10 to watch in the NCAAs
If you even have remote interest in college basketball, the first Thursday and Friday of the NCAA Tournament will force you to watch a few games and partake in the yearly mid-March tradition of finding truTV. If you’re a college hoops lover, you’re probab
1. DUKE: What more needs be said? The Blue Devils have been the story of the college basketball season, and they're worth monitoring whenever they take the court. The unanimous preseason No. 1 team has faced a series of adverse situations — from injuries to Grayson Allen's tripping incidents — but it's fresh off winning the ACC tourney, and seems to be hitting its stride at the right time. How long can it last?
2. NORTHWESTERN: While Duke dominates the headlines, Northwestern has been the best feel-good story of the season. The Wildcats have finally put away decades of misery and made their first-ever appearance in the Big Dance. And they even have a good shot of winning a game too. If they can beat a 15-loss Vanderbilt team, top seed Gonzaga likely would await, and who knows? Northwestern is certainly capable of pulling off some more magic.
3. LONZO BALL: The tourney isn't short on exciting talent, and Celtics fans might want to pay attention to one in particular: UCLA's Ball. The Bruins point guard is projected to be a top 2 NBA draft pick this spring, and he orchestrates one of the best offenses in the country. On the grandest stage of them all, Ball promises to be mustsee TV this weekend.
4. MICHIGAN: Can the magical March run continue? A week ago, the Wolverines contemplated forfeiting their spot in the Big Ten tournament after their plane skidded off a runway. But they decided to play and then won the tournament. How long can the magic last? Michigan faces tough tests against Oklahoma State and potentially Louisville.
5. WICHITA STATE: One of the hotter storylines since the brackets were unveiled on Sunday is Wichita State and its seeding as a 10, despite going 30-4 and being one of the better teams in the country based on advanced metrics. But the Shockers are no strangers to being slighted. They once made the Final Four as a 9 seed and the Sweet 16 as a 7. They'll certainly have to earn their way to the second weekend this year. Dayton awaits in the first round, and if they win, Kentucky could await them.
6. GONZAGA: What can we expect from Gonzaga this March? Everything about the one-loss Bulldogs suggests this is the year they can finally make their first Final Four run, and this might be the most complete team coach Mark Few has had. The last time the Zags were a No. 1 seed, they bowed out in the Round of 32 in 2013.
7. PAC-12 PUNCH: Call it East Coast bias, but the Pac-12 doesn't get as much national publicity. That could change soon. The league boasts a threeheaded monster in Arizona, UCLA and Oregon, each of which could make a deep run. The Ducks will have to overcome an injury to their second-best player, Chris Boucher, and the Bruins need to pick it up on defense to advance far. The Wildcats may be the best bet. It's been nine years since a Pac-12 team made the Final Four.
8. URI: As far as local teams go, Rhode Island might have the best chance of getting out of the first weekend. The Rams are making their first tourney appearance since 1999, and they got a favorable draw opening against Creighton, which is without Mo Watson, Jr. If they can get by the Bluejays, a meeting with injury-ravaged Oregon would probably be next. URI, which is on an eight-game winning streak, is playing as well as anyone.
9. SURPRISE POTENTIAL: Upsets will happen, and look no further than some of the hottest teams in the country to try to pull them off. Princeton has won 19 games in a row going into its matchup with No. 5 Notre Dame. Vermont has won a best-in-the-nation 29 games as it readies for No. 4 Purdue. And nobody is sleeping on Middle Tennessee, winners of 19 of its last 20, as it goes up against No. 5 Minnesota.
10. HARD PATH FOR THE CHAMPS: Villanova was awarded the top overall seed, but that didn't mean the defending champs got an easy road. The Wildcats are still a favorite to make it back to the Final Four, but they'll have to earn it, maybe even more than any of the other No. 1 seeds. A second-round matchup against an experienced Wisconsin team, which has made the Sweet 16 five of the last six years, could cause some trouble.