Georgetown gained a clear path to the East Region final. Maryland can smell a Sweet 16 while George Washington may reach the second round.
Traffic will be lighter around town on Thursday. You can get a table at lunch and a seat on the subway. Local fans are calling in sick because the Big Three are in the NCAA Tournament. Take a long weekend with Virginia Tech and Virginia following on Friday.
The selection committee was fair enough to the five regional teams. Georgetown gained the toughest bracket, but the Hoyas can beat North Carolina to reach the Final Four. Maryland gets a backbreaker in the third round versus No. 1 Florida while GW’s recent rise gives the Colonials a shot versus Vanderbilt before exiting. Virginia Tech faces the toughest 12th seed in the tournament: Illinois. Virginia hits the wall in the second round versus Tennessee.
Maryland gained quick relief after two wasted years of watching the selection show. The Terps were given a fourth seed with an easy opener versus Davidson. Oh wait, after stumbling to last-place Miami in the ACC Tournament, Maryland has no freebies.
The Terps were fortunate to draw a No. 4 — meaning they might have been a No. 3 if not falling to Miami. The difference is facing Florida one gameearlier in the Midwest’s third round.
“I know a lot of people felt when we did lose [in the ACC Tournament’s first round] we would fall a bit,” Terps coach Gary Williams said. “But our power rating and schedule; we had some pretty good stuff there to keep the four seed.”
Said D.J. Strawberry: “Just to hear our name called, I’ve been waiting for this since last year at this time.”
Georgetown should have been a No. 1 seed, not a No. 2. They’re definitely better than top seeds Ohio State and Kansas. Keeping the Hoyas regionally at Winston-Salem, N.C. forced Georgetown into the same bracket as North Carolina. The Tar Heels won the ACC Tournament, but Maryland recently showed North Carolina is vulnerable. There’s no reason the Hoyas can’t get to the Final Four.
GW was a surprise late qualifier, which explains their No. 11 seed. The Colonials’ best game upsets Vanderbilt, but No. 3 Washington State in the second round ends the dream.
Who’s this year’s George Mason? Virginia is in the weakest bracket, but reaching Atlanta is a long shot. Then again, no one believed in Mason last year.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
