NCAA basketball: There’s a method to March Madness
March seemed to start early this season. Upsets seemingly every week, buzzer beaters, eye-popping performances. Now that March is actually here, the real madness is about to begin. A look at the top teams, players, games and potential upsets:
TOP TEAMS
Virginia: The old cliche of defence wins championships could come true this year. The lockdown Cavaliers are that good on D.
Villanova: Forget about some of the recent early NCAA exits. Jay Wright and the Wildcats have that national-title look again.
Xavier: The Musketeers are dynamic and have one of the best players in the country in Trevon Bluiett.
Kansas: A record 14th straight Big 12 title, a tournament championship to go with it and Devonte Graham. Don’t bet against Bill Self and the Jayhawks.
North Carolina: The defending national champions are poised for another deep run.
TOP PLAYERS
Trae Young, Oklahoma. The Sooners may have struggled down the stretch, but Young is the type of player capable of a Steph Curry-like run.
Deandre Ayton, Arizona. The Bahamian big man has been called a unicorn and a cyborg. He may be the most physically dominating player in the field.
Marvin Bagley III, Duke. So long, so athletic, so good.
Trevon Bluiett, Xavier. A quiet star who does nothing but make big plays and win games. Jalen Brunson, Villanova. The
Bluiett description fits the Wildcats’ guard as well.
Devonte Graham, Kansas. The Jayhawks’ dynamic leader is a big reason the school won the Big 12 again and could make another deep run.
TOP GAMES
Arkansas vs. Butler (Friday). Arkansas has one of the best resumes for beating ranked teams, taking down five this season. The Bulldogs always seem to find a way to go deep in the bracket and have won six straight NCAA Tournament openers.
Arizona State vs. Syracuse (Wednesday). The Pac-12’s highest-scoring offence against the Orange’s zone. Hard to imagine a better First Four game. Wichita State vs. Marshall (Friday). The Shockers are loaded with talent. Dan D’Antoni’s offence may be more freewheeling and frenetic than his brother Mike’s.
Kentucky vs. Arizona (Saturday). Get by their opening games and we get the treat of Ayton against the Wildcats freshmen, two national powerhouses going head to head early in the bracket. Yes, please.
POTENTIAL UPSETS
No. 10 Oklahoma vs. No. 7
Rhode Island (Midwest, Thursday). Any team with Trae Young is capable of pulling off an upset — he could pull it off by himself.
No. 10 Providence vs. No. 7
Texas A&M (West, Thursday). The Friars already have one massive upset in March, taking down Xavier in the Big East semifinals. The Aggies have been inconsistent this season, dropping from the program’s highest ranking (No. 5) before going 9-9 through the SEC. No. 12 New Mexico State vs. No. 5 Clemson (Midwest, Friday). Both teams are superb defensively, which should mean a low-scoring game — and the potential for an upset. No. 12 South Dakota State vs. No. 5 Ohio State ( West, Thursday). The Buckeyes will have a 12-day gap between games before facing the Summit League-champion Jackrabbits, who have one of the nation’s best big men in six-foot-nine forward Mike Daum.