March Madness: Outlook on the tournament

By: Will Aimette

Auburn and John Broome have taken the tournament by storm, making the Elite Eight by beating Creighton and Michigan in their recent games.

(Photo Credit: On3.com)

Reaction to predictions:

Cinderella Run: Utah State (10), Colorado State (12)

Yeah, Utah State was a huge mistake, but Colorado State certainly didn’t let me down. They beat 5-seed Memphis in the first round, then went toe-to-toe with Maryland, one of the best teams in the country. They only lost by one due to a buzzer beater by talented Freshman Derik Queen (No, it’s not a typo. His name is Derik.) However, Utah State got killed, though a better team to choose would have been 10-seed Arkansas. They beat a tough Kansas team and Hunter DIckenson in the first round, then beat fan-favorite St. Johns in a game that busted many people’s brackets, including mine. I’d say this prediction was a success, as Colorado St. was the lowest seed to advance to the 2nd round. Hey, I went 1/2. If I shot that good I basketball, I’d be 50 percent from the field. That’s hall of fame good.

Upset Watch: Yale (13) at texas A+m (4), UC San Diego (12) At Michgan (5)

Texas A+M played the best they have all year. And quite honestly? That’s the only reason they beat Yale. Although Yale got the score down to single digits by the end of the game, it was clear they were losing from the beginning. It simply came down to Texas A+M shooting over 52 percent from the field, and a surprise performance by Pharrell Payne, who had 25 points. To put this into perspective, Payne averages barely over 10. As for UC San Diego, they looked incredible. They definitely gave Michigan a run for it’s money. They had incredible upset potential, Michigan just hung on at the buzzer as UC San Diego missed a game-tying 3 pointer as time expired. I could completely see these games turning out differently if they played again, both the 4 and 5 seeds played better than they have all season and still almost lost.

Power Four: 1- Florida 2- Duke 3- Houston 4- Alabama

I fully agree with this list, even though either Duke or Alabama will not make it as far as Auburn. (They are currently playing each other in a barnburner while I’m writing this). If I had to redo it, yeah, maybe I would put Houston or Duke at number one instead of Florida. But Florida is in the final four, and although their games have been a little too close for comfort, they always pull through in the end. PG Walter Clayton Jr. absolutely carries that team, as without him they wouldn’t be as close to how good they are now. Duke at number two is also extremely solid, as they have looked unstoppable so far in the tournament. Between C Maluach, PG Cooper Flagg, and SG Kon Knueppel, this team is full of future NBA stars. So yeah, I’d say they are justified for the number two spot in the tourney. At third, Houston, who barely pulled away against Purdue. But Purdue was one of the better teams in the tournament, as they looked really good against everybody they have played. As for Houston, they have looked really solid too, beating a very talented Gonzaga team. Alabama as a two seed is still better than Auburn. I don’t care that Auburn made the final four. They had the weakest region I’ve seen in the tournament in a while. The real test we’ll see is when they play in the final four. Although Alabama is losing at the moment to Duke, they scored a whopping 113 points against a good BYU team. Don’t forget, BYU beat 3-seed Wisconsin. Not to mention, they destroyed the record for most threes in a tournament game, making 26 of them. Mark Sears looks like a top 5 player in the country, and the team around him looks just as good as any other supporting cast I’ve seen this year. All four of these teams still have a claim to the best four in the tournament.

Overrated teams: Tennessee (2), Texas A+M (5)

Maybe, just maybe I was wrong with Tennessee. I’ll admit it. They look like one of the best teams in the tournament. Chaz Lanier is going to be a star. He is just SUCH a talented shooter, as he is one of the best pure shooters in the tournament. Tennessee have just been rolling this season, as they beat Kentucky by 13. You don’t see that very day. Tennessee vs. Houston is going to be a fun one to watch. I can’t say the same about Texas A+M, who lost to Michigan. Yeah, they looked great against Yale, but they were a team that were only waiting to lose. While they do ave talent, it was clear all season. So, how did my predictions fare this tournament? They were decent, but just didn’t come together this year like I thought they would.

Outlooks on the tournament:

Biggest surprise team: Arkansas (10)

How the heck is Arkansas this good while losing 14 games this year? I certainly have no clue. They best 7-seed Kansas, then 2-seed St. Johns to advance to the Sweet 16, only losing by 2 to Texas Tech. Reminder: Texas Tech only lost by 5 to 1-seed Florida, as they were winning by as much as 11 with 7 minutes left. Going back to Arkansas, they were comfortably leading all game against St. Johns, handling that game without any trouble. So, how did Arkansas lose 14 games in the regular season and make it this far? No clue, but this team has certainly impressed me with their talent.

Biggest Upset: Mcneese (12) at clemson (5)

McNeese was up by 18 at halftime, and it continued that way until about 8 minutes left in the 2nd half. They only won by two. Now, the game was not as close as you think it was at the end, as Clemson’s comeback was just too little, too late. McNeese played the best game in their programs history. It was a little bit of a fluke, as Clemson was playing horribly, and McNeese got killed the next game against Purdue. But McNeese certainly made their mark. Led by Murray and Shumate, these guys were athletic, turning that game into a highlight reel. It was one of the most fun games to watch all tournament. McNeese just simply played better, between their ferocious defense and carefree offense. (Funny enough, that same offense was the downfall of McNeese against Purdue. Shows how much of a difference-maker good/bad matchups are.) All in all, while there weren’t many great upsets this tournament, this was a fun game and the best upset in the entire tourney.

“I’m not surprised” team: BYU (6)

I had BYU making the sweet 16 in my bracket, only losing to Alabama to just miss the Elite Eight. And that exactly happened. So, why aren’t more people surprised? Because BYU is just a tough team. They aren’t necessarily the most talented, or the most athletic, but they play hard, and don’t quit. They’re the type of team than beat anything thrown at them. Whether it’s full court press, half court, or fast break, they can do it all. They have great shooters like SG Demin and SG Saunders, ranging all the way to bigs like C Keita. So, I’m not exactly shocked that they’re able to beat a fast VCU team and a good half court Wisconsin team, making the Sweet 16.