March Madness is here.
Football is over and will hibernate until the fall. Baseball is in spring training and isn't quite yet in full swing. However, college basketball has been going at it for months now and it's grand conclusion is just about here. Cinderella has dusted off her glass slippers and is ready to go dancing.
Since middle school I eagerly await the start of March each year. March not only means the start of spring, but that March Madness is just around the corner. Every year I fill out more brackets than I can remember with so many possibilities at my fingertips. Every year I usually have some favorites, but this year is a different story.
This is a particularly interesting year. There is no standout favorite. Last years Goliath, Kentucky, is long gone. Duke isn't quite Duke, UNC is nowhere to be found, and not one program convinces anyone that they can be the last team standing.
With such a wide open field does that mean that there could or will be more Cinderella teams? How many VCUs, George Masons, and Butlers will we see?
Even the number one seeds aren't convincing. Louisville has been a quality team this year but have lost to lesser sides Villanova and Notre Dame. Kansas has damaging losses to TCU, Baylor, and Oklahoma. Indiana may have Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo, but they weren't enough to keep them from losing to the likes of Illinois and Minnesota. And Gonzaga has been questioned every step of the way this season because of their weak schedule.
Well, here are a few of my thoughts on potential duds, upsets, Cinderellas, Final Four candidates, and title contenders:
Football is over and will hibernate until the fall. Baseball is in spring training and isn't quite yet in full swing. However, college basketball has been going at it for months now and it's grand conclusion is just about here. Cinderella has dusted off her glass slippers and is ready to go dancing.
Since middle school I eagerly await the start of March each year. March not only means the start of spring, but that March Madness is just around the corner. Every year I fill out more brackets than I can remember with so many possibilities at my fingertips. Every year I usually have some favorites, but this year is a different story.
This is a particularly interesting year. There is no standout favorite. Last years Goliath, Kentucky, is long gone. Duke isn't quite Duke, UNC is nowhere to be found, and not one program convinces anyone that they can be the last team standing.
With such a wide open field does that mean that there could or will be more Cinderella teams? How many VCUs, George Masons, and Butlers will we see?
Even the number one seeds aren't convincing. Louisville has been a quality team this year but have lost to lesser sides Villanova and Notre Dame. Kansas has damaging losses to TCU, Baylor, and Oklahoma. Indiana may have Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo, but they weren't enough to keep them from losing to the likes of Illinois and Minnesota. And Gonzaga has been questioned every step of the way this season because of their weak schedule.
Well, here are a few of my thoughts on potential duds, upsets, Cinderellas, Final Four candidates, and title contenders:
Oregon (12 Seed)
Oregon University has the potential to do some damage. They, along with the rest of the Pac-12 teams in the NCAA tournament, were under-seeded. E.J. Singler and Arsalan Kazemi are strong players that, along with their team, are underrated. I like them a lot against Oklahoma in the first (technically second) round and could see them defeat a (what I think to be a hyped-up) St. Louis team. After that will mostly be Louisville in the Regional Finals, and who knows where Oregon could end up.
STATUS: Upset team verging on Cinderella.
Oregon University has the potential to do some damage. They, along with the rest of the Pac-12 teams in the NCAA tournament, were under-seeded. E.J. Singler and Arsalan Kazemi are strong players that, along with their team, are underrated. I like them a lot against Oklahoma in the first (technically second) round and could see them defeat a (what I think to be a hyped-up) St. Louis team. After that will mostly be Louisville in the Regional Finals, and who knows where Oregon could end up.
STATUS: Upset team verging on Cinderella.
Wisconsin (5 Seed)
The University of Wisconsin is an interesting team. They beat Indiana twice, once in the regular season and again in the Big 10 tournament. They pulled off the same feat against Michigan. And, the Badgers had a convincing 71-49 win over Ohio State Feb. 17. So basically they can play with the big dogs. Ben Brust, Mike Bruesewitz, and Jared Berggren are impressive players who have had some big moemnts this season (ex. - Ben Brust's buzzer-beating half court shot against Michigan in February to force overtime). I tend to favor teams who have had memorable moments; championship, or simply successful, teams have some remarkable moments that come to define who they are an the caliber of team they are. Plus, the seeds ahead of them in their region are Gonzaga, Ohio State, New Mexico, and Kansas State: the only real threat, Ohio State, has trouble against the Badgers.
STATUS: Upset verging on Final Four candidate.
The University of Wisconsin is an interesting team. They beat Indiana twice, once in the regular season and again in the Big 10 tournament. They pulled off the same feat against Michigan. And, the Badgers had a convincing 71-49 win over Ohio State Feb. 17. So basically they can play with the big dogs. Ben Brust, Mike Bruesewitz, and Jared Berggren are impressive players who have had some big moemnts this season (ex. - Ben Brust's buzzer-beating half court shot against Michigan in February to force overtime). I tend to favor teams who have had memorable moments; championship, or simply successful, teams have some remarkable moments that come to define who they are an the caliber of team they are. Plus, the seeds ahead of them in their region are Gonzaga, Ohio State, New Mexico, and Kansas State: the only real threat, Ohio State, has trouble against the Badgers.
