I’m going no where but I’m guaranteed to be late

I’m too tired/lazy/nervous to do a a full blow breakdown of the of the Arizona – Oklahoma State game. So here’s my quickie break down, position by position of the game (via request):

Starting 5:

PG – John Lucas vs. Mustafa Shakur: Lucas is a tough defender, good floor general, and one hell of clutch player. He hit practically every big shot for OSU during their FF run last year. Mustufa, although he has tons of upside, has been inconsistent at best this year. EDGE: OSU

SG – JamesOn Curry vs. Salim (Charles) Stoudamire: As it turns out, Salim is just his middle name, his first name is actually Charles. Anyhow, while Curry has great potential, Chuck is one of the best scores in America, as well as the best 3pt shooter. Curry won’t guard Salim, which should be noted. EDGE: AZ

SF - Daniel Bobik vs. Hassan Adams: Bobik is OSU’s lock down defender, he’ll get the first shot at guarding Stoudamire. Hassan has become the garbage man for AZ this year, filling out the stat sheet and doing whatever’s needed. Both these 2 are absolutely crucial to both teams chances to win. EDGE: Even.

PF – Joey Grahm vs. Ivan Radenovic: While Ivan has become arguably the Cats best rebounder and a very good defender, Grahm is an All-American when he’s on. And even though Grahm has played terrible as of late, he’s still the better player. EDGE: OSU

C - Ivan McFarlin vs. Channing Frye: IMac had a breakout game against Southern Illinois, pouring in 31 points. Channing has had a great Senior year and is a tough match up because of his ability to go inside and pull the defense outside by hitting the 15+ jumper with consistentcy. Frye’s the tougher match up and better player, but IMac could really cause some problems for the U of A. EDGE: AZ

Bench:

Stephen Grahm + Terrence Crawford vs. Chris Rodgers, Jawann McClellan, and Kirk Walters: Stephen is Joey’s brother, and while he’s not as good or skilled or as athletic as his bro, he is still a solid player. Crawford is a versatile reserve wing who ESPN called “the John Franco of college basketball”, if that helps. Chris Rodgers is playing his best basketball of the season as he’s finally bought in to this role. He’s dribbling and forcing shots less and he’s given the Cats a huge boost of the bench on both ends of the court. J-Mac has played great as of late and has give AZ some much needed scoring of the bench. Kirk had a great game against UAB, don’t expect a repeat performance. Kirk will help the Cats out though with rebounding, defense and spelling Channing. While OSU has a solid bench, AZ’s is playing it’s best ball of the season at the right time. When Rodgers and J-Mac come, there’s little to know drop off in play, and Kirk is great at stealing minutes so Ivan and Channing can rest. And while OSU has a good bench, when Lucas is out of the game they’re ball handling struggles. EDGE: AZ

Coaching: Eddie Sutton vs. Lute Olson: Olson has turned in his best coaching job in recent memory and has his team peaking at the right time. Sutton is just as good as a coach and has his players playing with the motivation of getting him his first National Title and the thought that he may retire after this year. EDGE: Even, although Lute is better looking.

X-Factor: Joey Grahm vs. Hassan Adams; Defensive Match ups: If Grahm comes to play, Arizona is in some serious trouble because he’s one of the best player in the Nation. The guess here is Grahm blows up for 20+. Just like Hinrich in ’03, who played poorly leading up to his game against the Cats, I think Grahm will come to play in a big way against the Cats. With Bobik slated to guard Salim, Hassan will have either Curry (6’3, and most likely) or Lucas (5’11) guarding him. Hassan should be able to exploit either match up in the post, forcing OSU to have Bobik guard him, freeing up Salim to be guarded by a smaller player. On defense, if Bobik can slow Salim, and Curry and Lucas can contain Adams, then the U of A will have a very, very tough time winning this game. On the other end, Arizona is most likely to play a 1-3-1 against the Pokes. Despite shooting a national best 42% behind the arc, OSU has struggled with zones this year. If Lucas isn’t hitting, then the Pokes could be done. Both if the Cowboys are hitting then AZ will have to play Man 2 Man, where OSU can utilize there miss-matches.

Prediction: I have none. This is the ultimate pick ‘em game. It should be played in the Final Four or National Title, but thanks to the selection committee it’s in the Sweet 16. Plus there are some many different factors that this game is almost impossible to predict. It should be a great game and frankly I’m ready for it. I’ve nearly killed myself going over every possible scenario and I still may. I’m ready for this game to be played so I can move on with my life.
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Other Random Notes and Thoughts:
- I got my hair cut today and I realized something. Is it possible to do anything but make a bad ass, tough guy face when getting your hair cut? Seriously, I feel like a black man posing for a driver’s license picture every time I get a trim.
- Upon further review, Josh Rouse’s latest album Nashville, while not as good as 1972, is pretty darn good. The big winner (the best song) is definitely Sad Eyes. Just trust me on this.
- I went to the mall today, and I don’t know why. The only places that depress me more are the Plasma Donation Center and Las Vegas Airport’s smoking lounge.
- As much as I’d like to blame it on the Midwest, there’s no good reason why I should get this upset at losing to the Detroit Tigers in extra innings in a regular season game of my MVP Baseball 2005 Dynasty.

Until We Meet Again