March Madness Set to Begin
Well, the brackets have officially been set. And March Madness has only just begun. If you listen close you might hear the heavy breathing of NCAA fans across the country pouring themselves over coffee and bracketology articles. The options are limitless–9,223,372,036,854,775,808 of them to be exact. But for now we’re just going to talk about the four number one seeds heading up the pack.
Top among them are the Villanova Wildcats, who went 31-3 this season with a Big East conference championship victory over Creighton. After taking home the crown in 2016, the Wildcats have established themselves as a perennial powerhouse in the NCAA. Head Coach Jay Wright has worked hard to make this squad a viable contender the past few years. This year marks their third straight 30+ win season. The trio of Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, and Kris Jenkins is enough to make us think Villanova will repeat. But their region is stacked with solid contenders, among them Duke, Baylor, and a sleeper team known as SMU. Aside from UCLA’s seven straight championships in the late sixties and early seventies, only two teams have repeated in NCAA history: Florida in ’06 and ’07, and Duke in ’91 and ’92. The way the Wildcats are playing, you can’t rule out a repeat. But many are saying, of all the number one seeds, Villanova has the most treacherous path to the Final Four.
Next up is Gonzaga. And this team is hot right now. Many are saying the title is theirs to win. The Zags are a complete team in the front and back court. They went 32-1 on their way to a conference championship win. But they’re also playing in a mid-major conference with the likes of Saint Mary’s and BYU. That being said, they’re one of the strongest squads in terms of their starting five. Led by Nigel Williams-Goss, the Bulldogs boast some of the strongest statistics offensively. But their path to the Final Four is obstructed by a tough West region composed of five of the top 25 teams in the country, with West Virginia and Notre Dame in the 4 and 5 spots. Chances are, they’ll face one of these teams in the Sweet Sixteen. The road to the Final Four, then, would most likely go through Arizona, whom many are predicting to win the whole dance.
Coming in with the number one spot in the Midwest region are Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks. Led by Frank Mason III and Josh Jackson, this team has remained a consistent powerhouse all season long. They won their thirteenth straight Big 12 title this year, but fell to TCU after Josh Jackson was suspended for the first game of the conference tournament. Nonetheless they managed to hold onto a number one seed in this year’s Big Dance. Now the question is whether or not they will be able to play their way to the Final Four. The Midwest region is stacked to the hilt with solid teams. Louisville, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Purdue, and Iowa State all have the chance to progress to the Elite Eight. Iowa State, specifically, has experience defeating KU in the national tournament and they’ll be looking to do the same thing this year. Here’s the thing: the Midwest region has seven of the top teams in the nation, all of whom finished with nine wins in 10 games. The big problem for KU is that the Midwest is a high scoring region. Kansas went 23-0 in games this season when holding opponents under 80 points. Meanwhile in games in which they gave up 80 or more, they went just 5-4. Whatever happens, we can be sure that the Midwest will play host to some of the most exciting games of the tournament.
Then, in the South region, the North Carolina Tarheels snagged the final number one seed. Many were upset about this decision, claiming other teams were more deserving of the spot; among them the number two seed in the South, Kentucky. While UNC’s half of the region seems rather nonthreatening, it’s the bottom half that’s likely to give them fits. Kentucky, UCLA, and Wichita State all present obstacles for the Tarheels. Despite grabbing the number one seed, they dropped two of their last four games, including a loss to Duke. In the end, I’ve got to go with Kentucky to win the South. If they can make it out of their half of the region, they’ll have survived their toughest tests and demonstrated themselves formidable against any team in the tourney.
The first games start up tomorrow afternoon. Be on the lookout for my official bracket. In the mean time, Happy March Madness folks.
