By Ben Burns at
Vegas Experts
After Tuesday's play-in game between Hampton and
Monmouth, the 64 remaining teams will begin the 63-game
tournament known as the 'Big Dance.' When the smoke
clears, the last team standing will be crowned this
year's national champion! Thumbnail previews of this
year's top four top seeds appear below to help with your
2006 bracket picks.
DUKE
Current Odds to Win Title: plus $4.85
Duke spent the early portion of the season by beating
its opponents in decisive fashion. The Blue Devils were
a bit more vulnerable down the stretch though and lost
their final two regular season games. They responded to
those losses in typical 'Duke-fashion', winning the ACC
Tournament for the seventh time in the past eight
seasons and regaining their 'swagger'. Despite their
fantastic season, the Blue Devils were just 1-6 'against
the spread' their final seven games.
The Blue Devils are led by the awesome duo of Shelden
Williams and J.J. Redick, the all-time leading scorer in
ACC history. Although he banged his knee the previous
day, Redick looked like his usual lethal self against in
the championship win vs. Boston College, scoring a
game-high 25 points. Williams, who averaged 18.4 points
and 10.3 rebounds, chipped in 18 points against the
Eagles. McRoberts, Melchionni, Paulus, Dockery and
Nelson all play an important role with each averaging
greater than six points per game. The Blue Devils were
the second highest scoring team in the country with 82
1/2 points per game.
The Blue Devils will face the Southern Jaguars in the
first round. Considering that the Jaguars haven't been
'dancing' in more than a decade and that they average
less than 66 points per game, this one should be a
'lock'. Next, the Blue Devils will face the winner of
the George Washington and UNC-Wilmington game. That
won't be quite as easy but should also result in a
relatively easy victory. Those first two games will be
played at Greensboro NC. The Blue Devils would likely
face LSU (or Syracuse) in the next round at Atlanta.
Another victory would set up a possible rematch with
Texas in the 'Elite-8'.
CONNECTICUT
Current Odds to Win Title: plus $2.95
The Huskies shared the Big East title with Villanova
with both teams earning a 14-2 record. Connecticut
dominated the majority of its opponents this season.
However, the Huskies were defeated by Syracuse in the
quarter-finals of the Big East tournament and were 0-3
ATS their final three games.
The Huskies have arguably the most deadly lineup in the
tournament with six players averaging 9.8 points or
greater per game. Not surprisingly, they ranked fourth
in the country in scoring with 81.3 points per game.
Connecticut is in a relatively tough Washington
Regional, which includes three of last year's 'Final
Four' teams: defending national champion North Carolina,
runner-up Illinois and Michigan State. The Huskies
should have an extremely easy time with their first
round opponent, Albany. The winner of the Kentucky and
UAB clash should provide a significantly tougher test in
the second round. A date with Illinois (or Washington)
is next. Assuming the Huskies survive, they'll face
either Tennessee or North Carolina in the 'Elite-8'.
VILLANOVA
Current Odds to Win Title: plus $13.15
After sharing the Big East title with Connecticut the
Wildcats suffered the same fate as the Huskies in the
Conference tournament, as they were upset by a
lesser-ranked team. In fact, the Wildcats were held to
just 54 points in their loss to Pittsburgh. Villanova
fans needn't be too concerned as the Wildcats had won
their previous three games by double-digits. Of
potentially greater concern, it should be noted that Ray
got poked in the eye in the loss to Pittsburgh and is
questionable for the Wildcats' opener.
The Wildcats had the top scoring defense of the number
one seeds, holding opponents to just 63.8 points per
game. Nardi, Lowry, Ray and Foye provide a
'fearsome-foursome' which each average greater than 10
points per game.
That opening game will come versus the winner of
Tuesday's play-in game. With or without Ray, that should
result in an easy win and will bring a date with the
winner of the Arizona and Wisconsin game. Another
victory will earn a meeting with either Nevada or, more
likely, Boston College in Minneapolis. If they can
survive that tough matchup, the 'Cats will likely face
either Florida or Ohio State in the regional finals.
MEMPHIS
Current Odds to Win Title: plus $14.95
After winning the regular season title, the Tigers
closed out their strong season by winning the
Conference-USA Tournament. The Tigers did so with a
dominant defensive effort as they held UAB to just 46
points on 27 percent shooting. Despite 'covering' the
number in their last two games the Tigers were just 6-12
ATS their last 18 games overall.
The Tigers were the sixth highest scoring team in the
country, averaging 80.9 points per game. The Tigers
boast a trio of players, Carney, Washington and Williams
who each average better than 13 points or game. Four
other players average between six and nine points.
The Tigers are thrilled to be a number one seed.
However, they may not be so pleased with their travel
schedule. Assuming they win their first round game vs.
Oral Roberts (and this is a safe assumption) then they
face a potential second-round matchup vs. Arkansas, at
Dallas. The Tigers will eventually likely face UCLA in
the regional finals, at Oakland. It’s safe to say that
the Bruins would have the support of the crowd. The
Tigers are loaded though and just may be up to the task.
