Bradley’s Bracket Fiasco: UGA to surprise, Buckeyes to win
Don't think UGA could beat North Carolina? Let's note that Georgia Tech did. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
The 24th annual edition of Bradley’s Bracket Fiasco — yes, next year will mark our silver anniversary; time flies, huh? — begins with words to commit to memory: The RPI matters. Georgia not only made the NCAA tournament field but made it with room to spare, whereas Alabama, which beat the Bulldogs twice in seven days, wasn’t invited.
But enough about that. We here have a time-honored function, and that’s to pick a Final Four. Here’s mine: Ohio State, Duke, Purdue and Florida.
Regarding Georgia: As a No. 10 seed, the Bulldogs not only avoided having to play a game in Dayton just to get into the big bracket, but they find themselves in a position to do damage. Washington is a nice team — it has a great guard in Isaiah Thomas and some size underneath — but Georgia has good perimeter players and some big guys, too. (And Washington has to travel across country, which never helps. Although Friday’s game will begin at roughly 9:45 p.m. EDT.) Georgia should win Friday in Charlotte, and I see it …
Here I pause for effect.
Upsetting North Carolina in Round 2.
I know, I know. The Tar Heels flew past Duke to finish first in the ACC, and Georgia has spent the past two months losing to most everyone of consequence. But on talent such a game would be no mismatch, and the SEC East was much tougher than the ACC as a whole. I’ve waited a long time for the Bulldogs to play to their gifts, and now we’re down to last chances. Either Georgia makes some noise in Charlotte or it returns to Athens wondering what might have been.
That said, do I see the Bulldogs making a 1983-type Final Four surge? Uh, no. The Bulldogs don’t shoot well enough to unlock the Syracuse zone, and the East is also home to the nation’s best team (Ohio State) and its most improved (Kentucky). A Buckeyes-Wildcats Sweet 16 matchup would be tantamount to an Elite Eight game most years, and I think Ohio State wins it.
Duke is seeded No. 1 in the West, a geographical note that will matter only the second weekend since the Blue Devils likewise start in Charlotte. The only threat I see to Duke in this region is … well, nobody. San Diego State? No. Texas? No way. And UConn, the No. 3 seed, will do as other Big East champs have done — prove in the NCAA that the effort expended in winning a conference tournament wasn’t worth it.
I’m picking against Kansas in the Southwest for a scientific reason: I’m tired of picking Kansas and being wrong. The Jayhawks should reach the regional final, but I’m saying what-the-heck and going with Purdue to emerge here. Matt Painter: Good coach. JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore: Good players. And don’t the Boilermakers, who are entering yet another Big Dance without Robbie Hummel, deserve a break?
I view Pitt, which is seeded No. 1 in the Southeast, as the Kansas of the East: It’s a team that looks great up until the point where it wrecks your bracket. Florida lost the SEC tournament final to Kentucky, but the Gators got both a better seeding and a softer regional than the Wildcats. Florida has great guards, a nice big man in Vernon Macklin and a coach who knows the way. Make it four Final Fours for Billy Donovan as a coach. (And one, a while back, as a Providence shooter.)
More upsets? So many folks will take Belmont over Wisconsin that it will be no surprise when it happens. Also look for Old Dominion to take down Butler, last year’s takedown artist, and don’t be shocked when the Wofford Terriers take out BYU and Jimmer Fredette. And don’t be totally shocked if Morehead State gives Louisville a rough ride in Round 1. I’m too chicken to pick the Eagles over the Cardinals, but maybe you’re not.
As for the Final Four semis: Ohio State over Duke, Florida over Purdue. Those teams played for the title in 2007 in our fair city, the Gators winning. Not this time. Buckeyes as your 2011 national champions.
Those are my picks. I beseech you to submit yours by clicking here. (You must enter Bradley’s Bracket Fiasco online. We no longer accept mail entries.) Our winner will reap the customary Final Four sweatshirt, plus a 32GB iPad with WiFi and 3G capability; our second- and third-place finishers will receive a 32GB iPod Touch. And, by entering the Fiasco, you’ll automatically be eligible to win a $1 million prize in the national UPICKEM bracket competition.
