The NCAA tournament instead of being in several different places across the US in years past has gone to a bubble format that will take place in Indianapolis. Thats fair, right? Anyways who are the contenders and pretenders in the East?
Michigan Wolverines: When athletic director Warde Manuel first introduced Juwan Howard as the team’s new head coach in 2019, the former Fab Five star stood at the podium and cried before uttering one word: “Wow.” That’s also how Wolverines fans have felt this season, while watching a team that could capture its first national championship since Glen Rice led the program to a title in 1989. In some words this team is very similar to Fab 5. Talent, depth superstars and solid coaching. With Hunter Dickinson putting together solid numbers during freshman campaign it will be very hard to score on him especially with his defensive potential. They do have a few guys left from the 2018 team that went to the Final. If there’s anything that this school needs it’s for one of their big time programs to win another National Championship.
Alabama Crimson Tide: Tuscaloosa is once again blessed with another great sports team with championship ambitions. Every time I look at this squad I get flashbacks to the 2016 Villanova Wildcats. The emphasis on size, speed, and defense. The emergence of the freshman core, and the near unstoppable locomotive that has been crushing almost everyone in the SEC. John Petty and Herbert Jones are obviously the main cogs in their game plan but they also have a SmallBall scheme off the bench. This is a crew that can play 2 lineups at any time, and those are the ones that are the most dangerous. Let’s hope the experts are right!
Texas Longhorns: Shaka Smart entered the season facing pressure as his search for an NCAA tournament victory during his tenure continues. But when it became clear that Texas would have no trouble earning a spot in the field, the chatter ended. That’s fitting for a program that swept Kansas in the regular season and gained momentum with a 8-2 rally over its last 10 and a Big 12 tournament championship. This team is the definition of SmallBall this season in College Basketball with the amount of talent they have at the guard position. Courtney Ramey, Andrew Jones and Matt Coleman III. Plus 2 glass cleaners in Greg Brown and Kai Jones also putting in stellar seasons. This team in my opinion is similar to the 2017 Tar Heels with the balance despite the SmallBall heavy scheme.
Florida State Seminoles: Last season, Leonard Hamilton led his team to the ACC’s regular-season championship but never had an opportunity to go after his first national title because the NCAA tournament was canceled. This season, he molded the ACC’s most efficient offensive team along with a defense that led the league with a 45% clip inside the arc for opposing teams. The rest of the lineup like Scottie Barnes and MJ Walker as well as a few others are also guys to watch out for. This team is very similar to the one that made the Elite 8 in 2018 but there will always be teams hunting for them at all costs.
Colorado Buffaloes: Before his team faced Oregon State in the Pac-12 tournament final on Saturday, McKinley Wright IV had averaged 21 PPG over his past four games of a six-game Buffaloes winning streak. That run, much like his team’s overall success, has not been a major story in college basketball. This may be an underrated powerhouse but they have plenty of potential despite struggling to beat major opponents in their conference. The good news for them is that they have no weaknesses and those are the teams that can hurt you. I learned my lesson a few years ago with Wisconsin.
BYU Cougars: This is a squad that if they are clicking can stand a chance against the big boys this tournament. For one half in the West Coast Conference title game, BYU showed the world why it will not be a walkover for anyone it plays in the NCAA tournament. Handing Gonzaga its first double-digit halftime deficit of the season — the Cougars led by 12 — created serious doubt about Gonzaga’s ability to preserve its perfect season. It didn’t last, but there is nothing wrong with losing to Gonzaga. They do however have a 7’3 center named Matt Haarms who could be their key to success this March. Lets just say that they are probably going to get flooded or go deep in some cases.
UConn Huskies: The good news for UConn fans it’s that the boys team once again looks like a team poisoned for a deep playoff run. Where is James Bouknight? That’s the question opponents will be asking. If he’s on the floor, this is a different team. When he went down in the Big East tournament against DePaul on Thursday, fears returned, but per coach Dan Hurley, it was just cramps. Overall, the team was 5-1 after Bouknight’s return from an elbow injury entering the Big East tournament. They need consistency and depth to show up especially since their first opponent known as Maryland is known for taking advantage of their mistakes. Prove me wrong boys!
LSU Tigers: These guys love being the Party Crashers of NCAA Hoops don’t they! Arkansas had won nine in a row before suffering a 79-71 loss to LSU in the SEC tournament semifinals Saturday. The Tigers used the same formula that makes them a threat to advance to the second weekend. Cam Thomas scored 21 points — his 20th game with 20 or more points this season — and his team forced 16 turnovers, a sign of an improving defense. Anytime a team has all of the pieces lining up for them come playoff time they can be a tough out. LSU is no exception or so we think.
St Bonaventure Bonnies: We have a Cinderella Watch Ladies and Gentlemen! Mark Schmidt’s Atlantic 10 title-winning squad had the most efficient offense (38% clip from the 3-point line) and the most efficient defense (45% inside the arc allowed) in Atlantic 10 play. He also has two of America’s best players. When Kyle Lofton and Osun Osunniyi have been on the floor together this season, the Bonnies have made 40% of their 3-point attempts versus 34% without them. I would say they have a chance of proving people wrong but yet again their first test is one of the hottest teams in the NCAA. YUCK!
