Mar 17th, 2008
NCAA Tournament chat: Lack of depth could doom Texas
Dallas Morning News college basketball writer Kate Hairopoulos answered questions about the NCAA Tournament in a live chat on Monday, March 17.
Kate Hairopoulos: I’ve been informed Bob Knight, Mr. ESPN, and I picked the same Final Four: UNC, Kansas, UCLA and Pitt. While I’m mulling over the other similarities the General and I share, let’s talk NCAA Tournament brackets …
redraider08: Do you think the Longhorns have a good shot at winning it all with their regional in Houston and the Final Four in San Antonio?
Kate Hairopoulos: Texas clearly got one of the best draws of the tournament. A No. 2 seed certainly didn’t hurt the Longhorns. I know a home-state advantage will be a huge boost … but it wasn’t enough to put Texas A&M through after playing the regionals in San Antonio last year. I love Texas’ starting five, but I really worry about its depth in a tournament environment. And Stanford, Pitt and Memphis are awfully good. If the Horns advance, D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams get more help, and the bench play improves.
Rock Chalk: Which of the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds is most vulnerable to an early-round upset?
Kate Hairopoulos: Top-seed Memphis has a really tough draw. After UTA in the first game, the Tigers could have a tough Mississippi State team with a great guard in Jamont Gordon or the Pac-10’s Oregon. Up ahead is Pitt and Texas. No. 2 seed Duke didn’t finish the season well, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see a loss to West Virginia or Xavier. Second seed Tennessee could also have trouble with underseeded Butler in the second round.
March Madness: How do you see Texas A&M faring in the tournament?
Kate Hairopoulos: Who really knows about those up-and-down Aggies? I will say that their showing in the Big 12 tournament went a long way in restoring my faith in their potential. BYU isn’t an easy first-round game – the Cougars beat Louisville and hung with North Carolina early this season. Lee Cummard was the Mountain West player of the year. If A&M does advance, it’ll face a monster of a test in UCLA. I wonder if Mark Turgeon and Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie will chat while they’re in Anaheim.
Tags: ncaa, tourney