June 1, 2012

Regional Schedules

Regional Capsules

CBI Regional Picks

With the imminent start of the 2012 NCAA Tournament, it’s time for the CBI Regional Picks.

Gainesville

Phil – Georgia Tech is hot after a great week at the ACC tourney, but not enough to get past the host Gators. Florida

Sean – Wouldn’t be surprised to see Charleston make a little noise, but Florida takes Tech.

Raleigh

Phil – Vanderbilt had a great run in Hoover, but the Wolfpack protects the home turf. NC State

Sean – Love what Tim Corbin and staff have done to turn Vandy around. If necessary will be necessary with Commodores and Wolfpack. Vandy is the pick.

Columbia

Phil – Three state teams descend on Carolina Stadium. Cougars and Tigers will put up a fight, but Gamecocks prevail. South Carolina

Sean – Palmetto State Pride. Need Travis Haney to write a “State of Disunion” on baseball after this Regional. South Carolina slips past Clemson in the end.

Charlottesville

Phil – Oklahoma won the Super Regional in Charlottesville two seasons ago. While the Cavs and Sooners worry about each other, the Mountaineers slide in for the upset. Appalachian State

Sean – Agree with Phil that Appy State has a great chance at taking this one. But I’ll go with Virginia, where Brian O’Connor and staff turned the Cavs’ season around.

Waco

Phil – The Bears are happy to see that Oklahoma is nowhere to be seen. Baylor

Sean – Last year, ORU and DBU battled for the right to play in a Super Regional. They scrap again, but Baylor advances.

Houston

Phil – The Owls will use their arms to control the Razorbacks and Bearkats. Rice

Sean – Really think this is going to be fun to watch between Rice and Arkansas. Guessing we see three games between them, with the Hogs winning the “if.”

Eugene

Phil – Intriguing matchup if Ducks and Titans tangle. Edge to the home team. Oregon

Sean – Another fun pair in Oregon and Fullerton. The Ducks slip into the next round.

Gary

Phil – Wildcats will play with a chip on their shoulder, but Boilermakers keep their season going. Purdue

Sean – Purdue has had a magical run so far. A slight lean on Kentucky leaving Gary, Indiana (Let me say it once again) with a title.

Los Angeles

Phil – Tough opponents, but too much talent for the Bruins. UCLA

Sean – UCLA has a little too much talent here, and moves on to the Supers.

College Station

Phil – The Aggies ride two of the best arms in the nation. Texas A&M

Sean – Always tough on the home team when you see an SEC team as the 3-seed. But A&M defends its turf.

Baton Rouge

Phil – Beavers won’t be intimidated, but Tigers win on home field. LSU

Sean – LSU faces a home-state test in its opener and has to battle Bruins and Beavers. But the Tigers move on.

Coral Gables

Phil – Toughest regional top to bottom. Could make case for each of the four teams. Seawolves have veterans to pull upset. Stony Brook

Sean – Possibly the only regional where any of the four teams really have a shot at winning. Two 1,000-win coaches and two up-and-coming programs. Expect close games and a couple upsets. UCF survives.

Tallahassee

Phil – Seminoles have lost seven of past 10 games, MSU takes advantage. Mississippi State

Sean – I really hate picking against either FSU or MSU. Gut tells me to take the Bulldogs. Maybe it’s just hunger. The slightest of leans to the Seminoles.

Stanford

Phil – Cardinal too much for field. Stanford

Sean – Stanford was a preseason top-five team. Expect the Cardinal to play like one this weekend.

Chapel Hill

Phil – Tough opponents, but Tar Heels comfortable at home. North Carolina

Sean – Red Storm, Big Red and Carolina Blue. Lots of colors and Pirates, too. Who will win, the sage one feels? The hometown team, the Diamond Heels. 

Tucson

Phil – Wildcats take care of business at home. Arizona

Sean – Missouri isn’t a typical 4-seed, and may make things tough, and the Cards will challenge. But Arizona celebrates.

Sean expects the eight to reach Omaha will be Florida, South Carolina, Baylor, Oregon, Texas A&M, LSU, Stanford and North Carolina. He can’t really choose between the Texas A&M and UCLA in the Los Angeles Super Regional, but will stick to his preseason pick of the Aggies to win the national title (he’s taking the winner of A&M/UCLA to win the whole thing). Sean sees Texas A&M defeating Florida for the national championship.

Phil’s CWS octet includes Florida, South Carolina, Baylor, Purdue, UCLA, LSU, Stanford and North Carolina. He believes the Eugene Super Regional will be the tightest, with the Boilermakers edging the Ducks. Phil sees Florida outlasting UCLA for the national title.

Let the games begin!