After a 1 year hiatus the NCAA Tournament has returned with full avengence. 68 teams enter the ring and only 1 can survive all of the drama. How’s the North going to stack up?
Illinois Illini: Illinois weathered late-season drama without its star player, but now that Ayo Dosunmu has returned, the Big Ten tournament champion Illini possess the talent and depth to handle any team in the field. They survived the murderers row of the BIG10 this season to end up as the #1 seed in the midwest. The emergence of freshman Andre Curbelo, who averaged 15.7 PPG in his last four regular-season games, has truly enhanced this program’s potential. If he keeps up his strong play he could be a huge reason why this team goes far in March. As long as they don’t play down to their competition in the early rounds they have a chance.
Houston Cougars: This is a team that has not only survived adversity but thrived. Caleb Mills, the team’s top scorer last season, transferred after playing in four games. Nate Hinton, the No. 3 scorer from a season ago, turned pro. Fabian White, fourth in scoring in 2019-20, suffered a torn ACL before the season and missed 19 games before returning Feb. 18 against Wichita State. Still, Kelvin Sampson’s team locked up a top-two seed after powering through the American Athletic Conference tournament with just three losses, relying on a hard-nosed brand of basketball from a group that’s a bully when it has to be. This team doesn’t have the guns they had last year but they are still a solid team whatsoever. I just hope that Quentin Grimes continues his hot play, he has had an outstanding season to this point.
West Virginia Mountaineers: Remember the Bob Huggins who used to attack teams with the “Press Virginia” style and make them unravel by halftime? Well, this isn’t that team. This team is known for its offensive production this time instead of its outstanding defense. This season, West Virginia led the league in free throw rate (71% accuracy in Big 12 play) and was second overall in offensive efficiency. Derek Culver and Miles McBride. Not to mention they have a stronger bench than in years past. West Virginia averaged 107 points per 100 possessions with Taz Sherman on the floor and 97 points per 100 possessions without him. If he avoids being in foul trouble they will be tough to beat with his defensive instincts.
Oklahoma State Cowboys: Cade Cunningham is the projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. He’s a freshman phenom with his talents and playmaking abilities. Oklahoma State will enter each game with the most talented player on the floor. Forget everything that happened in the first half of the season. Cunningham and Oklahoma State have played like a top seed and real contender in recent weeks, a run that has included victories over Texas and Texas Tech, a sweep of Oklahoma and two wins over West Virginia (one without Cunningham). They are currently playing with fire especially after they upset Baylor in the BIG12 Tournament. I know they have a megastar in the NCAA but if the right team faces them they are in serious trouble.
Tennessee Volunteers: Earlier this season, Tennessee seemed to have everything a team would want to make a run. The Vols had reliable guard play, length and athleticism in the post and a seasoned coach in Rick Barnes plus talent across the board. Since that 10-1 start (4-1 in SEC play), however, Tennessee has followed its good outings with subpar performances. The Vols went 8-7 in their final 15 games of the year. It’s the up-and-down play, the Vols lost to Alabama in the SEC tournament semifinals on Saturday after surrendering a 15-point lead that makes Tennessee hard to assess. This is one of the most inconsistent teams in the tournament and in some people’s eyes they scream 1st Round Elimination. The unknown status of John Fulkerson (9.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG), who missed Saturday’s game after taking an elbow on Friday from Florida’s Omar Payne, doesn’t help but at least they Keon Johnson realizing his potential.
San Diego State Aztecs: With a win over Utah State in Saturday’s Mountain West tournament title matchup, Brian Dutcher’s squad extended its winning streak to 14 games. His team scored 77 points or more in eight of those games. San Diego State also made 40% of its 3-point attempts in league play and was second only to Utah State in defensive efficiency. A pair of seniors in Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel are carrying the scoring load. Any time a team has a massive win streak going into the tournament they are easily “Public Enemy #1” by their opponents. Considering that they are playing an NCAA tournament experienced team like Syracuse they will need to prove the win streak was only the beginning.
Clemson Tigers: Unlike their neighbors in their football team these guys have had to overcome adversity much more than they really should. When Miami sent the Tigers home in the opening round of the ACC tournament on Wednesday, but the Tigers’ résumé was already solid. Non Conference wins over Purdue, Maryland and Alabama became more valuable as the season evolved. The team’s dream of a tournament run revolves around Aamir Simms, who has made 60.5% of his shots off pick-and-rolls, per Synergy Sports data. They are going to need much more than just one player to get them out of the 1st Round especially against a team like Rutgers. Good luck!
