2012 NCAA Tournament Preview with Sporting News Michael DeCourcy

 

By Mike Kern

 

It’s that time again, the NCAA tournament is finally here. In about eight hours, you are ripping up your brackets, the teams you thought had no chance to pull the upset actually could. I talked with Sporting News Mike DeCourcy  about some of the key things to look for as the tournament starts up.

South Florida pulled the upset over California, can you see them taking down another higher seed in Temple?

I watched the Bulls last night, and I definitely think that they can pull off another upset and take down Temple. Last night, they shot incredible from the court, especially in the first half when they were 16 of 24. They do not usually shoot like that, but the thing that is going to keep them in games is their defense. Temple is a good offensive team, especially with their guards, but the way they use their size and athleticism on defense, they have a good chance to win again on Friday.

Which number one seed do you think could be on upset alert on the first weekend?

I think the one-seed that could get upset early is North Carolina in a potential matchup with the Creighton Blue Jays. Creighton is an extremely good offensive team, they do not defend really well, but they can flatout score the ball. Last year in the tournament, the Tar Heels got matched up with a Washington team that could really score the ball, and that game was close the entire way. I don’t know if they can keep up and score with the Tar Heels, but it is going to be a very close game.

With the up-tempo style of New Mexico State, how much could the injury to Verdell Jones affect the Hoosiers?

His injury does play a role in the game as it takes away a point guard for the Hoosiers. Jordan Hulls plays point guard, but he is more of a shooting guard that can handle the ball well. With Jones out, that gives more playing time to Victor Oladipo and Will Sheehey. Oladipo is an incredible athlete and Sheehey can score the ball, but they do not handle the ball like Jones did. This makes it crucial that Hulls does not get in foul trouble, and that he is able to handle the pressure the Aggies will put on him.

Every  year there is a player that has a breakout NCAA tournament and gets drafted way higher than expected, who could you see being that breakout player?

There are a couple players that I am looking at, and the first one is Bradley Beal. He has not shot the ball as well as I thought he would have, but he is a great rebounder and also Florida’s top defender. I really expect him to shoot well in this tournament and play very well. Another guy is Michael Dixon from Missouri. He is capable of coming off the bench and scoring 25 points in any game. However, the guy I really think will breakout is Kim English.  I was absolutely shocked when I saw that the Big 12 coaches did not put him on their first team. This is a guy that is 6’6’’ and is being asked to guard power forwards, and has done a great job. We almost put him on our Third team All-American team here at Sporting News. If there would have been a fourth team, he would have been on it. I love his game and expect him to have a big tournament for the Tigers.

With the long media timeouts and other breaks in the game, how much can a lack of depth affect teams like Kansas, Missouri and Ohio State?

Depth has no effect in the tournament,  as long as the team is able to avoid foul-trouble and potential injuries. If you look at the Final Four teams in the past 20 years, they have went with about 7.5 players. They have their five starters, their two key reserves, and then a player that will come in and play five to eight minutes to give a player a quick breather.  As long as these teams can make it through and avoid the foul trouble, or the multiple overtime games, then any of these teams could make a long run.

Which mid-major do you think will make the longest run in the tournament?

The team I am looking for is Long Beach State. They are a very good team that had proven themselves this year by going on the road and testing themselves. They went to Louisville, Kansas, North Carolina and Pittsburgh. Even though they only won the game over Pittsburgh, they were in every single game and will not be intimidated against New Mexico. In the tournament, they are not going to have to beat good teams on the road, they will be on a neutral court, and this experience from the season will give them a very good chance.

You can follow Sporting News Mike DeCourcy  throughout the 2012 NCAA Tournament on twitter  . .