Celtics-Spurs; West Regional

Before I share my thoughts on the West Regional of the NCAA Tournament, I have a few thoughts on last night's gutsy Celtics victory in San Antonio. First off, defeating the Spurs in San Antonio after trailing by as many as 22-points is a statement that this Celtic team is for real. When you add in the fact that Ray Allen did not play due to an injured heel, this definitely goes down in the books as a huge win. How about Sam Cassell? Everyone will be smiling over his important three-pointer in the closing minute that gave Boston the lead for good but what really caught my attention -- what made me become a true believer in the championship aspirations for this team -- was what Cassell did right after the buzzer sounded. If you recall, Tony Parker cut the C's lead to 91-89 with just under five seconds to play. When Kevin Garnett took the ball out of bounds, Rajon Rondo kind of froze in front of KG, waiting for the pass. As Parker picked Rondo up, Rondo continued to stand in front of Garnett, not making any effort to get open. KG didn't call timeout and tried to force a pass to Eddie House that was picked off by Bruce Bowen who advanced the ball to an open Robert "Big Shot Bob" Horry, who missed the potential game winner. As the C's ran off the floor victoriously, Cassell lurched in front of Rondo, admonishing the young point guard for not getting open in such a critical spot. If Rondo follows Cassell's example, not only will the Celtics have a future All-Star point guard, they will be the 2007-2008 NBA World Champions. Now, on to the West... FIRST ROUND 1. UCLA over 16. Mississippi Valley State 8. BYU over 9. Texas A&M 5. Drake over 12. Western Kentucky 4. Connecticut over 13. San Diego 11. Baylor over 6. Oklahoma 3. Xavier over 14. Georgia 10. Arizona over 7. West Virginia 2. Duke over 15. Belmont SECOND ROUND 1. UCLA over 8. BYU 4. Connecticut over 5. Drake 3. Xavier over 11. Baylor 2. Duke over 10. Arizona SWEET SIXTEEN 1. UCLA over 4. Connecticut 2. Duke over 3. Xavier REGIONAL FINAL 1. UCLA over 2. Duke The West gave me a lot of trouble. The odds that we will see the top four seeds in the Sweet Sixteen become slimmer each year as the big powers lose more players early to the NBA and the mid-majors keep players for four years. I went with the top four seeds in the West based on coaching. Coach K and Jim Calhoun have five national championships between them, Ben Howland could be going for his third consecutive championship if it were not for Billy Donovan's Florida Gators and Sean Miller is the next coach in line for a prominent head gig. Best Opening Round Game: Drake and Western Kentucky Best Player You Haven't Heard of Yet: Jeff Adrien, Connecticut Player From a Potential National Champion I Am Most Likely to Meet: Dave McClure, Duke West Regional MVP: Kevin Love, UCLA