One of these years, a 16 seed will beat a 1 seed. Why not this week?
Vermont was third in the nation in rebound margin and doesn't start a
player shorter than 6-foot-5. And that's only the beginning. For an
in-depth breakdown, see The Hoop Life.
Everyone says the West is loaded, but Illinois is under-ranked as a
fourth seed. I think the Illini are an unusually well-balanced team,
with a strong inside and outside game. Plus, Illinois made measurable
improvements over the course of the season.
You'll noticed that I have three SEC teams in the Final Four, but I'll
acknowledge that I just as easily could have included three Big 12
teams. The SEC and Big 12 are by far the two best conferences this year.
