionate hatred of KU kept me from putting those Dorothys of NCAA basketball anywhere on my bracket, and this strategy allowed me to crush everyone else on this roundtable.
Daniel Fanaroff: Georgetown losing to Ohio in the first round. After their run in the Big East tournament, everyone predicted them to be in at least the Sweet 16.

WHO HAS BEEN THE MOST IMPRESSIVE PLAYER UP TO THIS POINT?

IG: Omar Samham of St. Mary’s, with a combined 62 points in his first two games, is responsible for both Scottie Reynolds’ Villanova team losing and Scottie Reynolds future career as the back-up point guard for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds.

RLThrough two games, I’ve been most impressed with Syracuse forward Wesley Johnson. After averaging 16 points per game during the regular season, he’s really stepped his game up during tournament play averaging 24.5 points through two games. I’ve been least impressed with Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds. After a disappointing end to his regular season as well as poor tournament play, Reynolds’ draft stock has plummeted tremendously.

AS: Thanks to amazing plays by Northern Iowa guard Ali Faroukhmanesh, the No. 1 seed was knocked out of the tournament. In the last minute of the KU game when Northern Iowa was only up by one point, Faroukhmanesh scored a three-pointer, ensuring a win. And not to mention the guy is only six feet tall; that’s practically midget size for a basketball player!
DF: Wesley Johnson of Syracuse. Averaging 25 points and 10 rebounds per game, Johnson has Syracuse on a roll despite the absence of center Arinze Onuaku.


WHAT UNDERDOG TEAM WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?
IG: Smart, Ivy-educated white kids never amount to much in this crazy world, so with a heavy heart, I hope Cornell makes an inspiring and thrilling ride to the championship.
RL: Definitely Cornell to rep for the Ivy League, but then again, they are playing Kentucky in the Sweet 16.
AS: Northern Iowa! Before Northern Iowa played and beat KU, I had know idea there was even a school called Northern Iowa. But, any team that can beat the Jayhwaks – arch-rivals of my favorite team, Missouri – is on my good list.
DF: St. Mary’s. I will be so mad if Duke gets the Final Four spot from that region.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT POSSIBLY BEING EXPANDED TO 96 TEAMS?

IG: March Madness is currently one of the most well-run and entertaining annual sports event of the year. Adding more teams would be over-indulgent.
RL: Two words: Absolutely Absurd. There are already games that go on during the field of 65 that I don’t watch or care about so having that many more games would be completely insane.
AS: Well, with all of those games they might have to change the title of “March Madness” to “March Madness/April Angriness.” Also, I’m not so sure if the extra testosterone that would come with the extra games would be good for the environment…or the female brain and ears for that matter.

DF: I like it. It prevents teams like Virginia Tech and Mississippi State from being snubbedand gives more chances to mid-majors. Plus, it makes it a lot more interesting to pick your brackets.

 

WHO DO YOU FORESEE BEING THIS YEAR’S CHAMPION?

IG: I can see Ohio State making a championship run, but only if Evan Turner continues to shine. If he get’s hot, they have an excellent chance.
RL: Kentucky as long as freakin’ Northern Iowa or someone doesn’t knock them out.  They may be young, but they are definitely the most talented and complete team.

AS: Well, my bracket sees Kentucky being this year’s champion, and this is certainly possible for the Wildcats if there aren’t anymore KU-Northern Iowa “underdog rising to the top”-type of moments.

DF: Kentucky. People need to stop talking about how young they are, and look at how good they are. They won both their games so far by 30.

 

WHAT DO ALL OF THE UPSETS SAY ABOUT THE MID-MAJORS?

IG: It says that they are a good teams and deserve to be playing with the high profile teams. These games are not total “upsets” because the mid-majors are good teams and should be viewed on a similar plane as a perennial powerhouse such as Kentucky.

RL: It shows that there really aren’t many dominant teams this year in college basketball and that the mid-majors are stepping up in terms of the recruits they are getting, coaching, facilities, etc. It also shows that players leaving early for the NBA Draft have really hurt many power college teams like UNC, UCLA, UConn, etc.  Even these established programs can’t reload every year after losing multiple players to the NBA Draft. This is precisely players shouldn’t be forced to go to college if they don’t need or want to. Colleges need to stop taking advantage of this kids and sucking money out of them.

AS: Look at Butler and Northern Iowa, two mid-major teams. Then look at KU and Villinova. Which teams put the most money into their athletes and sport? KU and Villinova. And which teams are left in the tournament? Northern Iowa and Butler. While Cornell is an Ivy-league school and not a mid-major, they managed to beat No. 4 seed Wisconsin. Cornell doesn’t even give their athletes scholarships, while Wisconsin puts huge amounts of money into athletic scholarships and their basketball program. If these “less-advantaged” teams are outlasting the top-seeds, there has to be a place for them in the tournament.

DF: It means that they need to be more represented which goes back to my reasoning for expanding to 96 teams. Mid-majors should be receiving higher seeds in the tournament, if they are seeded low enough to play one seeds and two seeds in the first round (i.e. Northern Iowa, St. Mary’s) and win, then the selection committee is as dumb as Virginia Tech thought they were.

 

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