This Kansas team is different.
No longer are the Jayhawks slowed by a plodding, underachieving 7-footer. No, this team streaks. The swift frontcourt of Drew Gooden and Nick Collison -- pushed by three guards who have all played a full season at point guard for Kansas -- led the nation in scoring (93.2 ppg.). They’ll be challenged, but the right combination of speed, preparation and Kirk Hinrich is the recipe for a title.
Duke and Arizona, to me, are nearly the same. Tournament teams. They thrive in this format. The win-or-go-home mentality. Arizona won the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and the Pac-10 tournament. Duke breezed through the ACC tournament like Charles Barkley through appetizers.
Everyone's talking about how tough the West region is -- and it is brutal -- but I had the most trouble picking the East. Wisconsin could scare Maryland and I'm not sold on Kentucky.
Can Georgia win three games? I decided they couldn't, but I might be giving Connecticut too much credit. Maryland is the best team in the region, and its veterans should make sure the Terps are in Atlanta ... to lose to the Jayhawks, who will beat Duke and deliver Roy Williams his first national championship 14 years after coming to Kansas and two years after turning down his dream job at alma mater North Carolina.
