Every year when I fill out my brackets and begin the speculation; I fail to remeber several key factors which dictate winners and loser in the tourney.
First: Depth is highly overated and may actually hurt some teams. Teams seem to get tight in the tourney, especially in the sweet sixteen and elite eight. When a bad game against a equally talented team can send you packing, coaches seem to shift from a 9-10 man rotation back to a 7 man rotation or even a 6 man rotation with some teams. We saw it with the cards. They have been playing 10 or so all year, but against Carolina they stuck to 6 or 7. I think this in turn can tire out the 6 or 7 guys who are used to get big breathers. Think about it and watch for it because it happens to several teams each year. Even when Kentucky won the NCAA in 96 and 98 they cut their rotation by a few players in the really big games.
Second: A good point guard and a good big man together can beat anybody at any point. Curry and Lovedale from Davidson and the point guard center duo from San Diego is another great example. We are saw how 3 great players surrounded by role players can carry a team in the tourney.
Third: Hansborough, Douglas- Roberts, Love, Rush- You need an All American to win the big dance. Three of these four are first team and Rush could have been a second or third team guy with a full season.
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