null
Monday, March 12Committee clearly cut Stanford some slack
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
Stanford was the top No. 1 team and it's clear by the way the bracket was built for the Cardinal. Iowa State is struggling right now and might be entering the tournament as one of the weaker No. 2 seeds. And the committee stuck a potential difficult opponent in the second round for the Cyclones if it's either Arkansas or Georgetown. Arkansas has the quickness to fluster the Cyclone guards and Georgetown has the size to hang with Iowa State. Either way, Iowa State will probably advance but could face Maryland in the Sweet 16. The Terps are one of the hottest teams in the nation and one of the best No. 3 seeds in the tournament. Wisconsin beat Maryland earlier in the year, but Badgers coach Brad Soderberg said he's having trouble reaching his team right now. If he can't get to them, Georgia State could pull the upset and provide a potential interesting matchup with Lefty Driesell going against his former team. The Terps have the hot hands in Steve Blake and Juan Dixon to get to the Sweet 16 and then beat Iowa State for an Elite Eight appearance. The top of the bracket opens up for the Cardinal. Stanford gets the winner of the best 8-9 game in the field -- Georgia Tech vs. St. Joseph's. The Yellow Jackets have the defensive presence in Alvin Jones but the Hawks can match Georgia Tech's guards with Marvin O'Connor and Jameer Nelson. The winner is likely going down to the Cardinal. The other side of the bracket in San Diego has two interesting matchups with BYU a legit chance to upset Cincinnati. The Cougars have the inside-out combination that the Bearcats lack in Terrell Lyday and Trent Whiting in the backcourt and Mekeli Wesley up front. Cincinnati hasn't had the consistent frontcourt play. Kent State is on a roll but so too are the Hoosiers. Indiana should get past the MAC champions and BYU to a matchup with Stanford. The Cardinal have questionable frontcourt depth with Justin Davis injured (ankle), but have the sharp-shooter in Casey Jacobsen on the perimeter and an inside-out talent in Jason Collins to get to an Elite Eight matchup with Maryland. This game is a tough call, but the tendency is to go with Stanford, which should be able to neutralize Maryland in what could be the closest matchup of any Elite Eight game. Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
| GO TO REGION | |
| GO TO REGION | |
| GO TO REGION | |
| GO TO REGION |
 | ||
|
Katz: Selections make sense NCAA seeds set: Duke, Stanford, Illinois, Michigan State | ||
