From ESPN.com:
Friends turned foes: No. 6 seed USC vs. No. 11 seed Kansas State
Forget the superstudly freshmen matchup between O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley. Mayo and K-State's Bill Walker have been best friends since elementary school. The two were teammates at North College Hill High School in Cincinnati and, as you can imagine, North College Hill was pretty good. With those two on the roster, the school won two state titles and ranked among the nation's best teams. Before their senior seasons, the Ohio high school association ruled Walker had exhausted his eligibility, and Mayo bolted to Huntington High (W. Va.). The friendship, though, never suffered. In fact, the two were so tight most people figured their college choice would be a package deal. Instead, they'll be first-round foes in Omaha.
Hey O.J. called it. I was hoping for a 5th seed, but getting a 6th seed was fair so no real complaints from me. Clemson's run in the ACC tournament really hurt our chances for that 5th seed. After letting our draw settle in, I actually think we have a decent road to the championship. K-State will be a tough first-round match-up, but if we get past the 'Cats, we'll play against Wisconsin, a Wazzu-like team that is definitely beatable, and then face a Georgetown team that I think Coach Floyd can out-ugly and pull off the upset. But of course, one game at a time right?
K-State is a interesting 1st round match-up due to (1) the storyline between O.J. and Beasley and Billy Walker and (2) the erratic play of the Wildcats. The 'Cats, much like SC, are a team capable of beating anyone when they're on, but also look incredibly average at times. I think the main difference between the two teams is, the 'Cats fizzled out to the end the season while we hit our stride. I believe Coach Floyd's ability to exploit teams with prominent scorers will be the deciding factor in Thursday's game. If I had to name the keys, it would be to keep B-Easy out of the post and let him shoot outside all he wants, let Walker and Davon cancel each other out, and just suffocate the hell out of K-State's suspect guard play. The worst thing we can do is focus too much attention on Beasley. Think back to the Baylor/K-State game, B-Easy went for 44 and Walker 31, but still lost by 6. How were the guards in that game? The starters combined for 6 points on 1 of 15 shooting.
Finally, I normally don't write much on the Bruins, but the easiest road to the Final Four AGAIN?! That is 3 years in a row now. Might as well pencil in the Bruins in the Final Four. Duke as their #2 seed? Man, that is really funny. Singler is going to have nightmares of K-Love in HS. The only real threat in the West is UConn and UCLA should be able to handle them. Maybe the NCAA Selection Committee was feeling sympathetic towards Coach Wooden? No excuses for the Bruins this year.
