Alabama will have its hands full with SDSU...

JQ returned to his old form against Maryland.

  The Crimson Tide cruised to wins in the NCAA Tournament. Win #1 did not feature Brandon Miller. 96 points is a lot of points in any game. Scoring 96 points in the NCAA Tournament is dead solid perfect. Win #2 saw Jahvon Quinerly have a spectacular game on offense. Miller knocked down 19 points after being scoreless in game #1. The field of 64 teams doesn't have any weak teams. Alabama has beaten Texas A&M CC and Maryland. Don't diminish the worth of either of those teams. On Friday, the Tide takes on San Diego State. The Aztec Warriors have won 29 games. I don't care which conference they are in. 29 wins is a substantial achievement. Will San Diego State beat Alabama? No, it's not likely, but not impossible. How could the Aztecs beat Alabama?

1. Control the pace of the game. The Aztecs will attempt to slow down the game. They will try to keep the game in the '60s or 70s.   

2. Alabama is looking at them using their physical strength to control the boards. Trying and doing are two different things. Alabama will win the war inside, but the numbers may be manageable.

3. The Aztecs will try to run the Tide's outside downtown game off the three-point line. 

4. Try to get Charles Bediako and Brandon Miller in foul trouble. 

5. They will hope Bama has a stormy shooting night. 

     It is unlikely the Aztecs can sustain all five goals, but they'll give it a good shot. The Aztecs start four seniors and a junior. Alabama is going to start with two freshmen and a sophomore post player. Alabama's freshmen have matured. I'd like to see Noah Clowney have a big game. He could take some of the pressure off of Miller and Quinerly. If Bama shoots well from beyond the arc, they are seemingly unbeatable. If Bama doesn't shoot well, their defense might continue the NCAA winning streak.

PICKNROLL'S FINAL FOUR (as of today)

1. Alabama is my top choice. The Tide has a combination of offense and defense that only one other team has. And that team is 

2. Houston got some good news when Marcus Sasser appeared to be 100% against the hapless Auburn Tigers. One thing to remember is that the Tigers shot many free throws against Houston. If Houston's defense gives Bama that option, the Tide will make enough to win. Bama beat Houston on their home floor earlier this season. The Cougars play Miami next. The Cougars have won 33 games so far this season. 

3. UCONN has had an up-and-down season. The Huskies beat Alabama earlier this season. Bama was a young and inexperienced team at that time. The Tide is no longer inexperienced. The Huskies play Arkansas in the Sweet Sixteen. That should be a great game. A Razorback win would not surprise me, but I'm going with UCONN.

4. Kansas State has a point guard that can do it all. The point guard play might carry KState over Michigan State and then Tennessee. This bracket is now highly competitive. If the officials allow Tennessee to play defense that redefines what fouls are, they will be hard to beat. Tom Izzo is a great coach and a living legend. Can Michigan State escape to play in the Final Four?