Last night, a few friends were exchanging e-mails about Maryland’s tournament draw. Most were pleasantly surprised to see Maryland nab the four seed after seeing prediction of a five or six. At the same time, though, people were taking note of some disturbing realities. One, the team would have to fly to Spokane, Wash. Two, competition in the Midwest Region is a bit stiff. And by “a bit,” I mean “incredibly.” One of my friends referred to the region as “The Group of Death.” And you know what? I think that’s appropo.
On paper, Maryland should be able to get past first-round opponent Houston without much problem. They were not a tournament team until their unlikely run to the Conference USA tourney championship. But, the Cougars have the nation’s leading D-1 scorer in Aubrey Coleman, and Maryland is not exactly upset-proof when you look at their tourney history. I’m not saying it’s a Cinderella in the making…Maryland just has to be wary, that’s all.
Should they make the second round, they will most likely face Michigan State, last year’s national championship runners up. If the Terps are happy about their seed, the 24-8 Spartans are disappointed over theirs. This is not the same MSU squad that made the final game last year (they lost four seniors from that squad), but the Big 10 regular season co-champs still have plenty of talent on their team with guards Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers and forward Raymar Morgan leading the charge.
The other five seeds in the tournament are Butler, Temple, and Texas A&M. Think any of those teams could beat Michigan State? Yeah, me neither.
But the Group of Death doesn’t end there. Obviously, you’ve got number one overall seed Kansas looming in a potential Sweet 16 matchup. In addition to ACC Player of the Year Greivis Vasquez, you’ve got the Big 12 Player of the Year in Oklahoma State’s James Anderson, the Big 10 Player of the Year in Ohio State’s Evan Turner, the ACC Rookie of the Year in Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors, the nation’s leading D-1 scorer in Houston’s Coleman. And of course you’ve got Sharron Collins and Cole Aldrich leading the charge for number one overall seed Kansas. And don’t forget about Big East powerhouse Georgetown, sitting at the number three seed. Missouri Valley Conference Champs Northern Iowa could also be a factor.
That’s a deep, talented region right there. But Maryland’s right with them. It’s not going to be easy, but if the Terps bring their giant-killer pants to the party, they could be the ones making the noise.
