No. 1 UCLA Vs. No. 16 Mississippi Valley State

If ever there was an opportunity for an upset of a 1st-seeded team by a 16th-seeded one, this might be it. Don't get me wrong, it's not that UCLA isn't a heavily favored team in what could easily turn out to be a lopsided affair, it's just that the mighty Bruins are coming into this one with two top players suffering from injuries. Fantastic freshman Kevin Love is still nursing a troublesome strained back, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has not recovered from the sprain he has on his left ankle. Without the leadership of these two top players there is the slightest of chance that Mississippi Valley State (17-15) can pull an upset against UCLA (31-3). Keep in mind though that UCLA is still favored in this one by over 30 points.

Still, Mississippi Valley State is not void of talent. The Delta Devils are coming off a nine game winning streak that has them in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1996. Among their more talented players is Larry Cox, a 6-foot-10 center who is averaging 12.4 points and 8 rebounds per game. With Love on the mend, Cox might have a chance to play to the Bruins to a stalemate underneath the basket.

Yet conventional wisdom dictates that the Bruins still have too many weapons in their arsenal to make the upset likely, after all, Love and Moute were no better off when the Bruins defeated the Stanford Cardinals this past week for the Pacific-10 Title. In that game, guard Darren Collison stepped it up a notched and scored 28 points against the Cardinals. When on his game, Collison gets great penetration for the Bruins, and could probably score at will against a lesser opponent like the Delta Devils. Love, despite his bad back still had a decent game, and though he lacked his usual shooting touch, he manage to pass and rebound well. Add to those two a lineup that features Josh Shipp and Russell Westbrook, and you have the core of a championship caliber team.

Look for UCLA to easily win this won, though given their injuries, and the fact that they might want to rest players like Love when comfortably ahead, the 30 point spread might be a bit much to overcome.