Selection Sunday has passed and we now have a full list of matchups for the 2013 NCAA tournament that will begin on March 19 and end on April 8. There are some big matchups this year, although the current reigning NCAA champions, the Kentucky Wildcats, did not make it to the tournament this year.
Florida Gulf Coast vs. Georgetown: These two teams were supposed to face each other as the season opener aboard the USS Bataan, but the game was cancelled at half time when condensation made the deck dangerous. The game was unable to be rescheduled.
Now these two teams with get their home opener back (sort of). Player’s know how hard every team has worked to get here, and will not doubt any team they compete against.
“In the tournament, every team is going to play tough,” said sophomore guard Jabril Trawick from Georgetown. “I don’t think any team is scared. Every team is excited to make the tournament — especially the teams that don’t know they’re going to make it unless they win their conference championship.”
Team to look out for:
Louisville: They are currently seeded overall number one and won’t play in the first round of tournaments. The will play the winner of Liberty vs. North Carolina in round two. Russ Smith is a stand out player for the team, averaging 18.1 points per game. Point guard Peyton Siva is another big threat. These two players on the court together make one strong force field for their opponents.
Underdogs:
I will agree with
ESPN and their picks for underdogs. First is the North Carolina Aggies. They have no big names, they were unable to win three games in a row during the regular season, and they haven’t made it to 20 wins in a season since 1988. While they may not win the whole thing, they could be an early-round spoiler.
Middle Tennessee State is another big underdog in this tournament. It’s not that they have a bad team; it’s just that they have a bad reputation. They are the “big meanies” in the media,
as many claimed they should never have made it to the tournament in the first place because their strength of schedule was not good.
The biggest underdog we might have here is James Madison. They haven’t been to the NCAA tournament in 19 years. Most of these other teams are in every year or every other year. James Madison does have some notable players, such as leading scorer Rayshawn Groins, which could give them a leg up in the competition.
Important dates for the tournament:
First Round
March 19-20
UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio)
Second-Third Rounds
March 21, 23
The Palace of Auburn Hills (Auburn Hills, Mich.)
Rupp Arena (Lexington, Ky.)
EnergySolutions Arena (Salt Lake City, Utah)
HP Pavilion (San Jose, Calif.)
March 22, 24
Frank Erwin Center (Austin, Texas)
UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio)
Sprint Center (Kansas City, Mo.)
Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia)
East Regional
March 28, 30
Verizon Center (Washington, D.C.)
West Regional
March 28, 30
Staples Center (Los Angeles)
Midwest Regional
March 29, 31
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
South Regional
March 29, 31
Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
National Semifinals
April 6
Georgia Dome (Atlanta)
Championship Game
April 8
Georgia Dome (Atlanta)
