UCONN VS TEXAS AM

2ND ROUND NCAA TOURNEY - 2009

Bet Jamaica Line UCONN -10.5 O/U 138.5

After the first round in the NCAA tournament we have learned a couple of things about the top college basketball teams in the country. One, there are only two teams thus far that have been really deserving on the number one seed they were given. Two, anything can and will happen in this tournament. 

There have been no real major upsets thus far in the Big Dance, but there have been plenty of close calls with some teams that were thought to be close to unbeatable were almost taken down by less than impressive college basketball teams. 

The biggest surprise so far has been the performance of both the second seed Memphis Tigers and number one seed Pittsburgh Panthers. Coming into this tournament the Pittsburgh Panthers looked like the number one team in the country. They may have not won the Big East tournament, but neither did North Carolina who came into the tournament as the number one team in the country.  

Pittsburgh just looked like they were destine to at least reach the Final Four before the Big Dance began, but after a very poor performance against 16 seed East Tennessee State I don’t know if they will even make it past the next round. Their big man DeJuan Blair had a great game and probably saved the team, but as for the rest of the Panthers something has to chance in order for them to live up to expectations. 

The UConn Huskies on the other hand, minus their coach Jim Calhoun due to health problems, beat the Chattanooga by 56 points which is the biggest margin of victory so far in the tourney. 

The Huskies were just firing on all cylinders and seemed determined to prove that they are the best team to come out of the Big East conference. 

Although the Huskies are playing great basketball right now, I would have to say that out of all the number one seeds in this tournament UConn has the easiest path to the Final Four.  

First of all, the Huskies will not have to face either North Carolina or the Pittsburgh Panthers until the championship game if those teams even get that far in the tournament. Second, the only team in the West bracket that would even really pose a serious threat to Calhoun’s Huskies is the Memphis Tigers who they wouldn’t face until the Elite Eight.  

I think that the Huskies will cruise all the way to at least the Final Four, but standing in their way of breaking into the Sweet 16 is Texas A&M who had an impressive performance against BYU in the first round.  

Although the Aggies played great in the first round their luck has run with UConn in their way. If the Aggies were started in a different place in the bracket I could see them reaching the Sweet 16, maybe even the Elite Eight, but with UConn playing as well as they are right now Texas A&M will be heading home after Saturday.