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TechnographTexas could make UNC sweat
By Eric Chima
Posted: 3/14/07 Section: NCAA Tournament Guide 1
The East region is among the most intriguing in the draw, simply because of the looming presence of Kevin Durant and Texas in the No. 4 slot. North Carolina comes in with the top seed, and Georgetown is the trendy pick out of the second spot, but Durant could foul everything up.
Barring major upsets, the Longhorns would face the Tar Heels in the Sweet 16, an early meeting between one of the NCAA's most consistently solid teams and its most dynamic scorer. Texas has been inconsistent all season, but all it would take is one hot game from Durant to leave the bracket open to anyone. And, one of the exciting things about the Longhorns are their day-to-day fluctuations. Durant could drop 40 points to knock off the Tar Heels only to see D.J. Augustin turn the ball over seven times to lose to Vanderbilt two days later.
Between the Hoyas and the Longhorns lies one of the least talked about stories: the Washington State Cougars. They were picked to finish last in the Pac-10, but ended up second behind only UCLA under first year head coach Tony Bennett. But for all their success, there is still an air of doubt around the Cougars, making them a popular pick to be upset by last year's near-Cinderella, Oral Roberts, who led Memphis just before halftime in the first round and looked like they were going to be the first No. 16 seed to upset a No. 1.
Outside of the top-four seeds, a lot of parity leaves room for upsets in the middle of the draw. Tournament mainstays like Vanderbilt, Marquette and Texas Tech all have average seeds, and perpetually dangerous Tom Izzo has a unique weapon to work with in Drew Neitzel. But for all the tough teams in the mix, the power of North Carolina and Georgetown at the top will be tough to topple.
Barring major upsets, the Longhorns would face the Tar Heels in the Sweet 16, an early meeting between one of the NCAA's most consistently solid teams and its most dynamic scorer. Texas has been inconsistent all season, but all it would take is one hot game from Durant to leave the bracket open to anyone. And, one of the exciting things about the Longhorns are their day-to-day fluctuations. Durant could drop 40 points to knock off the Tar Heels only to see D.J. Augustin turn the ball over seven times to lose to Vanderbilt two days later.
Between the Hoyas and the Longhorns lies one of the least talked about stories: the Washington State Cougars. They were picked to finish last in the Pac-10, but ended up second behind only UCLA under first year head coach Tony Bennett. But for all their success, there is still an air of doubt around the Cougars, making them a popular pick to be upset by last year's near-Cinderella, Oral Roberts, who led Memphis just before halftime in the first round and looked like they were going to be the first No. 16 seed to upset a No. 1.
Outside of the top-four seeds, a lot of parity leaves room for upsets in the middle of the draw. Tournament mainstays like Vanderbilt, Marquette and Texas Tech all have average seeds, and perpetually dangerous Tom Izzo has a unique weapon to work with in Drew Neitzel. But for all the tough teams in the mix, the power of North Carolina and Georgetown at the top will be tough to topple.
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