Loyola Chicago Ramblers: Thanks to the Holy Spirit of the Basketball Gods and the high end talent in their lineup Sister Jean is back and possibly better than ever! In 2018, the Ramblers made a run to the Final Four, putting the entire school on the national radar for the first time in almost 60 years. The 2020-21 version is an equally capable sleeper in this field but has even more talent and depth. Cameron Krutwig, a freshman standout on that Final Four team, has played like an All-American after averaging 15.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.2 BPG, 1.1 SPG. The Ramblers boast the most efficient defense in the country and they’ve made 58% of their shots inside the arc better than the team that reached the 2018 Final Four in both categories. To me these guys are going to the Final 4 once again or they are losing to the Yellow Jackets in the 1st Round. Your move Gods!
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: There was a scary moment in Georgia Tech’s 70-66 win over Miami in the ACC tournament on Thursday when Jose Alvarado (15.5 PPG, 4.2 APG, 2.9 SPG, 41% from the 3-point line) fell to the ground with an apparent leg injury. But he returned, and the Yellow Jackets — backed by Alvarado and ACC Player of the Year Moses Wright (18.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG) — extended their winning streak to eight games after rolling all the way through to the ACC tournament title with a victory over Florida State. Josh Pastner’s squad got hot down the stretch and will enter the field as an intriguing team. They have youth and speed in their lineup but against teams like Loyola and Illinois they will need the old guard to produce in bunches.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: This is one thing this school has going for them! Rutgers isn’t on a roller coaster — the Scarlet Knights have been aboard a cruise ship on choppy waters in the open sea all season. The team started 7-1 (including wins over Purdue, Syracuse, Maryland and Illinois). Then the Knights lost five in row before finishing the regular season with an apropos 3-4 tally in their last seven games prior to the Big Ten tournament. A 31.4% clip from the 3-point line won’t help them recover from any deep deficits. But Geo Baker, Ron Harper and Jacob Young are all capable athletes with this squad. I don’t think it’s their year to make noise in the playoffs but this is a development year so that they can be prepared for the future.
Syracuse Orange: Jim Boeheim has spent part of his season trying to avoid going viral for the wrong reasons. But when he wasn’t making comments about Jalen Johnson’s decision to opt out at Duke or questioning a reporter’s basketball knowledge based on his height, he was doing what he usually does in March and leading a Syracuse team to the right side of the bubble. The Orange beat a soaring North Carolina squad on March 1, but they also were swept by Pitt this season. Buddy Boeheim (16.5 PPG) is one of four players on the roster averaging double figures. As previous years show us if there ever is a team that is capable of pulling off unexpected deep playoff runs it’s these guys.
Oregon State Beavers: This is an interesting spot for Oregon State considering the amount of roller coasters this team has been on. At some point, the Beavers have to miss, right? Outside shooting is how the Pac-12 afterthought stole a bid, powering through UCLA, Oregon and Colorado by connecting on 29-of-66 3-point attempts to win the Pac-12 tournament championship. Sometimes it’s dangerous to put too much value on a late-season turn. During the regular season, Oregon State made 33% of its 3-point attempts in league play. It has losses to Washington State, Wyoming and Portland on its résumé. But Wayne Tinkle’s crew is also 6-1 in its last seven games, and maybe they’re just getting hot at the perfect time. This is the kind of team that could shock people with the amount of 3-Balls they drop.
Liberty Flames: Ritchie McKay’s squad is 15-1 in its past 16 games, a strong run for the Atlantic Sun regular-season and tournament champions. The Flames beat South Carolina and Mississippi State this season, and they also led Missouri at halftime in their non conference matchup. They get it done with the 3-ball. The Flames are the only team, per KenPom, that can say it’s top 20 in 3-point attempts percentage and top 10 in accuracy. Well they could push Oklahoma State to the limit if everything goes according to plan.
Morehead State Eagles: Fourth-year coach Preston Spradlin led his team to an 86-71 upset over Belmont in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament title game, extending the momentum the team has acquired. The Eagles have lost just one game since Dec. 21. They’re led by Johni Broome (27 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks in the tournament title game), a 6-10 freshman who has made 64.2% of his shots at the rim. He looks like a stud and should be the only reason of hope for these guys.
Cleveland State Vikings: Dennis Gates, the Horizon League Coach of the Year for the second year in a row, has leaned on Tre Gomillion, the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, to anchor a team that forced turnovers against its Horizon League foes about once every five trips up the floor, while also holding them to a 30% clip from the 3-point line, both top marks in the league. Good story but not good enough for the tournament.
Drexel Dragons: T.J. Bickerstaff, the grandson of former NBA head coach Bernie Bickerstaff and the nephew of Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, is one of four players on this roster averaging double figures. Gotta keep a hand in the Dragons’ faces whenever they’re on the perimeter the CAA champs have made 41 of their 79 3-point attempts during a current four-game winning streak. They made the tournament with the combination of experience and coaching but it was a huge victory for the program.
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 