The best three weekends of the year are finally here. This will be our first normal NCAA tournament in over three years. Below I have a sentence or two about every single team in the field to help you master your bracket. Here’s to buzzer beaters, busted brackets, and most of all… madness!!
WEST:
Gonzaga: Despite losing three starters off last year’s squad, not much has changed for the Zags, who are the number one seed overall. They struggled a bit at the beginning but since then Drew Timmie and Chet Holmgren have worked out all the kinks and they are rolling.
Duke: This ranking is the biggest bs and shows how much love Duke receives. They don’t have the resume to be a two seed. Their mostly freshman starting five can put games together, but not consistently, which is what caused their multiple bad losses. Don’t bet on this team to keep it together for multiple games in a row. I am not high on them.
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders play strong defense and are scrappy. If their shooting is off they could get bounced early but they also have the potential to make a long run because of their toughness.
Arkansas: Arkansas has been one of the hottest teams in the country during the last two months. At one point they had won ten in a row. They are led by star player JD Notae.
UConn: UConn is another team that was really rolling at the end of the season. They narrowly lost to Villanova in the Big East tournament. Expect them to be a tough team as well.
Alabama: This seed seems a little high for a team that has struggled down the stretch. Bama is very dependent on their three point shooting. They have one of the strangest resumes, and are not consistent. Don’t trust them to be able to win multiple games in a row.
Michigan State: Tom Izzo is famous for being great in March, and MSU looked a lot better in the Big 10 tournament than they had in February. This is a team that could win a few games or two, but I don’t see them having a super deep run.
Boise State: Boise State just won the Mountain West tournament but would have gotten an at-large bid even if they didn’t because they’ve had a solid season.
Memphis: If you remember, early in the season Memphis looked to be in shambles as Penny Hardaway publicly criticized his team’s selfishness. However, since freshman Emani Bates left the team, Memphis has been on the upswing. Their metrics are actually second best in the country since Bates left.
Davidson: Davidson lost in the finals of the A-10 tournament after blowing a 15 point lead. However, the Richmond team that beat them was red hot and had to win for a bid. Davidson has the potential to win a game or two.
Rutgers/ND: If Rutgers wins, they could definitely pull off the upset. Rutgers is led by Ron Harper Jr., who made the half court heave against Purdue. If Notre Dame wins I would not expect them to win another game.
New Mexico State: New Mexico state has a few players left on the roster who have experience in the NCAA tournament from their 2019 trip. Veteran presence is definitely a factor in the tournament.
Vermont: Vermont is a scary team in this region. They won all of their tournament games by a margin of over 20 points.
Montana State: Montana State shots a lot of threes and quickly.
CSU Fullerton: I have to be honest, I don’t know anything about this team.
Georgia State: I have to be honest, I don’t know anything about this team.
EAST:
Baylor: Baylor is the one seed in the most danger. The Bears have had lots of injuries and they don't look near as good as last season's national championship team. I would not pick Baylor to make the final four.
Kentucky: Kentucky has the best player in the country, Oscar Tshwabe, who is a rebounding machine. Kentucky’s issues have come when they have players out for injury. They should be mostly healthy by the time the tourney starts, and I could see this Kentucky team making the final four.
Purdue: The Boilermakers are a great offensive team, with Jaden Ivey, Zach Edey, and Trevion Williams, but their defense is an issue. They have consistently given up huge numbers putting them in close games. I don’t think Purdue will be able to make the final four with their defense.
UCLA: Does UCLA still have the magic from last season's run to the final four? The Bruins returned everyone, and added a few key freshmen, but were up and down. The combination of Juzang, Jaquez, and Cambell is scary if they are all healthy and this team is a threat to win quite a few games.
St. Mary’s: St. Mary’s knocked off Gonzaga less than a month ago, so they obviously have the talent to keep up with the big guys.
Texas: Chris Beard may have been a great tournament coach at Texas Tech, but this Longhorn’s team is looking rough. They have yet to win more than four games in a row since December. I wouldn’t be surprised if they get knocked out in the first round.
Murray State: Murray State is a really good team and should be a better seed than a 7. They knocked off Memphis earlier this season and John Calapari has already said he hopes they don't face each other in the second round.
North Carolina: Although North Carolina had the huge upset of Duke, they hadn’t been able to beat any other good teams throughout the season. Carolina mainly plays five guys, so even if they get past Marquette, they likely won’t have the gas to sustain a long tournament run.
Marquette: No one expected Marquette to make the tournament in Shaka’s first season, but thanks to an eight game win streak during Big East play, the Golden Eagles are safely in the field. They are led by sophomore guard Justin Lewis who has torched Big East opponents. Marquette has been struggling more recently, but they still have the potential to beat anyone.
San Francisco: The Dons were part of a great West Coast Conference. I haven't watched any of their games so I don’t have much to say about them.
Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech is a team that is hot at the perfect time. They are 10-1 in their last eleven games and just won the ACC tournament to secure a bid. I could see them riding the momentum to the second weekend.
Indiana: IU should not have had to play in Dayton, but they survived and advanced. The Hoosiers have Tracye Jackson Davis, who is a second team All-American. Although they were up and down early in the season, they seem to have gotten it together lately.
Akron: Akron was supposed to lose to Kent State pretty handily in the MAC conference finals but then three Kent State players got suspended for social media posts, and the Zips took the automatic bid from them. I don’t think this team is good enough to pull off an upset.