STATUS: Upset verging on Final Four candidate.
Duke (2 Seed)
Duke has been on the disappointing side this season. They did go 27-5 and had the hardest schedule in NCAA Men's Division I basketball this year, but they seem to lack conviction or that killer championship instinct. The Blue Devils are impressive with Forward Ryan Kelly, but there's just something about them.
STATUS: Dud.
Duke has been on the disappointing side this season. They did go 27-5 and had the hardest schedule in NCAA Men's Division I basketball this year, but they seem to lack conviction or that killer championship instinct. The Blue Devils are impressive with Forward Ryan Kelly, but there's just something about them.
STATUS: Dud.
Georgetown (2 Seed)
I simply don't trust the Georgetown Hoyas. They came onto the contender scene late into the year, lost to Syracuse (another team I don't trust) in the Big East tournament, and have had some other disappointing losses to Marquette, South Florida, and Pittsburgh. I also don't think too highly of Big East teams when it comes to March Madness.
STATUS: Dud.
I simply don't trust the Georgetown Hoyas. They came onto the contender scene late into the year, lost to Syracuse (another team I don't trust) in the Big East tournament, and have had some other disappointing losses to Marquette, South Florida, and Pittsburgh. I also don't think too highly of Big East teams when it comes to March Madness.
STATUS: Dud.
Miami (2 Seed)
Miami outright won both the ACC regular season conference and the ACC tournament. The only teams to have ever done that previously are Duke and North Carolina. The last two times this occurred, those Duke and North Carolina teams went on to make it to at least the Final Four. Plus, Shane Larkin has been very impressive and all championship teams have that one special player.
STATUS: Final Four candidate verging on Title Contender.
Miami outright won both the ACC regular season conference and the ACC tournament. The only teams to have ever done that previously are Duke and North Carolina. The last two times this occurred, those Duke and North Carolina teams went on to make it to at least the Final Four. Plus, Shane Larkin has been very impressive and all championship teams have that one special player.
STATUS: Final Four candidate verging on Title Contender.
Louisville (1 Seed)
Louisville, the number one overall seed in this years tournament. Like I said above, I have a tough time trusting Big East teams in the NCAA tournament. In recent years they have greatly underperformed. However, this Louisville team is intriguing. With coach Rick Pitino and key players Peyton Siva, Russ Smith, and Gorgui Dieng, the Cardinals look menacing. Plus in a year that is wide open with no clear-cut favorite Louisville has the potential to win it all.
STATUS: Final Four candidate/ Title Contender.
Louisville, the number one overall seed in this years tournament. Like I said above, I have a tough time trusting Big East teams in the NCAA tournament. In recent years they have greatly underperformed. However, this Louisville team is intriguing. With coach Rick Pitino and key players Peyton Siva, Russ Smith, and Gorgui Dieng, the Cardinals look menacing. Plus in a year that is wide open with no clear-cut favorite Louisville has the potential to win it all.
STATUS: Final Four candidate/ Title Contender.
Indiana (1 Seed)
Ah the Indiana Hoosiers. They were voted the number one team in the country during preseason. They still are a top four team with their number one seed, but they have had some unsettling moments this year. For example, they had lost to Butler, Illinois, and Minnesota this year. Are you kidding me? That loss to Illinois was the Fighting Illini's first CONFERENCE WIN of the season. Indiana only finished with 6 losses and have an impressive starting squad in Cody Zeller, Victor Oladipo, Christian Watford, Will Sheehey, and Jordan Hulls. However, those few losses to significantly weaker sides are unnerving. They have the talent, but one slip-up costs them a championship.
STATUS: Final Four candidate verging on Title Contender(?) verging on Dud - Honestly, who knows where they'll end up.
Ah the Indiana Hoosiers. They were voted the number one team in the country during preseason. They still are a top four team with their number one seed, but they have had some unsettling moments this year. For example, they had lost to Butler, Illinois, and Minnesota this year. Are you kidding me? That loss to Illinois was the Fighting Illini's first CONFERENCE WIN of the season. Indiana only finished with 6 losses and have an impressive starting squad in Cody Zeller, Victor Oladipo, Christian Watford, Will Sheehey, and Jordan Hulls. However, those few losses to significantly weaker sides are unnerving. They have the talent, but one slip-up costs them a championship.
STATUS: Final Four candidate verging on Title Contender(?) verging on Dud - Honestly, who knows where they'll end up.