Monday, March 14, 2011

Let The Madness Begin

As you might expect the Cleavie Wonder blog will dedicate the entire week to the NCAA tournament. The phenomena that is March Madness encompasses so many different story lines and ranges of emotion that one day simply isn't enough time to cover everything. Today we'll start with the 5 players to watch.

1. Jimmer Fredette BYU. Jimmer is averaging 27 points per game and is a finalist for the Naismith Award. He has range to Bermuda on his jumper and is capable of scoring 50+ in any game, but at 6'2 Jimmer may have difficulty getting his shot off in the tournament. Jimmer must have a dominant game against Wofford or the Cougars might be out in the 1st round.

2. Jared Sullinger Ohio St. Jared is quite possibly the best player in the tournament and a virtual lock to be a lottery pick in next year's draft. There is no doubt Ohio St. has enough talent to win the whole thing. If Jared stays out of foul trouble he could wind up as tournament MVP.

3. Harrison Barnes UNC. Harrison Barnes has come on like gang busters lately and carried UNC to a #2 seed. With a little help from the seeding committee North Carolina plays its first 2 games in Charlotte. To say they will have a home court advantage is like saying Oprah Winfrey has a little spending cash. Harrison will be around for a while.

4. Terrence Jones Kentucky. As much as it pains me to say this, Terrence Jones is a beast. His talent is unlimited and with an impressive SEC championship win the Wildcats have the momentum to go deep into the tournament.

5. Isaiah Thomas UW. Not sure there's anyone in the tournament with more heart that Zeke Jr. Of course I'm playing the homer role a little bit, but Isaiah played virtually every minute of the Pac 10 tournament and cashed the game winning shot on Saturday to win back to back titles. If he's at his best he's the best point guard in the tournament.

Stay tuned for more analysis. Tomorrow we'll cover the 5 teams with the best chance to win it all.

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