Maryland Terrapins: I wish I can be confident in the Terps but there are more questions than answers at this point. While its résumé is bolstered by road wins over Illinois and Wisconsin, its convincing performances were minimal. Beyond those two gems, Maryland largely beat the teams it had to beat to get into the field, but the Terps also finished 11th in offensive efficiency in league play on KenPom. They got swept by Penn State and lost to Northwestern. Aaron Wiggins and Eric Ayala, however, might excel once they face teams outside the strongest conference in America. Unless they get it together it could be an early exit. Prove me wrong Terps, you’ve done it before now do it again!
Michigan State Spartans: The once hunter now has become the hunted. They may not be as strong as previous MSU teams but they know how to win. In fact the last time the Spartans missed the NCAA tournament, Tom Izzo was 42 years old and in his second season as Michigan State head coach. Morris Peterson and Mateen Cleaves were both freshmen. This was 1997, three years before Michigan State’s most recent — and the Big Ten’s last — national title run in 2000. It seemed as if Michigan State could be left out of the tournament with a team anchored more by blue-collar players such as Joey Hauser and Aaron Henry than the program’s many first-round prospects of the past. But we all know that these guys play at their best when they are the underdogs. (A potential 2012 Ravens story coming if they succeed.)
UCLA Bruins: Things seemed dire when Chris Smith suffered a torn ACL on New Year’s Eve. But Mick Cronin’s club won six a row, displaying resilience and depth after losing a critical player. Unlike last season, when the Bruins finished 11-3 in their final 14 games, the magic didn’t last. A UCLA squad that started 8-0 in Pac-12 play finished 13-6 before losing to Oregon State in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament. But the Bruins led the Pac-12 with a 39% clip from the 3-point line in league play. And Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang has given UCLA a boost. Like Michigan State this is another team that usually thrives in the playoffs, let’s hope so.
Georgetown Hoyas: We have another Cinderella Story brewing in the factory don’t we! When “Big” John Thompson, the legendary Georgetown coach, died in August, Patrick Ewing — who won a national title with his Hoyas in 1984 reflected on “someone who I consider to be a father figure.” Ewing didn’t need a conversation with a search firm when he had an opportunity to leave the NBA and return to his alma mater. He just answered the phone. Thompson told his former pupil to take the job. To watch Ewing and his team celebrate a remarkable Big East tournament championship run on Saturday — the Hoyas were an 8-seed with no at-large hopes after finishing 9-12 in the regular season — was a special moment. The Hoyas beat Villanova and Creighton during their four-game trek to the conference tournament crown. We’ll see if Jahvon Blair , Dante Harris and their teammates can keep the magic going. Either way, this is one of the best stories in the NCAA tournament. The real question for the Hoyas is can they keep the magic going? I hope so!
UNC Greensboro Spartans: To pull off an upset, you need a player who can rise to close the talent gap higher seeds often enjoy. Meet Isaiah Miller. The Spartans are 5-3 when Miller scores 24 points or more this season. The guard is a real talent. Miller is also an anchor for a Spartans squad that forced turnovers on more than one-fifth of its opponents’ possessions in Southern Conference action. I know they have that 1 star player but against FSU it will be very tough for them to win.
Abilene Christian Wildcats: Just seven years into its return to the Division I ranks, the Wildcats beat Nicholls State 79-45 to win a Southland Conference title and reach the NCAA tournament Saturday. Doesn’t matter who they play, Joe Golding’s crew won’t back down. The Wildcats made 61% of their shots inside the arc in a 13-point loss to Arkansas and forced 16 turnovers in a seven-point loss to Texas Tech earlier this season. They’ve led the nation with a Press Virginia-like turnover rate: ACU opponents have committed turnovers 27 times for every 100 trips up the floor. The Wildcats have 7-footer Kolton Kohl in the paint and made 38% of their 3-pointers in league play. First-round upset potential? Do you really see these guys beating Texas!? I don’t think so.
Iona Gaels: If you had “Rick Pitino returns to the NCAA tournament” as a storyline entering the season, you should probably buy a lottery ticket. In a season that can’t be compared to any other, the former Louisville and Kentucky coach led Iona to a MAAC crown with a 60-51 win over Fairfield on Saturday. Few teams were hit by the COVID-19 challenges that Iona which ended its regular season early last month endured. But Isaiah Ross is the cornerstone of an Iona team that led the league in offensive efficiency despite also leading the conference in offensive turnover rate. Pitino joins Lon Kruger and Tubby Smith as the only three coaches to lead five different programs to the NCAA tournament. The thing with Pitino is that he always does more with less, and this year is no different.
Mount St Mary’s Mountaineers: The Mountaineers’ best chance to pull off an upset? Protecting the rim the way they did throughout the season. Opponents made just 39.7% of their shots when the Mount played man, per Synergy Sports data. And anything seems possible with star Damian Chong Qui whose mother was murdered when he was 4 years old and whose father was paralyzed in a shooting, on the floor. His talent and perseverance carried this team to the Northeast Conference tournament title. Do you really see these guys winning not only the play-in game but beating the 2nd Coming of the Fab 5? N.O.!
Texas Southern Tigers: Johnny Jones has lived a few lives in his coaching career. He has had the awkward experience of an interim role at Memphis, success at North Texas, the feeling of falling short of expectations with Ben Simmons on his roster at LSU and fresh excitement at Texas Southern, which has lost just one of its past 15 games. Seven of those victories include double-digit margins for the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament champion. Michael Weathers is a 6-3 guard who finished with 13 points in a non-conference loss to Oklahoma State, his former school. Well that’s the only thing these guys can cheer about.
The NCAA Tournament has returned and the games will be epic and more insane than ever! Lets see the Bracket! (See West Doc)
Bragging Rights Sports 