And that’s it. The best three weeks on the sporting calendar are upon us. Please click the link. Please enter the Fiasco. Please join me as we make the descent into Madness.
By Mark Bradley
For a look at my completed (and completely crazy) bracket, click here.
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321 comments Add your comment
RSX
March 13th, 2011
11:27 pm
@Bullshi
Don’t talk about weak conferences.
P. Bull Terrier
March 13th, 2011
11:28 pm
Mark Fox’s Worst Nightmare:
UGA follows the path Mark predicted, beats Washington in a winnable game, then upsets North Carolina before falling flat in the next round. The UGA fans, expecting a championship after the big win over N.C., are angry that the Bulldogs fell short of the title game and blame Fox, the players, the water boy, and Mark Rich, and rush to the blogs and the talk shows to demand that UGA fire everyone involved.
Football season starts and everyone forgets about basketball until football recruiting season is over next year. Remembering that UGA beat North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament in 2011 but having no clue who is even on the basketball team in 2012, the Bulldog fan base turns it’s attention to basketball and the National Championship that is all but guaranteed in 2012.
Jump ahead to 2013 and Mark Bradley starts to compile a list of possible replacements for Fox at UGA….
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Mark Fox awakens with a shudder, looks at the clock and realizes that it is still 2011. The opening round loss to Washington sits heavy in Fox’s gut, but it could have been worse. He lets out a sigh of relief, hits the snooze button and rolls over to go back to sleep.
HuskyDawg
March 13th, 2011
11:31 pm
This is what you can expect from the Huskies:
Defense: Tight man to force turnovers and will look for the run-outs. If UGA’s outside shooting sucks then Huskies may revert to zone.
Offense: Top 5 scoring offense nationally. Prefers to turn game into a track meet but can adjust to slower tempo. Low post player can put up 20+ pts. & 10+ rebounds. 5 players can shoot the 3. Players will also look to drive to the basket. But ultimately Isaiah will show them the way.
Final score: UW 82 – UGA 65
Ace
March 13th, 2011
11:32 pm
This guy must have tenure!
The Grinch™
March 13th, 2011
11:32 pm
UGA’s tough non-conference road losses:
ND: RPI 8
Temple: RPI 30
Bama’s non-conference road losses:
Iowa: RPI 185
Seton Hall: RPI 102
St. Peters: RPI 93
Do we REALLY need to continue this conversation?
Blackoutanyone?
March 13th, 2011
11:34 pm
Grinch…. Bama 65 Georgia 57… Bama 65 Georgia 59 Uhh exactly what don’t you understand? Congrats to UGA. 173 days till kickoff Roll Tide!!
The Grinch™
March 13th, 2011
11:35 pm
P. Bull Terrier
March 13th, 2011
11:28 pm
Who’s Mark Rich?
JSS
March 13th, 2011
11:36 pm
Standing up for St Peters, they are as dangerous on a neutral floor as any of the mid-majors. They are certainly better than Ole Mistake and a rebuilding LSU. Do we even have to mention South Carolina and Auburn? Belmont would have been a better choice to challenge; but they may have embarrassed the mighty SEC and a lot ACC too!
The Grinch™
March 13th, 2011
11:37 pm
Blackoutanyone?
March 13th, 2011
11:34 pm
The selection committee looks at the entire body of work. UGA RPI 48, Bama 80. “Uhh exactly what don’t you understand?” BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
christophorm
March 13th, 2011
11:37 pm
what you smoking???…just say no…those guards for georgia aint going to slow down I. thomas…..plus no. 22 for UGA is a turnover waiting to happen.
Mike
March 13th, 2011
11:43 pm
I agree with you on the Final Four with the exception of Florida.
