Psst, hey you…over there. You’re a college basketball fan? No way! Me too! I can’t believe what’s happened so far. Can you believe North Carolina lost to Belmont AND UAB? How about that those same Tar Heels beat top ranked Michigan State? The biggest surprise has to be Villanova knocking off Kansas and Iowa within 24 hours. Wait, no! It has to be the Massachusetts Minutemen being ranked for the first time since 1998! So many things have happened.
Now that the start of the NCAA basketball season is a month removed, it’s time to take a look at what has happened so far. I am also going to make some predictions, with absolute certainty, what is going to happen in the months ahead.
In this three-part series, I will examine the teams I feel are “obvious” to go deep in March and break down why that is so apparent. I will also take a look at the big name teams that will likely face some trouble in their time leading up to March. And finally, I will break down the small teams to watch, as well as teams that could very well be bracket busters when the madness begins.
Today though, I am going to look at the teams that we will likely see in Arlington when the Final Four gets underway. These are the teams that, when they are named, you instantly think, “ oh yeah, they’re good.”
Ohio State:
The Ohio State Buckeyes are my pick to come out of the overly stacked Big 10 conference this season. With a very impressive win over then ranked Marquette, the Buckeyes haven’t had a real close game yet. Conference play won’t get underway until January 4 when they host Nebraska but you can bet there will be some much tighter games. In a conference that is home to Michigan State, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa, just to name the teams that are currently ranked, Ohio State has its hands full.
I know what some of you might be thinking, “Liam, are you crazy? Michigan State is the top ranked team in the country and they will certainly come out of the Big 10.” False. Michigan State is riddled with injuries; I’ll touch on that in Part Two.
The Buckeyes have an outstanding roster that is highlighted by Aaron Craft; the player that you could swear has been there for 10 years. Second on the team in points per game with 11.1, Craft leads by example and is involved in nearly every play.
Ohio State is deep on the bench, with nine of the teams 10 players averaging over 13-minutes a game. This will become vital when conference play gets underway and in the middle of March. They will need to improve their free throw shooting, currently only 65 percent as a team. Still, the Buckeyes are the team to beat come March.
Arizona
The Arizona Wildcats have some impressive victories this season, including one over Duke at the NIT Preseason Tip-Off, which for me as a Blue Devils fan, still stings.
The Wildcats have four outstanding interior players that contribute in all aspects of the game. Aaron Gordon is almost averaging a double-double in points and rebounds; Brandon Ashley and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson are dominant on the glass and Kaleb Tarczewski leads the team in blocks. As an added bonus, or curse depending how you look at it, Jefferson and Gordon are freshmen.
Arizona has the potential to be extremely deep on the bench, too. The Wildcats have already had 15 players suit up and see action. With that said, they only use seven of those players regularly; the other 8 players have only combined for 13 field goals and 145 minutes of game time in the teams eight games.
Arizona should be the new top ranked team on Monday as Michigan State lost to North Carolina. They should also come out of Pac-12 conference play relatively unscathed. The team’s toughest challenge will be the next week as they play three tough teams. If they dominate like they should, look for them to be a force to be reckoned with come March
Connecticut
The Connecticut Huskies are one of those teams that are really fun to watch. After many close wins to start the season, they currently sit ranked #12. They likely won’t move up on Monday as everyone ahead of them won as well and I don’t see the Spartans falling 13 spots.
The Huskies have one of them best players in college basketball in Shabazz Napier. The senior point guard is averaging over 16 PPG, 60 percent three-point shooting and just over 50 percent field goal shooting. In other words, he is shooting the lights out. Already on everyone’s radar for national player of the year, he will be the catalyst that carries this team.
With a strong supporting cast – including Amida Brimah who is averaging 3.1 blocks a game, wow! – this team has the potential to make big moves up the rankings. The problem is, like many of the teams ahead of them on those rankings, they have a very tough schedule. With the likes of Louisville, Memphis, and South Florida twice each, as well as Central Florida, Cincinnati and Harvard, expect a few loses along the way. With that said, Napier has the potential to carry them through it all.
There are plenty of teams that could overtake, outplay, and downright beat the teams I listed above. All of the teams play very good schools throughout the season, as well as the teams that can have one really good night. Like everyone who analyzes a season only one month into it, I expect these predictions to be 100 percent accurate.
Look for part two of the series to read about the big name schools I believe could face some very tough times this season.
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Main Photo Credit: Neontommy.com, CC
