Texas Tech improved offense
The Red Raiders are known as a defensive team, in fact they have the highest defensive efficiency rating in the country. Over the course of the year they have struggled to score offensively ranking 194th in country in PPG at 71.4, but over their past 4 games they are averaging 77.7 PPG while shooting 42.8 percent from 3. The Red Raiders seem to bet hitting their stride offensively at the perfect time as tournament time approaches. Tech also has found another scorer down the stretch in Davide Moretti, who has scored in double figures in every Big 12 game but 2.
Duke winning in a variety of ways
The Duke Blue Devils reclaimed the number 1 spot in the country this week as the Tennessee Volunteers lost to Kentucky. When Duke is on its “A” game they are the best team in the country, with that being said the Blue Devils have won games in a multitude of ways. Last Tuesday they trailed Louisville by 23 points with 10 minutes left and they came back and won. In January they played two of the toughest defensive teams in the country in Virginia and Georgia Tech and won both games and didn’t score over 75 points. Whenever the Blue Devils show up to an arena, they will get that teams best and so far, this season they have responded well to every challenge thrown at them. Expect Duke to be still playing in late March and early April.
Kentucky Wildcats are back
John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats started of the season very rocky and unexpected, they got blown out by Duke in Madison Square Garden in their first game of the year. Kentucky gets 3-5 McDonald’s All-Americans or 5-star recruits every year, sometimes they don’t pan out, or it takes them awhile to buy into John Calipari system. It takes time for 5-star players to put their egos to the side and build chemistry. Since January 5th the Wildcats are 11-1 and just blew out the number 1 ranked team in the country in the Tennessee Volunteers. It’s safe to say Calipari and this Kentucky team are rolling and will be a tough out during tournament time. The Wildcats have finally found their identity and could potentially be a 1 seed heading into March.
LSU looks legit
LSU has had its ups and downs over the past few years, they even had the number 1 overall draft pick in Ben Simmons and failed to be selected to the NCAA tournament. Well those days are over, Will Wade in his 2nd year as head coach has revitalized this program. Over his past two recruiting classes he has signed 5 top players all of which were in the top 60 of their respective classes. The Tiger are currently tied at the top of the SEC with an 11-1 record. What makes this LSU team so dangerous is that they are not afraid of the moment and how they attack the offensive glass, the Tigers are tied for 6th in the country in offensive rebounds per game at 11.9. Will Wade will have this young Tiger team ready to play and compete during tournament time. This LSU team is young but they are talented and fearless, they just had a season defining win in Lexington against Kentucky. I predict LSU will be a sweet sixteen team with the potential to advance even further if they continue to plat at a high level.
Mid-Majors have gotten better
Last year’s March Madness was arguably the craziest we have ever seen, we saw the number 1 overall seed Virginia fall to a sixteen seed which was the first time to happen in tournament history. With that being said the Mid-Majors this year have gotten better for example Murray State has a potential top 3 pick on their team in Ja Morant. Also, look at team like Buffalo last year in the tournament they beat Arizona with DeAndre Ayton, this season they beat Syracuse and they already have 22 wins. The Colonial Athletic and Summit conferences both have the 3rd and 5th leading scorer in the country. The tournament is always filled with crazy upsets every year, but I think this year’s mid-majors will increase the parity of the tournament. Don’t be surprised if one of your final 4 picks has an early round exit.
Big Ten Struggles
The college basketball regular season is almost over and if you had to pick right now who is the best team in the Big Ten? Is it Michigan? Well the Wolverines are great defensively they have the 2nd highest defensive efficiency rating in the country, but yet they struggle to score. Over their past 10 games they have only scored 70 points twice, some of which they barely got in the 60’s. What about Michigan State? The Spartans have caught the injury bug they have already lost Joshua Langford for the year and now their starting Center Nick Ward will miss significant time with a hand injury. With these unfortunate injuries it will be interesting to see how Tom Izzo tweaks his lineup going forward. This season in the Big Ten there is no dominant team as there has been in years past. For example, Penn State (the worst team in the conference) beats the best team in the conference in Michigan, also Illinois (the 2nd worst team in the Big Ten) beats the 2nd best team in the conference in Michigan State. Does this mean the Big Ten is a complete conference from top to bottom? I think not. I could make the argument that the best two teams in the conference should be no higher than a 3 seed.
Pac-12 Struggles
What has happened to the “Conference of Champions?” In recent memory the Pac-12 was one of the best basketball conferences in the country and would consistently send 6 to 7 teams to the NCAA tournament every year. Well this year they might only send 2, in Washington and Arizona State. Unfortunately, the University of Oregon was hit hard with injuries to their highest recruited player Bol Bol and their other 5-star player Louis King came back late due to an ACL injury. With these two guys missing significant time it was a long-shot that the Ducks would go dancing this year. As for the Washington Huskies they are 11-1 in conference play, but they have no legit non-conference wins, they have lost to every good team they played. The Sun Devils for Arizona State are looking to go dancing 2 years in a row which would be the first time since the 63-64 season. Arizona State is talented and has significant wins but they have shown very little consistency throughout the season. Back in November they beat Mississippi State (a tournament team), then lose a close one to Nevada, a week later fall to a depleted Vanderbilt team, come back a week later and defeat Kansas, then lose to Princeton at home. CBS Sports has the Sun Devils as play-in team and that’s if they finish out conference play or get a few wins in the Pac-12 tournament.
Kansas and the Injury Bug
Coming into this season I had the Kansas Jayhawks winning the national championship and running through the Big 12 (again). Unfortunately, they have caught a bad case of the injury bug, arguably to their best player in Udoka Azubuike. He is gone for the rest of the year due to a hand injury, their other starting guard Marcus Garrett has missed several games with a bad ankle. Not to mention their other best player LaGerald Vick has missed several games due to personal matters. Right now, the Jayhawks starting backcourt consist of 3 freshmen and their chances of winning another Big 12 title looks very slim. This Kansas team isn’t scary like they have been over the years if you look at their numbers, they are about average in every statistical category. Hopefully for Bill Self and company will get healthy soon and make an unexpected run in the tournament.
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