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SPORTS APRIL 5, 2007 - Page 15 NCAA Tournament predictions predictable opponents, with Winthrop theirs. Florida will face UCLA championship so far. scoring in double-figures, the RYAN CHELL beating Notre Dame and on March 31st; Ohio State will But Georgetown (30-6, 13-3 Gators are led by forwards SPORTS EDITOR play Georgetown on the same Big East) is not going to go Cory Brewer and [oakim Virginia Commonwealth (a Last year's NCAA CAA school along with night as well, with the title down without a fight. Only Noah. If the Gators can con- Tournament was a George Mason) made the game being played two nights allowing 57.8 points per game, trol Josh Shipp and Arran "Cinderella" story. However, biggest upset of the first 'later on Monday in Atlanta. the Hoyas are led by 7 ft. cen- Affalo of the Bn.lins, the this year, it's a whole new round, sending Mike Knowing that all four of ter Roy Hibbert (12.7 ppg and Gators should make up for ending to a new type of fairy Krzyzewski and ACe power- these teams are some of the junior forward Jeff Green (14.4 UCLA's great defense by stop- tale. house Duke home. This best teams in the country, we ppg). Hibbert is probably the ping them from scoring. Last year, George Mason, a would be the first time since should get a very good cham- most dominant player Florida has been great at times "mid-major" from the the 1996 season that Duke pionship game no matter who Georgetown has had since this season; it has also strug- Colonial Athletic Conference would fail to reach the Sweet wins or loses. All four of these Patrick Ewing played for them gled this season, and of the which includes teams like 16 in the NCAA Tournament. teams were in the Top 25; (his son is currently on the four teams in the Final Four, it Towson, surprised all NCAA #2 seed Wisconsin (who I had some in the Top 5 for most of team.) Pay attention to the bat- had the easiest trip to reach it. fans as they made their way to not only in the Final Four but the season. All these teams tle between Greg Oden and UCLA has been great this sea- the Final Four, even upsetting in the title game) lost to 7-seed had winning streaks of 11 Roy Hibbert in this game; it son, but it cannot control an #1 seed Connecticut. And UNLV 74-68, which proved to games or more during the sea- should be a very physical offensi ve team as good as early this year, many people be the first real "bracket- son. We could even see a game between these big, dom- Florida. Where Florida goes were asking who was going to buster" game of the tourna- rematch of the NCAA Football inant, future NBA centers Led from this point on could be this year's George Mason. ment. Championship, which had by Coach John Thompson ill, decide if Coach Billy Donovan However, many were disap- The rest of the NCAA Urban Meyer's Florida Caters who continued his father's decides to stay or get the 1 pointed to see no mid-major Tournament went the way of winning the game over Jim legacy of coaching at million dollar raise to replace run in this year's tournament; the top seeds. Of the four Tressel's Ohio State Buckeyes. Georgetown, they should be Tubby Smith at Kentucky. The the Final Four consists of two brackets, three of the Elite 8 In my mind, it looks as if the the best shot to end the result: Florida won 64-76. #1 seeds and two #2 seeds. games had the #1 seed versus winner of the Ohio State- Buckeye's 21-game winning And in the rematch of the When the NCAA the #2 seed on who would go Georgetown game could go streak. Well Ohio State ended football championship, the Tournament began on March the Final Four. The remaining on to win the championship. up winning the game just as I Ohio State Buckeyes stops the 15th, there were very few game had # 1 seed Florida ver- Ohio State (34-3, 15-1 Big Ten), have predicted. The final chance for a repeat national upsets that destroyed people's sus a #3 Oregon. It seemed as currently on a 21-game win- score was 60-67. championship, as well as a brackets. Three out of the four if the top seeds of each brack- ning streak, had the biggest The other game hosts the clean sweep of championships 9-8 seed match-ups ended et were determined to not scare during the tournament offensive team of the Florida by Florida. Ohio State wins, with the #9 seed winning allow another George Mason of the last four teams. The Gators (33-5, 13--5SEC), who 75-70; Greg Oden goes on to (Purdue over Arizona, Xavier ruin their hopes for a national Buckeyes, trailing against 9- are trying to become the first the NBA just like Carmela over BYU, and Mich. St over championship. seed Xavier, hit a last-second team to repeat as basketball Anthony did a few years ago, Marquette), but those are the After two weeks, we have shot to send the game into national champions since the and Billy Donovan checks on most common upsets because finally reached the Final Four. overtime and rallied from a 20 1991 and 1992 Duke teams, that Kentucky vacancy one the teams are the D'lost evenly- The teams still in the hunt are point deficit to beat 5-seed against the defensive-minded more time. - matched. None of the typical Florida, UCLA, Georgetown, Tennessee. Led by first-year UCLA Bruins (30-5, 15-3 PAC 12 seeds over 5 seeds hap- and Ohio State. Florida and and projected NBA star Greg 10). This is a rematch of last pened either. Ohio State are #1 seeds in Oden along with guard Mike year's title game, with UCLA Two of 11 seeds ended up their brackets; UCLA and Conley Jr., the Buckeyes seem looking to avenge that loss. winning against their 6-seed Georgetown are twos in to be the favorite to win the Despite having all five starters 2007 ~4 ,J COROLLA . ~~" J1 J"'~4 0' h If - '" ~ . ~ 'NOT ALL CUSTOMERS WILL QUALIFY. CUSTOMERS RECEIVE $400 fROM TOYOTA TOWARDS LEASING OR FINANCING THE PURCHASE OF NEW UNTITLED TOYOTA MODELS THROUGH PARTICIPATING TOYOTA DEALERS AND TOYOTA fiNANCIAL SERVICES. SEE DEALER OR VISIT WWW.TOYOTAFINANCIAl.COM/FINANCEFOR DETAILS. COllEGE GRADUATE PROGRAM ISSUBJECTTO CHANGE OR TERMINATION AT ANY TIME