Yale: I have to be honest, I don’t know anything about this team.
Saint Peter’s: I have to be honest, I don’t know anything about this team.
Norfolk State: I have to be honest, I don’t know anything about this team.
SOUTH:
Arizona: Tommy Lloyd has done a fantastic job in his first season as a head coach. Arizona has been good the entire season and just won the Pac 12 tournament. They have multiple bigs that dominate the paint. I can see the Wildcats making a final four run.
Villanova: This is yet another classic Villanova team that is capable of beating anyone. The Wildcats have been on a tear down the stretch due to their toughness and having the highest free throw shooting percentage in the country. They are led by Collin Gillepsie, who it seems is never going to leave college basketball.
Tennessee: The Vols just won the SEC championship, and are led by their strong defense. They also have one of the best freshmen in the country, Kennedy Chandler.
Illinois: The Illini have been inconsistent, but they have also dealt with a lot of injuries and suspensions. Kofi Cockburn is a first team All-American. I would be careful having them go super far, but Illinois definitely has the potential to make a run.
Houston: Glaring red sirens should surround Houston. Do not let their 5 seed fool you, Houston is not a team that will be going far. Houston lost their two best players to season ending injuries and while this didn’t affect them too much during the regular season (due to the extremely weak AAC), it will have an effect during the tournament.
Colorado State: Colorado State has been consistently strong all season. They have big wins over Creighton and St. Mary’s
Ohio State: Ohio State has been on a freefall the past month. Despite having EJ Lidell, the team has really struggled. I would fade them in the tournament.
TCU: This will be the horned frogs first NCAA tournament appearance in over twenty years. They came up with big wins over Kansas and Texas to secure a tournament spot.
Seton Hall: Seton Hall is another tough Big East team but they have had a recent history of struggling in the tournament.
Loyola Chicago: To me, the Ramblers will always be associated with their magical run to the final four, and then their upset of Illinois last year. They lost Porter Moser, but Drew Valentine has done a fine job stepping into the role and keeping Loyola Chicago right where they were before. They have a chance to win a game or two considering they bring back almost all of their team from last season.
Michigan: The fact that Michiagn got into the field without having to play in a play-in game baffles me. The Wolverines have a high loss volume and although they had a tough schedule, they lost to the good teams. They have the potential to be really good because of the talent on the roster, but have failed to show any signs of that all season, so it’s unlikely they will now.
UAB: UAB won their conference to get the bid, and although they have potential, I don’t think they’re going to be the 12-5 upset.
Chattanooga: I have to be honest, I don’t know anything about this team.
Longwood: I have to be honest, I don’t know anything about this team.
Delaware: I have to be honest, I don’t know anything about this team.
Bryant/ Wright State: If Bryant makes its way into the tournament they are led by one of the leading scorers in the country, Peter Kiss.
MIDWEST:
Kansas: The Jayhawks just won the Big 12 tournament and have been consistently good all season. They are a very solid team and have All-American Ochai Agbaji on the team.
Auburn: Auburn was so fun earlier in the season, but once they hit that number one ranking they started to slide. They have not been consistent over the last month. However, this team has potential since they have Walker Kessler and Jabari Smith.
Wisconsin: The status of Wisconsin in the tournament is going to come down to whether their All -American star Johnny Davis is still injured or not. Without Davis, I would expect Wisconsin to have an early exit, but if he is healthy they could go deep.
Providence: The Friars have been arguably the most fun team all season, thanks to their tendency to win extremely close games. Ed Cooley has a veteran team, which should bid well in the tournament. Even if Providence gets down big in a game, they always fight back
Iowa: Iowa is one of the hottest teams in the tournament, coming off a Big 10 tournament championship. They are led by one of the best shooters in the country Keegan Murray and fifth year senior Jordan Buchanon who can make clutch shots in crunch time. I think Iowa has the players to make a final four run.
LSU: The LSU basketball program is in shambles, which makes it very hard to know what to do with this team. Will Wade was just fired, and it looks like the program will be facing heavy punishments in the near future. I do not know if the players are going to be able to focus with all the outside noise.
USC: USC hasn’t won many games when they’ve had to play good teams.
San Diego State: San Diego State is a good defensive team.
Creighton: Creighton had a great run in the Big East tournament despite losing their star freshman Ryan Nemhart to a season ending injury. They have a relatively young team that is inexperienced in tourney play.
Miami: Miami had some huge wins (over Duke) but also struggled with the weaker ACC teams. This team obviously has potential if they could beat Duke at Cameron Indoor, but they have yet to show consistency.
Iowa State: Iowa State’s turnaround is one of the best storylines in the sport this season. They went from winning three games last year to twenty games and in the tournament. However, their offense is horrible so I would expect their great season to end soon.
Richmond: Richmond was the 6th seed in the A-10 tournament, and came back from two fifteen point deficits to win the auto bid. They could be a scary team if they stay hot.
South Dakota State: SDSU is leading the country in three point shooting, which automatically makes them dangerous. If they’re hot, be careful.
Colgate: I have to be honest, I don’t know anything about this team.
Jacksonville State: I have to be honest, I don’t know anything about this team.
Texas Southern: Texas Southern has won three play-in games in four years, but has yet to have success in the real thing.
My final four picks: Gonzaga, Kentucky, Arizona, and Iowa
National Champion: Arizona Wildcats
Thanks for reading, enjoy the tournament!
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