Selection Sunday has passed. The field is set. The bracket has been revealed. For the next three weekends, 64 teams will vie for the NCAA basketball championship. Here is a preview of the men’s bracket.
What We Know
The #1 Seeds: Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida are atop the bracket, with the Tigers nabbing the top overall seed. All four are the top four odds-on favorites to win the title, but championships aren’t won on sportsbook apps.
The Field
Record conference dominance. Conference realignment has shifted the makeup of college sports all across the board. One of the main ways it has affected college basketball is in the fact there are more cross-country matchups within conferences. Another is that the bigger conferences have a chance to have more teams in the field than ever before. One year in to this new alignment and the SEC is already reaping benefits. The conference has a record 14 teams in the field, with Auburn and Florida headlining as #1 seeds
No 3-peat? UConn has won the previous two championships, the first team since 2006-07 Florida. But comparatively, they’ve had a disc season. Of course, losing four players, including two freshmen, to turning pro leaves some semblance of a void in talent. Yet UConn still managed to make the field as an #8 seed. They have a potential second round date with—oddly enough—with Florida, and Huskies head coach Dan Hurley certainly believes his team can pull off the upset. We will see just how close icon can come to winning a third-straight title.
Underappreciated Players To Watch
Derik Queen, Maryland. Queen is a post player with a bevy of skills. To only be a teenager, his footwork (I day “feetwork” like Shaq) is polished both close to and away from the basket. Queen is averaging nearly 17 points a game with 9 rebounds. Maryland could see Memphis in the second round, and possibly either UConn or Florida to start the Sweet Sixteen.
D.J. Wagner, Arkansas. If you are a basketball fan of a certain age, you will recognize the name and face of D.J. Wagner. Son of former Memphis Tiger and former #4 overall pick Dajuan Wagner—who was also coached there by John Calipari—Wagner followed the coach from Kentucky to Arkansas for his sophomore season. The 6’4” guard has all the markings of a future pro and could be a tough matchup for 7-seeded Kansas to open the round of 64. The Razorbacks could be one of the double-digit seeds to win a game this year.
Kam Jones, Marquette. Marquette seems to always keep quality upperclassmen guards. From Dwyane Wade to Jimmy Butler, there have been players in the backcourt that oka6y sound, impactful basketball. Kam Jones fits that mold. The 6’5” senior leads the Golden Eagles with 19.3 points per game on 48% shooting. He also dishes out 6 assists a game with a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Jones will take care of the ball and apply pressure as a scorer, and could be a tough matchup for New Mexico in the first round and potentially Michigan State afterward. It would be interesting to see the senior Jones against the freshman Jase Richardson as two talented guards on opposite portions of their collegiate journeys.
“Predictions”
The Men’s Tournament is a little more unpredictable than the women’s bracket, but the trends are generally similar. The upsets happen in the first weekend, but eventually, the higher seeds win out and the bracket leans closer to chalk when we reach the second and third weekend. In the lone bracket I filled out, I picked the Houston Cougars to win it all. Senior experience, tenacity and heady guard play will push Kelvin Sampson’s team to cut down the nets this year.
No matter what happens over the next three weeks, here’s to an exciting Tournament filled with dreams, intrigue and all the Madness of March.