J Clay
March 13th, 2011
11:45 pm
Washington fans: couple of legit questions….1) where did you come from, never seen you on here, are you really UW fans or Tech, Auburn, Bama, etc fans instead? 2) What makes all of you on here think you will win by at least 17? You might win but UGA has played close games all year, with several of the teams as good or better than you…
Blackoutanyone?
March 13th, 2011
11:46 pm
Grinch………. look here milkdud
(1) would I like to see Bama in the NCAA… sure.
(2) Would I expect them to make it past the first round… I would not.
(3)Can I name the starting five… probably not.
(4)Did Bama beat UGA twice this week… yes.
(5)So if you add all that together you get…..Would Bama beat UGA’s brains out in football …. hell yes. ROLL TIDE! lol
P. Bull Terrier
March 13th, 2011
11:47 pm
Dang Grinch,
Over 200 words in my post and the only mistake you can find is a missing “t”? If you look a little closer you’ll also find that I used an apostrophe in a place where I shouldn’t, but I’m not telling you where. You’ll have to find it yourself.
For the record, “Mark Rich” is the same person as Mark Richt. On the Rich Mark Scale, he ranks ahead of both Mark Fox and Mark Bradley, and may even pull in a bigger annual paycheck than both combined.
E
March 13th, 2011
11:48 pm
Is al.com’s comment system not working?
5150 UOAD
March 13th, 2011
11:49 pm
We have at least 5 days for the Dawgs to tell the world how they are now the greatest Bball team. I would like them to win and get a shot at UNC. I would enjoy watching that game. I have seen how sloppy UGA can be with the ball. The Huskies could really run UGA to death. UGA will not have the legs in the second half if they turn the ball over a lot in the 1st half. UGA needs to run a half court set and try to control the tempo if they want to stay in the game.
The Grinch™
March 13th, 2011
11:50 pm
Blackoutanyone?
March 13th, 2011
11:46 pm
Impressive. On a basketball blog talking smack about Bama versus UGA and they don’t even play this year. What a stretch.
Wow if anyone ever believed that you were not biased...
March 13th, 2011
11:51 pm
Look at you now! You are a mutt through and through…I can’t wait to come back and here and rub it in your face..
What a stretch!
Blackoutanyone?
March 13th, 2011
11:52 pm
What’s funny is RPI is what got UGA in.. and it’s apparently all the rage in college basketball. Yet the ESPN talking heads tore UAB (RPI 31) to pieces. Said they didn’t pass the “eye” test. Yet RPI is the end all be all right?
The Grinch™
March 13th, 2011
11:53 pm
P. Bull Terrier
March 13th, 2011
11:47 pm
You count the words in your posts?
JDO
March 13th, 2011
11:55 pm
Too funny… Rednecks talking about round ball.
Blackoutanyone?
March 13th, 2011
11:56 pm
Grinch… Bama will be in ATL (you know that’s where they have the SEC championship game) if you guys hold up your end (and I think you will) they will play this year. You following me milkbrains? lol
All_I_Saw_Was_Purple
March 13th, 2011
11:56 pm
Before you ask, yes, I am a real Husky fan. I have to say, everyone who is looking past U Dub is setting themselves up for disappointment. No offense to UGA, but there is a very good reason UW is heavily favored, its because we are better than you. That doesn’t mean we will win, since these are 18-22 year old guys we are talking about, and especially since our biggest weakness is mental toughness, but that said, we are still flat out better in every facet of the game (aside from the mental toughness, of course). Better shooters, better passers, better runners, better man defenders, better shot blockers, and better hustlers. Your team is up against it in the first round. And Isiah Thomas can bench 275 pounds. Dude is 5′8″ and he is the strongest guard in the country. D-Williams (of Arizona, Pac-10 POY) couldn’t stop him, and I don’t see any bulldogs playing better D than him.
All of that aside, I am hoping for an entertaining game, a fun game, and of course a Husky win, but good luck to the other dawgs too.
The Grinch™
March 13th, 2011
11:56 pm
Blackoutanyone?
March 13th, 2011
11:52 pm
“Yet RPI is the end all be all right?”
