Last week, the pinnacle of sports returned. March Madness began with 64 teams starting their quest to become NCAA national champions in Basketball. We have officially finished the first two rounds of March Madness, which leaves us with 16 teams left. Here is a very brief description of each team so far.
Duke: In the first round, the Blue Devils were nearly defeated by the 16-seeded Siena University, but after a strong second half, they were able to pull things back together. In their second matchup of the tournament, Duke blew out TCU by 23. Duke is led by projected Naismith Player of the Year, first-year forward Cameron Boozer. Duke plays Saint John’s University on Friday, Mar. 27.
Saint John’s: Saint John’s won their previous matchup against Kansas on a buzzer-beater. After the game, the Red Storm Head Coach Rick Pitino let Duke fans know how badly he wanted the win, saying “I’m hoping we can get Duke at the buzzer next to make up for that Christian Laettner shot.” Pitino is referencing when ex-Duke forward, Christian Laettner, made a buzzer-beater to defeat Kentucky (who was coached by Pitino) in the 1992 tournament. Even though it has been over 30 years, Pitino still has a sour taste in his mouth and wants to beat Duke badly.
Michigan State: MSU may have the most athletic player in the country in their third-year small forward Coen Carr. The team also has Jeremy Fears, a man who has added himself to a long list of great MSU point guards. The Spartans have won both of their previous games without much worry, defeating North Dakota State and Louisville. They will face UConn on Friday, Mar. 27.
Connecticut: This year’s UConn squad has not looked to be the Huskies of the past, only defeating Furman University by 11 in the first round. They stepped up a bit against UCLA with fourth-year forward Alex Karaban scoring 27, however, the squad in general did not look great.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes earned their biggest win in program history after defeating the defending champion and one-seeded Florida in the second round. Led by star fourth-year guard Bennett Stirtz, Iowa will face their Big-10 Rival in Nebraska this Thursday, Mar. 26.
Nebraska: The Cornhuskers are heating up at the right time as they narrowly defeated Vanderbilt in a thriller and obliterated Troy University in the first round. This is Nebraska’s first time ever making it to the Sweet 16 in school history.
Illinois: Illinois won its two tournament games by a combined 56 points and is clearly capable of doing damage in the rest of the tournament. Illinois will play its toughest matchup of the season, Houston, on Thursday, Mar. 26.
Houston: Houston has a two-headed monster in their backcourt with fourth-year guard Emmanuel Sharp and first-year guard Kingston Flemings, both averaging 15 points per game. Their elite second-ranked defense will be challenged by Illinois’ top 20 offense.
Arizona: Arizona has been one of the best teams in the country all year long and is easily the deepest with seven players scoring over eight points–per–game. Arizona is also incredibly young with three of their five starters being first years. Arizona plays Arkansas on Thursday night.
Arkansas: Starting first-year point guard Darius Acuff has emerged as the newest star guard developed under legendary head coach John Calipari, earning SEC Player of the Year honors. His first-year backcourt mate, Meleek Thomas, is also one of the top guards in the tournament. Calipari has the fourth most wins amongst any coach in NCAA Basketball history
Texas: The Longhorns had to fight to officially make the tournament, defeating NC State in a play-in game to make it into the round of 64. Since then, Texas has been on fire, defeating higher-ranked squads in BYU and Gonzaga in the past two rounds. They face another uphill battle against Purdue.
Purdue: Purdue has looked strong all year and even defeated Michigan to win the Big 10 tournament. They are guided by fourth-year point guard Braden Smith, who recently became the NCAA’s all-time leader in assists. Smith struggled against Miami in their last matchup, turning the ball over eight times. If Purdue hopes to win its first-ever national championship, Smith’s play will have to steady out.
Michigan: The Wolverines have been a top team in the country all year with fourth-year forward Yaxel Lendenborg at the forefront. The projected All-American is one of the most efficient players in college, shooting over 50% from the field this season, and the top scorer of Michigan’s top-ten offense.
Alabama: The Tide have been without one of their best players in third-year guard Aden Holloway this tournament due to legal issues. So far, Alabama has been able to keep their heads above water, defeating Hofstra and an injured Texas Tech team thanks to their high-powered offense, scoring 90 points in both outings. The offence will need to stay hot when they face Michigan on Friday.
Tennessee: The Volunteers have stayed alive in the tournament in large thanks to fourth-year guard and Tennessee native Ja’Kobi Gillespie. The Maryland transfer played 38 minutes in the upset against the University of Virginia, along with scoring a combined 50 points over the first two tournament games. UT will face off against Iowa State on Friday.
Iowa State: Iowa State was nearly undefeated at home this season, only losing to Texas Tech at the end of February. Unfortunately for Cyclones fans, this game will be played in Chicago, not Ames. Regardless, ISU is going to need a strong game out of their “sniper,” third-year forward Milan Momcilovic, who is shooting 49.3% from three, especially with their second-leading scorer, fourth-year forward Joshua Jefferson still dealing with a sprained ankle.
