NCAA Tournament South Region Interviews
March 17, 2009 – 2:43 am by Jimmy ShapiroAt the start of the year, most pundits thought that the North Carolina Tar Heels, led by senior All-American Tyler Hansbrough, would be cutting down the nets come April. At one point, there was even talk of the ‘Heels navigating a tough non-conference and competitive ACC schedule undefeated. That of course didn’t happen, but here we are, with the tournament set to tip-off this week, and North Carolina is where they want to be, with a #1 seed in the most geographically favorable region. Standing in there way are a tough Oklahoma squad, led by PF Blake Griffin, one of just a handful of guys in the game who can hang with Hansbrough; and a dangerous, but perhaps tired #3 seed in Syracuse, who expended an awful lot of energy in the Big East Tournament. Will they have enough left in the tank to muster a run at a Final Four? Can John Beilein complete the resurrection of the once proud Michigan program with a run like the ones he was able to lead while at West Virginia? Gonzaga, Illinois and Arizona State all are dangerous, and don’t blink an eye if you’re guarding Temple’s Dionte Christmas, perhaps the most dangerous scorer in this bracket that nobody’s really heard about. Odds to win the South Regional can be found after the interviews, compliments of Bodog, www.BodogLife.com.
Reason why #1 seed doesn’t make it to the Final Four: If Ty Lawson isn’t close to a 100%, North Carolina is very beatable. Roy Williams should rest him for at least the first game against Radford.
Best bet in the first round: Butler + 2 1/2 over LSU
Player I’m most looking forward to playing in the NBA: Johnny Flynn. I’m biased as a Syracuse grad, but I think he’s the best point guard in the country. Deceptively strong with a better jumper than most point guards. I hope he stays another year, but I doubt it.
Prediction for this bracket: North Carolina, they’re just too deep. However, if Lawson is still hobbled, I’ll go with Syracuse. Sleeper pick would be Gonzaga.
Listen to North Carolina (#1) Head Coach Roy Williams on The Dan Patrick Show
Listen to Oklahoma (#2) Head Coach Jeff Capel on ESPN Radio with Tirico & Van Pelt
Listen to Syracuse (#3) Head Coach Jim Boeheim on KLAC with Chris Myers and Steve Hartman
Listen to Gonzaga (#4) Head Coach Mark Few on KTAR in Phoenix with Gambo & Ash
Listen to Illinois (#5) Head Coach Bruce Webber on WSCR in Chicago
Listen to Arizona State (#6) Head Coach Herb Sendek on KTAR in Phoenix with Doug & Wolf
Listen to Michigan (#10) Head Coach John Beilein on WTKA in Ann Arbor
Listen to Temple (#11) Head Coach Fran Dunphy on WIP in Philadelphia with Howard Eskin
Listen here to Western Kentucky (#12) Head Coach Ken McDonald on KTAR in Phoenix with Gambo & Ash
Listen here to Akron (#13 South) Head Coach Keith Dambrot on ESPN Radio Cleveland
Listen here to Stephen F. Austin (#14) Head Coach Danny Kaspar on ESPN Radio Syracuse
Listen to Morgan State (#15) Head Coach Todd Bozeman on WNST in Baltimore with Drew Forrester
Listen here to Radford (#16) head coach Brad Greenberg on KJR in Seattle
| Team | Odds |
| #1 North Carolina | 1/3 |
| #2 Oklahoma | 3/1 |
| #3 Syracuse | 4/1 |
| #4 Gonzaga | 9/2 |
| #5 Illinois | 13/1 |
| #6 Arizona State | 14/1 |
| #7 Clemson | 18/1 |
| #8 LSU | 27/1 |
| #9 Butler | 35/1 |
| #10 Michigan | 35/1 |
| #11Temple | 45/1 |
| #12 Western Kentucky | 60/1 |
| #13 Akron | 100/1 |
| #14 Morgan State | 350/1 |
| #15 Radford | 350/1 |
| #16 Stephen F. Austin | 350/1 |
Tags: Arizona State Sun Devils, Blake Griffin, Bruce Webber, Clemson Tigers, Gonzaga Bulldogs, Illinois Fighting Illini, Jeff Capel, Jim Boeheim, Mark Few, North Carolina Tar Heels, Oklahoma Sooners, Roy Williams, Syracuse Orange, Todd Bozeman
