As we inch closer to March, Joe Lunardi kicks it in to high gear with more frequent bracketology updates. Friday's update has the Devils remaining an 8 seed, but with a new opponent. The Devils are now set to take on Florida State (17-5). The 'Noles are like a Pendergraph-less version of the Devils. And their version of James Harden, is not nearly as elite a player as Harden. Toney Douglas averages 20.2 points a game, but is the only player who averages double digits. He has scored 20+ in his previous six games and is averaging over 2 steals per game. We have seen what one hot shooting player can do to the Devils (see Washington, Washington State, and Cal), so this isn't an easy matchup for the Devils. Then again, it is March, and there is no such thing as an easy matchup in March. I think the Devils will dig deep and pull out a win in this one.
Round Two. A Heavyweight battle between 2 of the nations premier players. Harden vs Blak Griffen of Oklahoma. Yikes. Griffen has been a BEAST this year. He is averaging 22.1 PPG, 14 RPG, and is shooting 63% from the field. The question comes down to whether Pendergraph can handle him. Pendy has done a great job shutting down big men this year, but he hasn't seen anyone of Griffen's caliber. Last year, Pendergraph struggled against Kevin Love of UCLA, and I would expect the same results against Griffen. I'm going to chalk this one up as a win for the 1 seed Sooners. Until next update, GO DEVILS!