Nah. Strength of schedule factors in as well. UGA – 40, Bama – 114.
The Grinch™
March 13th, 2011
11:59 pm
All_I_Saw_Was_Purple
March 13th, 2011
11:56 pm
If you’re that good then why are you only ranked 7 in the bracket? UGA may well lose, but smack talking because of a 7 seed?
E
March 13th, 2011
11:59 pm
Maybe since al.com apparently isn’t working, Blackout can go ahead and call Finebaum’s show and whine. If he calls now, he might get on before Tammy.
Son of Roaring Dan
March 14th, 2011
12:00 am
Grinch: not that I think you care, but the point was that the rpi doesn’t capture road difficulty. The tide was history in november and due to the rpi formula could never make up the ground it lost regardless of how many times it beat uga.
Blackoutanyone?
March 14th, 2011
12:00 am
Apparently head to head doesn’t. Good luck to UGA and all the SEC teams.
SunDodger
March 14th, 2011
12:01 am
J clay, we are doing the same thing UGA fans are doing… kicking the up the hornets nest on the enemy blogs. Also the game wont be close. Either you grind us out with disciplined defense and patient inside outside play and win big or we simply run you guys out of the gym Mcneese style (Mcneasy?) UW has lots of 6′6 athletes who can run and shoot with out getting tired. And while you guys are thinking bed time at 9:45 Eastern, its 6:45 pacific…. earlier than their normal game time of 7:30
The Grinch™
March 14th, 2011
12:02 am
Son of Roaring Dan
March 14th, 2011
12:00 am
Geez, give it up man. You can have the final word, but the three teams you mentioned losing to were ranked waaaaaaay down the food chain. Bama ultimately finished the season AHEAD of those three road losses.
All_I_Saw_Was_Purple
March 14th, 2011
12:03 am
And to the guy who said that Seattle never contributed anything to basketball…. uhhh try:
Elgin Baylor
Detlef Schrempf
Brandon Roy
Martell Webster
Aaron Brooks
Rodney Stuckey
Spencer Hawes
Marvin Williams
Nate Robinson
Jason Terry
Jamal Crawford
Doug Christie
And every single one of those dudes was born and raised in Seattle, except Scrempf. So… yeah, Seattle is actually a hotbed of basketball talent.
wait a minute
March 14th, 2011
12:04 am
well we all know MARK BRADLEY DONT KNOW SQUASH but who nows..we won the sec champ in 08 and wasnt suppose to …WE HAVE A GOOD TEAM AND WON 21 GAMES WE SHOULD BE GOOD….AS LONG AS THE COACH DONT BLOW IT LIKE HE DID THE SEC CHAMP FOR US THIS YEAR!1!
The Grinch™
March 14th, 2011
12:05 am
SunDodger
March 14th, 2011
12:01 am
Now I’ve heard it all. You think 18-22 year old D1 basketball players will be fatigued because the game starts at 9:45? BWWWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
The Grinch™
March 14th, 2011
12:06 am
All_I_Saw_Was_Purple
March 14th, 2011
12:03 am
And they all played college ball at Washington, right?
E
March 14th, 2011
12:07 am
I for one welcome a bit of dialog from the other Dawgs. I like that part of the country and hold nothing against their fans. BTW the early line is Washington by 5 to 5.5. Not exactly a heavy favorite as was stated by our friend Purple.
J Clay
March 14th, 2011
12:08 am
Dodger – thanks for answering…Dont think you blow us out…whether we win or lose I believe it will be a close game….I’ve no interest in going to the Seattle paper web blog to talk smack to UW fans….
The one battle I expect us to win for sure Friday – # of fans in the arena…Anyway, best of luck….if you beat us, you will need a lot of it against UNC (27-1 all time in the tourney in the state of NC)…
Chad
March 14th, 2011
12:09 am
If Georgia’s loose and feels like they have nothing to lose, they’re definitely good enough to beat Washington and give North Carolina a good run. Then toward the end of a theoretical Carolina game I could see another late collapse when they start worrying about making the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1996. They might have won 6 or 7 more games this season if they weren’t head cases. Maybe Coach Fox can call in Deepak Chopra to help out.
