Madness Round Two!  

More thrilling games in the second round, and another set of surprises. Frankly, this tournament couldn't possibly be any better. We would also like to compliment our friend, The Baron, for correctly picking both upsets in the first round. Our readers are a very savvy lot.

But you're here for the results of what can only be described as Madness (Madness!). So here they are:

The East

1: Ohio St. vs.
5: Maryland

Basketball outcome: Ohio St. decisively.
Football outcome: Ohio St. in a semi-rout.
Overall winner: Bucky rolls on.

Frazier - The Ohio St. balance really showed itself again out there. In basketball, DJ Strawberry and company didn't have the horses to begin to deal with Oden. His defensive presence forced the Terps to take things outside, and when the 3's wouldn't fall, the game was all but over. The football game wasn't a whole lot better. Maryland played tough, and Hollenbach was solid, but he needed to be spectacular to stand a chance in this one. Maryland's defense couldn't keep up with Ohio St. The dual threat of Pittman and Beanie Wells wore down the Terps, and Gonzalez and Ginn simply ran passed them. An easy victory overall.

Walter - Maryland had itself a nice little resurgence on the gridiron under the Fridge this past season, but let's be real.....this is Ohio State. Bottom line is that John Cooper ain't around anymore and under Jim Tressell the Buckeyes eat teams like Maryland for Breakfast. Hey you aren't going to find a bigger Sam Hollenbach fan than me, but Ohio State would just completely outclass the Terps rolling to a major route. On the hardwood it would be a lot closer. Maryland is an ACC hardened team, and Gary Williams is a fiery coach who would have them up for this game. Still, even though the Big 10 is watered down this year and thus, OSU is vastly overrated, they still have the big man in the middle and Mike Conley on the outside. Maryland has enough shooters to keep it close for a while, but Oden and Conley are just way too much.

2: Florida vs.
6: USC

Basketball outcome: Florida rolls.
Football outcome: Florida in an absolute epic.
Overall winner: The Gators sneak through.

Frazier - What can you say about this matchup of the titans? The basketball game was an utterly forgettable affair. The Gators had the experience, talent and coaching to do whatever they wanted out there. However, the football game was everything you could hope for. Both teams displayed incredible speed and talent on both sides of the ball. The difference in the game was the Florida defense, and the Trojans inability to play a complete game. At time is looked like USC couldn't be stopped, throwing the ball all over the field. However, a weak running game made it difficult to sustain drives, and Booty was out of synch for periods. Florida played solid, didn't make mistakes, and consistently moved the ball on both the ground and through the air. USC had a chance to win the game late, but Booty folded under the pressure, and Nelson made a game-clinching pick on a ball heaved into double coverage. It was a disappointing end to a very dramatic game.

Walter - Talk about your legendary second round matchups! Are you kidding me? Well, the basketball game would be a route with Noah, Horford, Brewer and Co. just taking it to the undermanned and underathleted (is that a word?) Trojans. But the football game would be nothing short of spectacular. After USC lost a shocker to UCLA in the regular season finale, the talk was whether we'd have one or two Big 10 teams in Glendale. Well as things turned out no Big 10 teams showed up for the game (sure OSU was on the sideline but come on, we all watched the game), and USC and Florida proved just how big of a sham that conference was. After Bowl week it was clear that the two best teams in the land were Florida and USC (with LSU a clear 3). So what would have happened if they had played. Well the edge has to go to Florida who put up a boat load of points on a similarly talented Buckeye defense while the Trojans ran roughshod over a Michigan D that was overrated and not nearly as fast or athletic as their Gator counterparts would be. Gators-Trojans would feature speed vs. speed. Great athlete vs. great athlete. It would be nothing short of epic and in the end Florida would have pulled it out.

The West:

1: Wisconsin vs.
5: UCLA

Basketball outcome: UCLA, in a slow, ugly contest.
Football outcome: Wisconsin in a slow, ugly contest.
Overall winner: Wisconsin wins in a slow, ugly manner.

Frazier - Ugh. This whole experience was a little soul-sucking. The basketball game featured two good "defensive" teams. In other words, no one could score. As sound as the defenses played, things would have been a lot different if anyone could hit open jumpers. Needless to say, they could not. However, UCLA showed more athleticism, and scored some points in transition. Wisconsin pretty much sat on the ball, and when UCLA opened a small lead, Wisconsin simply ran out of time trying to come back. I'm going to throw up in my mouth. The football game was really no better. Both teams showed good defenses, and an unwillingness to do anything too crazy offensively. The difference in the game was PJ Hill. He kept hammering himself into the line until the Bruins defenders finally buckled late in the contest. He had a monster 32-carry, 113 yard performance. While not exactly sexy numbers, they were the difference in this grueling battle. Now, let's never speak of it again.

Walter - Ugh, come on West you are killing me. The East gives me USC-Florida and now I get UCLA-Wisconsin. Gross. I dislike both basketball teams but the nod for team I dislike least has to go to UCLA. Afflalo and Collison are decent options, but the real edge for the Bruins is that they have more than one player who can actually do anything on the offensive end of the floor. For the Badgers it's the Alando Tucker show. If he ain't hitting, they ain't winning. UCLA prides itself on defense (ugh, snooze fest) and Wisconsin is from the Big 10 (fraud alert) so let's call it UCLA 32-Wisconsin 28. In football it would all depend on which UCLA team showed up. If it was the team that torched USC with ends Bruce Davis and Justin Hickman wreaking havoc, they could give Wisconsin a game. But if it's the evil Bruins who show up, which is far more likely, Wisconsin rolls on superior coaching and talent.

Walter -


6: Texas vs.
7: Oregon

Basketball outcome: Texas in a close game.
Football outcome: Texas wins in a blow out.
Overall winner: The Longhorns win.

Frazier - Youth was served today! Texas has some of the most talented teams in the tournament, but they suffer from lack of experience. Well, against Oregon (not always the most efficient team in either sport) that didn't matter much. Durant led the high flying Longhorns in a thrilling, high-scoring, and generally exciting game. Oregon was streaky, as always, but Texas was able to stay grounded by going to Durant anytime things got tough. Augustine played well, which was crucial, and limited his turnovers. It was fun, sometimes sloppy, but overall enjoyable game by two teams not afraid to throw haymakers. The football game was less interesting. While Texas was the team with all the youth, Oregon is the one that imploded. They got away from simply handing Stewart the ball early, and found themselves in a hole after their defense couldn't do anything to contain Colt McCoy and company. Once they fell behind, they relied on Dixon and the air game more and more, which was fine until a couple of costly turnovers. Texas ended up winning the game easily, and the Ducks fell apart at the seams, as usual. Overall, it was a pair of fun matchups, with lots of offensive, but little maturity and tons of streakiness. Fun to watch maybe, but not especially well played.

Walter - Cinderella's slipper doesn't quite fit. Oregon had a great run through the Pac-10 tourney and can certainly beat any team on any given night. But this Texas team is more than a one man show and they have been steadily improving all season. Oregon has some offensive ability, but they don't guard anyone (sound familiar Mike Belloti?...more on you in a minute) and the last thing you want to do is get caught in a shootout with Kevin Durant. On the football field I think we all know how things would turn out. Assuming Colt McCoy is healthy I have no problem predicting an 80 point Longhorn win. If McCoy is hurt and the backup plays, call it Texas by 40. If the backup can't go and Mack Brown call me to come play under center for him, Oregon might get within three touchdowns. Bottom line is that Oregon is soft and they don't belong on the same field as the Longhorns.