Men's hoops Sweet 16 matchups
St. Joseph's vs. Wake Forest
Today, 8 p.m. MST
My cousin, who goes to St. Joe's, is always complaining about how they get no respect. They're getting it now, thanks mainly to Naismith winner Jameer Nelson's 33 and 24 points, respectively, in the first two rounds. Even if Wake superfrosh Chris Paul and Nelson can cancel each other out, the Hawks' other 3-point gunners, Delonte West and Pat Carroll, can pick up the slack.
St. Joe's 83, Wake Forest 78
Alabama vs. Syracuse
Today, 7:40 p.m. MST
Keeping with the theme of my favorite point guards, Syracuse's Gerry McNamara has been nasty when it counts for the second year in a row. He proved he was a big-time player last year, when he ÷ not ĪMelo ÷ kept Syracuse alive during the first half of the national title game. But the Tide's rolling harder than it has since Mike Price ran up the expense account, so he's going to need another 40-point effort.
ĪCuse 71, ĪBama 65
Duke vs. Illinois
Tomorrow, 8 p.m. MST
I say this with all the earnestness and shame of an alcoholic at his first AA meeting: I like Duke. I just hate its fans. I used to hate everything about the Dukies. Then I saw the team's conduct in the press conferences and visited the campus. The "Duke Basketball: A Class Act" bumper stickers in the Duke bookstore pretty much sum up the program ÷ the team wins with class, and then the hard-to-take Duke fans use that as an excuse to be arrogant.
Duke 90, Illinois 74
UAB vs. Kansas
Tomorrow, 5:10 p.m. MST
Every year, Kansas is in the tourney, and yet every year, I look at the other brackets in whatever completely legal, non-wagering tourney pool I'm in, and nobody picks KU to win it all. People pick Stanford, Arizona, even St. Joe's. But not Kansas. There's a good reason for that. Despite being one of the nation's perennial powerhouses, KU hasn't won a title in nearly two decades. All the Jayhawks do is choke, and this year's no different.
UAB 66, Kansas 62
St. Joseph's vs. Wake Forest
The best game of the Sweet Sixteen comes courtesy of the best guard match-up thus far in the field of 65. Jameer Nelson vs. Chris Paul is comparable to Godzilla-King Kong, if they both were 6-foot and could hit jumpers. You can't pick against a daddy point guard, a balding coach and a team that has a guy named Delonte. Cinderella meets Goliath, A-10 ÷ ACC style, and there is a good chance Goliath will leave with a glass slipper up its ass.
St. Joe's 68, Wake 67
Alabama vs. Syracuse
Jim Boeheim knows something about the NCAA tournament that he needs to fill Lute Olson in on, so the ĪCats can streak like the Orangemen. Gerry McNamara is (yes, J.J., I'm saying this) the best shooter in the NCAA and has the confidence to pull up from just about anywhere. If ĪBama gives him many open looks, the ĪCuse will be cruisin' far from San Antonio. I take experience over upset any day of the week, and a win over Stanford, unfortunately, isn't something I'd hang my hat on.
Syracuse 72, Alabama 65
Duke vs. Illinois
This is a matchup of opposite. Duke has the discipline and leadership most programs salivate over. Illinois could be playing in the Final Fo', street ball style, and not be mistaken for out of place. If Dee Brown and Deron Williams come out firing like they did against Cincinnati, the Blue Devils could be in trouble, but as long as Dicky V is around to call games, the Pukies will pull it out in the end.
Duke 87, Illinois 85
UAB vs. Kansas
UAB is the underdog going into Friday's matchup with Kansas, but nothing is new to the Blazers. With head coach Mike Anderson running "40 minutes of Hell" against a Kansas team that committed 25 turnovers in the first round, the Jayhawks will fall short of what has looked to be a repeat of 2003. Kansas might be thinking it's lucky to be playing UAB instead of Kentucky, but it doesn't have Kirk Hinrich this year. Remember, you spell UPSET with a U.
UAB 74, Kansas 69
St. Joseph's vs. Wake Forest
Billy Packer vs. Phil Martelli? Martelli in overtime. Demon Deacons vs. Hawks? The Hawks don't have any inside answer for Wake Forest's big men, no matter how good their guards are. Although Wake could barely muster a win over Virginia Commonwealth or Manhattan to get here, the third No. 1 will fall, in a close one.
Wake 92, St. Joe's 90
Alabama vs. Syracuse
The difference in this game will be perimeter shooting. ĪBama does not really have it, and Syracuse does. McNamara needs to have a BYU-like game again, and he will after his rough outing against the Terps. Experience is on the side of the Orangemen too, which can't hurt.
Syracuse 86, ĪBama 80
Duke vs. Illinois
As much as I would love to see Duke fall (and have every number one seed out before the Elite Eight), Duke has way too much experience and way too many weapons for the Illini to deal with. The Illini have great guards, but that won't matter with Chris Duhon, Luol Deng and J.J Redick and many more playing for Duke. Hopefully my reverse psychology will work.
Duke 98, Illinois 88
UAB vs. Kansas
I am still way bitter about last year's tourney, so I think Kansas needs to suffer an improbable (and embarrassing) exit. Look, UAB beat Washington, Washington beat Stanford, and Stanford beat · Kansas. Sounds logical to me.
UAB 83, Kansas 79