Saturday Elite 8 & UCLA & Alford

I'm still trying to recover from the Michigan comeback against Kansas.  Yes, I thought it was over, too. Many times.  But the yellow-clads didn't and then Trey Burke poured in a couple treys and they were in overtime and in shell shock.  Big win.  Big for my bracket (yes, Dbrolaw and I had Michigan).

The Louisville game was more interesting than I wanted it to be.  But the Cardinals (my championship pick) had enough to beat Oregon, who, of course, looked good in their green outfits.  Tough beating the Green Lantern, times five.

The Duke game was all Duke in the second half.  Michigan State's guards didn't play well in the second half and that cost them.  So did Nix sitting the bench in foul trouble.  But Duke played well -- moved the ball well & shot free throws well.  I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't give Louisville all they can handle.

Florida beat Gulf Coast badly.  Not sure what to make of the game or the performance (hey, I was groggy at 12:30 a.m. and the fourth game), but there you have it: the Gators in the Elite Eight again.

I think they have the edge on Michigan, but the boys in yellow seem on a mission.

Today?

I need Marquette to win.  But the Syracuse zone looked so good against Indiana -- it's hard to believe it'll crack enough today.  Marquette beat them in Milwaukee in February, but it's a different 'Cuse team now.  I'd love to see the Rainbow Warriors...errr, Golden Eagles...win, but it'll be tough.

Game 2, Ohio State plays against a much lower seeded team, having barely gotten through the last two games, I'm not counting on the Buckeyes blowing it open.   If the Wichita big guys play well, it could be a surprise 9 seed in the FF.  But they'll have to get past Craft and the Buckeye guards.

UCLA

Earlier in the week, I got into a Twitter thread over whether UCLA was a Top Six program for a coach.  I said no.  We all wanted to see who they ended up with.

Steve Alford.

It's not a bad hire.  It's not Shaka Smart or Brad Stevens, the young "we-wants" in every search.  But Alford's done a good job at three straight programs and this year's New Mexico team was considerably better than the UCLA one.  Probably true the last several years.

Which this give some boost to the UCLA program?

A little.  Not much.

It confirms my analysis of UCLA just being a good power conference school, not one of the jobs you leave anywhere to get.  Albuquerque isn't anywhere.  It's a job an elite coach is probably leaving (sorry NM and Mountain West).   And it wasn't clear, like Iowa, Alford isn't leaving just as his time is running out -- losing in the first round of the tournament with a 3 seed is the type of thing that gets questions asked. 

I stick to my Twitter thought -- it's not a top six program.  If it was, Stevens or Smart would be there.