[bears9]

Omaha Neb.- They were the two most hyped freshmen entering this College Basketball season. They were expected to lead their teams two in the NCAA Tournaments and beyond. These guys are USC Freshman Guard O.J. Mayo and Kansas State Freshman Forward Michael Beasley. Now they will face off in the 6-11 Match-up of the Midwest Region in Omaha, Nebraska. But both have had very different roads to the Tourney.

The sixth seeded USC Trojans have had an up and down year finishing 21-11, with high points of the year like beating UCLA, Stanford, Arizona State twice, Oklahoma and close loses to Kansas and Memphis. But they did have awful loses at home to Mercer, and on the road against California. The Trojans beat Arizona State Pac-10 Tournament Quarterfinals, and then lost to UCLA in the Semifinals.

O. J. Mayo has had an up and down year finishing with 20.8 points per game as well as four rebounds and three assists per game. But Mayo has an up and down year. He has struggled against good defenders. Take the first two match-ups with UCLA for examples. In the first match-up when the Trojans won, UCLA Guard Darren Collision was playing hurt and Mayo played a great game scoring twenty points and leading the Trojans to a 72-63 win over the Bruins. But in the second match-up with the Bruins Collision was fully healthy holding Mayo to only four points with the UCLA winning 56-46. The question is how will Mayo hold up in the tourney?

Then there is Michael Beasley and Kansas State. The Wild Cats went 20-11 getting a big win over Kansas. But also lost to George Mason and Nebraska, before losing to Texas A&M in their Big Twelve Tournament Game. Kansas State had the best incoming recruiting class going into the season including star forward Michael Beasley, but no one expected Beasley to do what he did this year.

Those who said a freshman will never win Player of the Year were proved wrong last year when Texas forward Kevin Durant won the award. Durant’s number look puny compared to Beasley’s. Beasley is averaging 26.5 Points per game, along with 12 rebounds. Durant scored 30 points and got 10 rebounds in the same game three times last year. Beasley has done that seven times this year. Yet nobody wants him to get Player of the Year because he is a freshman. Beasley will almost certainly be the first pick the NBA Draft but will he be able to step it up in the NCAA Tourney against fellow freshman superstar O.J. Mayo.

This will be a great game no matter who wins, but I think Kansas State has a great interior presence with Michael Beasley and with the game being played in Omaha, they will basically have a home court advantage. I think Kansas State will win by the closest of margins. Either will be a great game and a showdown of stars.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

. Beasley will almost certainly be the first pick the NBA Draft but will he be able to step it up in the NCAA Tourney against fellow freshman superstar O.J. Mayo.


Is that the common consent on Beasley...first overall?...anyone agree or disagree?

[bears9]

Originally Posted by Gotham Dark Knight

. Beasley will almost certainly be the first pick the NBA Draft but will he be able to step it up in the NCAA Tourney against fellow freshman superstar O.J. Mayo.


Is that the common consent on Beasley...first overall?...anyone agree or disagree?

I agree, but I think you figured that out seeing as I wrote that piece.