Duke's hopes of winning it all rest with McRoberts

	Josh McRoberts had 14 points and 13 rebounds in Duke's 74-61 second-round win over George Washington. Bob Rosato/SI
	Weekend Pickoff After a two-week layoff, the Pickoff is prepared to head into the home stretch. As of now, I am two games behind the readers, so I definitely need some of whatever Bradley, George Mason and Wichita State have been drinking. If I don't at least tie this week's reader, then I won't even be able to take this thing to the Final Four, which would mean losing the challenge for the second straight year. If you think you can darken my hopes for one shining moment, then send in your predicted scores (not just picks) for the eight Sweet 16 games. Then check back Thursday morning to see if we used your picks. Good luck! Games Duke vs. LSU West Virginia vs. Texas Memphis vs. Bradley Gonzaga vs. UCLA UConn vs. Washington George Mason vs. Wichita State Villanova vs. Boston College Florida vs. Georgetown
	MAILBAG Seth Davis will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his Hoop Thoughts column. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Greetings, Hoop Thinkers. Sometimes you just have to rip it and run. Herewith:

• The key to Duke's chances of winning the title is freshman forward Josh McRoberts, who  last Saturday against George Washington played his best game yet. McRoberts seems to be the only person who doesn't quite realize just how dominant he can be. Keep in mind, though, that even that most confident of Dukies, Christian Laettner, didn't show real signs of greatness until the end of his freshman year, when he led Duke in its regional final win over Alonzo Mourning and Georgetown. McRoberts could be headed for that same type of breakthrough.

• Tough to see Gerry McNamara go out with such a bad game, but I hope people realize the guy was playing with a severe groin injury against Texas A&M. His legacy was cemented with that brilliant run through the Big East tourney.

• LSU freshman Tyrus Thomas is such a good shot blocker that he actually makes the Tigers a better perimeter defensive team. Iona's guards were driving pretty well on LSU before Thomas got more active in the second half of the Tigers' first-round game.

• Iowa's loss to Northwestern State is a great example of the dangers of not being a good offensive team. We always hear about how important defense is (and it is), but I see a ton of teams that run into trouble because they can't score. Think of it this way: Every team goes through portions of a game where it plays well, followed by stretches where it doesn't play well. If you don't score a lot when you're on a roll, you're in danger of being overtaken when you sputter. Iowa dominated that game most of the way, but the Hawkeyes couldn't get enough separation. That allowed Northwestern State to climb back in just a few minutes.

Incidentally, I still believe Iowa coach Steve Alford is headed for Indiana. Why would Indiana AD Rick Greenspan hire another IU alum, Randy Wittman, when Alford is much more popular in the state and Wittman has never been a college coach? And if you want to look outside the Indiana family, you discover that in the grand scheme, Indiana is not that great a job. The facilities are average, the league is a killer and the pressure is immense.

• West Virginia is one of those teams that does better in the tournament than in the regular season. The Mountaineers play a very unusual style, but in conference play that's not so much of an advantage because other teams are familiar with the system and personnel. In the tournament, however, that familiarity is gone, so the uniqueness becomes a more formidable weapon.

• You want to know why low-seeded teams can pull early-round upsets but have a hard time getting to the Final Four? Right now, Duke, UConn, Villanova, Florida, Gonzaga, Memphis and Texas all feel like their tournament is just beginning. George Mason, Wichita State and Bradley feel like they've already won.

• I truly cannot understand why Herb Sendek is getting so much criticism. Yes, N.C. State stumbled down the stretch, but it also had injuries to two important players (Cameron Bennerman and Ilian Evtimov) and still got to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Then again, unfair criticism of Sendek is nothing new in Raleigh. He has handled it for years better than most people would.