And thus today ends one of the worst regionals ever constructed by the NCAA Selection Committee, a bracket where the third seed and sixth seeds were blown out of the tournament by a team no one believe should have been picked, where the fourth and fifth seeds bowed out in the first round, where the second seed couldn't put up any points in the second round. It's one thing to have upsets in March Madness, it's quite another to have one regional stacked up with almost all of them.
And one team is poised to take total advantage of their good fortune and head back to the Final Four. Well, at least you'd think they would be.
Ken Pomeroy says ... 4th best offense and 7th best defense. One of the fastest tempos in college basketball. The best shooting team in the country (tops on twos, great on threes). Excellent three point shooting defense and solid two point defense. Great rebounding team, particularly on the defensive boards. Good at keeping teams off the free throw line.
The weaknesses for Kansas are pedestrian free throw shooting and average ball-handling. They turn the ball over a bit and they don't force as many turnovers as expected, although they're good at steals and blocks.
Ken Pomeroy says ... 30th best offense in the nation, 106th best defense, slow tempo (206th). They're great at ball handling and forcing turnovers, as well as forcing teams off the line. Also a good three point and free throw shooting team.
The weaknesses of VCU are ... defense and rebounding. They have one of the worst two point defenses in the country. Poor offensive rebounding squad, worse defensive rebounding team. Also prone to getting shots blocked.
Prediction: This seems like a Kansas victory all the way, although the turnover-prone nature of the Jayhawks could have trouble with the VCU press. But it would be a total shocker if Kansas isn't able to break this press with their ability to move at a quick tempo. Or use their superior size. Or get twenty to thirty more shots. Or not totally shut down the Rams on defense. Or be better than Kansas.
(Then again, we've said that for almost every game VCU has played in this tournament...)
Nevertheless, Jayhawks to the Final Four.