J Clay
March 14th, 2011
12:09 am
E, they are the heaviest favorite of all the 10’s, 11’s, and 12’s and even one 13 has lower spread than UGA…..so yes they are a heavy favorite relative to most other games…that being said I expect UGA to win a close game
jbdawg61
March 14th, 2011
12:13 am
You shouldn’t even be in the tourney. Washington by 15
E
March 14th, 2011
12:14 am
Mr. Clay, relativity. Gotcha. You seem fairly gambling savvy, so you surely know that the line could move as Friday approaches. A big swing either way will go a long way in telling where the spread should be. I see no obvious mistakes in the line setting on any of the games, so I wouldn’t expect much movement.
nobody
March 14th, 2011
12:15 am
I have to tip my hat to the selection committee’s decision to include the dawgs in the tournament…they obviously saw something in them I did not…maybe the dawgs will prove the decision was correct….I doubt it, but I do hope so…
E
March 14th, 2011
12:16 am
I wouldn’t touch this game bettingwise with a ten foot pole.
JSS
March 14th, 2011
12:16 am
I haven’t seen anyone who has to start a fight with their opponents like some folks from my home state of GA! I bet you guys would chime in and say Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Michael Jordan were just average players if they were on the other side in a college game?
ROCKYtheDAWG
March 14th, 2011
12:17 am
‘
The bulldogs will not know what hit them when they discover the pressure “D” that
the Huskies will put on them. ‘
‘
Just like handcuffs ! ! !
‘
A M A Z I N G ! ! !
‘
@DanWeiner
March 14th, 2011
12:20 am
Mark Bradley is high.
Not a Tech fan, thankfully
March 14th, 2011
12:21 am
The massive butthurt by the Nerds on this blog is a delightful thing indeed. Your tears make me happy, Nerds. Keep it up.
Blackoutanyone?
March 14th, 2011
12:24 am
RockytheDawg….. one of the most exciting b-ball games I ever saw… 2004 NCAA 1st round UAB 102 UW 100
Paul in RDU
March 14th, 2011
12:24 am
Mark,
I was shocked to read that you picked UGA to beat UNC and so I read your column a few times to see your reasons. All I could find was that you think that the SEC was better than the ACC “as a whole” (I thought it could be UGA-UNC not SEC-ACC) and that it is time for UGA to “play up to their gifts”. Methinks you are following your heart rather than your brain.
Reasons UNC blows out UGA
1) Any game in Charlotte against UNC is a road game for the opponent. UGA had one good road win all year (at UT)
2) UGA has 1 very good big man – UNC has 2.
3) UGA doesn’t have anyone who can slow down, let alone stop Harrison Barnes.
4) UGA has specialized in blowing leads in the 2nd half – UNC has came back from big deficits in 2 tourney games – one team knows how to win and the other doesn’t.
5) Mark Fox is a good coach but he hasn’t been there before – Ole Roy has.
E
March 14th, 2011
12:32 am
As far the game goes, I am very concerned that Washinton’s up and down style will wear Georgia out in the last 10 minutes of the game. Georgia has shown an inability to put teams away all year long. Also, if Thompkins hangs around the 3 point line (as he is prone to do) instead of banging inside, look for trouble. Washington likely will try to get Thompkins in foul trouble early and negate Georgia’s inside advantage. I have to give advantage to the west coast Dawgs in this one. Pulling hard for UGA here, though. Gotta love March!
JSS
March 14th, 2011
12:34 am
@ Paul in RDU…
If Fox had his Nevada crew, oh they would have a chance. That team was tight and had a in the Area code shooter/scorer. That dude was Ray Allen lethal!
But this UGA team has one of the worse handles I’ve seen since some of Dale Brown’s old teams. They can handle pressure at all. What exactly is Ware?