Going Deep
Looking ahead to March Madness
We see it all the time. A team that is lucky even to be a part of the NCAA Tournament suddenly gains some momentum late in the season and makes a big impact in the brackets, hence messing up everybody’s office pools and turning the postseason into a time of second-guessing.
Rosters, statistics, names on the backs of jerseys and the schools on the front of them are thrown out the window when one game changes everything.
That’s the beauty of March Madness.
One minute you think you’ve spotted the top teams and the next, you’re wondering where the new dominating faces came from.
And there’s no reason to think this year’s tourney, beginning on March 18 and lasting until the championship game on April 7, will be any different. Sixty-five schools will be playing in a single-elimination tournament once again, and guess what? They all think they deserve to be there.
So let the games begin.
Perennial Powerhouses
Tennessee — Head coach Bruce Pearl finally has all of the pieces in place. And they all revolve around Chris Lofton. The senior guard is having a monster year and is showing great maturity in leading a stellar Vols backcourt. The only question mark with them is how they stack up against the top teams. Until their matchup with Memphis on Feb. 23, Tennessee had only played four teams ranked in the top 25.
North Carolina — Tyler Hansbrough really showed me something with the way he stepped up during guard Ty Lawson’s injury. If Hansbrough can display that kind of passion and leadership ability with Lawson sharing the floor with him — no reason why he can’t — then head coach Roy Williams should have enough to make an impact in the brackets (even with backup point guard Bobby Frasor out for the season).
Memphis — In my mind, this is the team to beat this year because Derrick Rose is the best collegiate point guard I’ve seen since Jason Kidd. A lot of people knock Conference USA for not having a wealth of talent, but the Tigers are a good team no matter what league they play in. The good thing about Memphis is they have good size in their backcourt, and they’ve showed the ability to win close games.
Potential Sleepers
Florida — The Gators have been an enigma this season. One day, they’ll show up and beat a premier team convincingly (Vanderbilt), and the next, they don’t even show up against a bad one (LSU). That’s what happens when you have a team of freshmen and sophomores, which is both good and bad come tournament time. While Florida has shown the ability to lose games it shouldn’t, the Gators have also been capable of playing well beyond their talent level — and years. That can be exciting in March.
Louisville – The return of David Padgett has been a huge boost for this relatively young team. The thing about the Cardinals is they have to have their best player outplay anybody else out on the floor if they’re hoping to go deep into the tournament. But Padgett is a nice player, and he can match up against any of the bigs in college basketball.
Possible Disappointments
Duke — Because of their rich history, the Blue Devils always go into March Madness with high expectations, and anything besides a national championship is usually a disappointment. Personally, I don’t trust small teams in the tournament. Duke features a three-guard lineup that relies mostly on outside shooting, and although their shots have been falling during the regular season, they can eventually get cold. That’s when you need big bodies to close the game out for you — the Blue Devils don’t have many.
Georgetown – There were a lot of expectations for the Hoyas’ offense with the way they surged at the end of last season, but they haven’t really lived up to expectations yet. Roy Hibbert is a good prospect center, but Georgetown has let mediocre teams back into ball games way too easily. Earlier this season, Villanova rallied from a 12-point down despite shooting poorly in the second half. That can’t happen if you want to be considered elite.
The beauty of college basketball is the way the league recycles itself every few years. For the last two years, Florida would have definitely been a powerhouse. Now, they’ll be lucky if they get to the Sweet Sixteen (considering they make the tournament).
I can’t wait to see what happens next.
