![\"johnson\"](\"http:\/\/images.athlonsports.com\/d\/18405-1\/Wesley+Johnson.jpg\")
#5 Butler vs. #1 Syracuse<\/em>:\u00a0 Especially after all the upsets we’ve seen already, don’t be surprised to see Butler take down the top-seeded Orange in this one.\u00a0 Syracuse has a great team, but they have two weaknesses.\u00a0 One is depth, a problem exacerbated by the absence of Arinze Onuaku, who will miss the game again.\u00a0 The other is inexperience at point guard, even thought Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine have both had good seasons.\u00a0 Can they keep playing at a high level with the pressure on?\u00a0 Our current leader, Jason, is hoping they can’t, as he is the only one in the field that has Butler winning here, while everyone else has the\u00a0‘Cuse.\u00a0 Maureen and Ben look to keep their champion alive.<\/p>\n#11 Washington vs. #2 West Virginia<\/em>:\u00a0 I’ve said all season that West Virginia won’t win it all because they don’t have good enough guard play.\u00a0 Now, in the middle of the tournament, they lose their best guard, Darryl Bryant, with a broken foot.\u00a0 Translation: they’re in a lot of trouble and\u00a0might be\u00a0a long shot to even reach the Final Four right now.\u00a0 Washington looks to keep the Cinderella run going.\u00a0 Just five people, Jason, Bry, Greg, Weirauch, and Waters, have 2-seed WVU winning here, and nobody has Washington.\u00a0 Four of those five (Greg the exception)\u00a0have WVU reaching the title game.<\/p>\n #6 Xavier vs. #2 Kansas St.:<\/em>\u00a0 K-State continues to impress, but they better find a way to contain Jordan Crawford if they want to advance.\u00a0 This will be a great game to watch, with outstanding guard-play on both sides.\u00a0 Jason, Ryan, Jared, Greg, Maureen, and Bry all have K-State, while Walsh is the only one with Xavier in the Elite 8.\u00a0 Jason, Ryan, and Greg have K-State winning again on Saturday.<\/p>\n #12 Cornell vs. #1 Kentucky:<\/em>\u00a0 An intriguing game here, as these teams are polar opposites in a lot of ways, but are both really, really good, and both were very impressive on the first weekend.\u00a0 Kentucky is chock full of NBA-caliber talent but very short on experience, and their biggest weakness is\u00a03-point shooting.\u00a0 Cornell has no NBA players but has a ton of seniors playing\u00a0in\u00a0their third NCAA tournament (though first Sweet 16), and their biggest strength is probably 3-point shooting.\u00a0\u00a0It’s the Ivy League vs. the coach who’s had two Final Four appearances erased because of ineligible players that got special\u00a0treatment because of their NBA potential.\u00a0\u00a0They’re two programs taking\u00a0the complete opposite routes to success in D-1 college basketball.\u00a0 Nobody has Cornell in this game, and only Jason, Maureen, and Weirauch\u00a0DO NOT have Kentucky winning here.\u00a0\u00a0Talia and Jon look to keep their champ alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For bracket competitions, the middle weekend of the NCAA tournament can be compared to the Saturday round, or “moving day”, of a golf tournament.\u00a0 The stage is set by the first weekend, and the title is wrapped up during the … Continue reading