Are Washington and Cornell desirable dogs?
By Doug Upstone
The East Regional is a marriage of four unlikely teams. Here we find something new (Cornell), something old (Bob Huggins having team in the tournament), something borrowed (Washington playing like they are a top Sweet 16 program or better after underachieving a good portion of the season) and something blue (lots of Kentucky blue). These four converge in upstate New York not willing to be a bridesmaid and the underdogs earning a lot of love.
These Huskies are no dogs
For Washington (26-9, 16-18 ATS) fans, their lost weekend in Los Angeles (losing to both UCLA and USC) is a distant memory. Those Jan. 21 and 23 contests were the last time the Huskies played bad basketball. Whatever happened to this team after losing to the Trojans by 26 points, it has worked. Washington has won 14 of 16, including nine in a row and is 11-4 ATS. Maybe it was coach Lorenzo Romar steady influence, sending the same message and getting his players to believe.
One player that never lost faith was senior Quincy Pondexter. When I kept saying in January, 'Don't panic,' it was for a reason," Pondexter said. "We still had a lot of time to come together and make a push like we are now."
Washington is now 6-1 ATS in NCAA Tournament appearances and believes they can achieve greatness. "If we do what we're supposed to do, we got a chance to do something even more special," coach Romar said. "You never want to look too far ahead, and we don't .I don't think anyone is satisfied yet. They like playing basketball, and they want to keep playing."
The Huskies ability to control the pace has been the key with their athletes. Strip away the slowdown tactics of Oregon State and Washington has average 81.3 points per game in the last six other contests. BetUS.com has them as four-point underdog with total of 140.5.
West Virginia (29-6, 15-19 ATS) received some sobering news, losing point guard Truck Bryant to broken foot. This was already the Mountaineers weakest position on the floor, which leaves Joe Mazzulla to soldier the load independently. Mazzulla was already playing more minutes than Bryant in recent weeks, however now he has no credible backup to support him. It will be imperative Mazzulla plays well as facilitator to Da'Sean Butler, Kevin Jones and Devin Ebanks and stays under control defensively, as Washington will try to force West Virginia into track meet. The Teers are 14-2 ATS in their last 16 NCAA games.
It would seem picking the total has a direct correlation to spread outcome. Washington is 12-3 OVER having won 12 or more of their last 15 games, winning by 6.4 points per game. West Virginia is 12-4 UNDER when the total is 140 to 149.5 over the last two seasons, being victorious by 7.8 PPG. No.2 seeds are 7-1 SU against 11's, winning by 6.4 points a contest.
Big Red vs. Big Blue
Kentucky (34-2, 19-15 ATS) is now the odds on favorite to win the whole shebang and is an 8.5-point favorite over Cornell (29-4, 18-10). The Big Red cannot be underestimated, at least to cover the spread. Cornell�s strength is in their ability to play their game. In two tournament trips, they have shot 43.6 percent from three-point land, which is right on target with season average and NCAA best figure of 43.9.
Kentucky is powerful in the paint and will likely be able to slowdown Cornell's 7'0 center Jeff Foote. Nonetheless, the team most similar to Cornell, at least in terms of style is Mississippi State and the Wildcats needed overtime and fair amount of luck to down the Bulldogs twice.
Ryan Wittman, Louis Dale and Jon Jaque all can drain the long ball and their team is 8-2 ATS away from home after three or more consecutive wins this season.
Kentucky is going to have to make three-point shots, as Cornell will stay in their zone defense. The Wildcats do have definite edge is size and quickness and when pushed on the road, they have held opposing teams to 27.9 percent behind the arc. Expect coach John Calipari to use his big guys to get Foote into foul trouble, making it easier to focus on guarding the perimeter. Kentucky has covered their last five tournament appearances and No.1 seeds vs. 12's are perfect 16-0 SU, winning by 14.6 PPG.
The question remains will this youthful Cats team stay focused taking on an Ivy League squad, despite their ability? Over the years, Kentucky is 2-17 ATS after consecutive blowout wins by 20 points or more.