Kansas to go far
Best Round of 64 match
up: Michigan vs. Oklahoma State. When Michigan’s plane skidded off a runway during an aborted takeoff in high winds, delaying the Wolverines’ trip to the Big Ten tournament, sports was put into perspective. But it shouldn’t mask how well Michigan is playing, winning 10 of its last 12 games. During the four-game run to the Big Ten title, the Wolverines beat Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota and Wisconsin. If seniors Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin can replicate their recent play, they could continue the hot streak. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State is riding a three-game skid, but those were close losses to fellow West Region teams Kansas and Iowa State. The Cowboys rebounded from a 0-6 start in Big 12 play to reach .500. The Cowboys are led by Jawun Evans, who might be the best point guard whom you don’t know, and swingman Jeffrey Carroll, who’s shooting almost 44% from three-point range. The winner of this matchup could keep playing for a while. Potential upset: Rhode Island is in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1999, but it’s clear from the No. 11 seed that the selection committee didn’t think too much of the Rams. It’s a good thing they won the Atlantic 10 tournament; otherwise, they might have been playing in the First Four. But led by E.C. Matthews and a tough defense, Rhode Island is a decent bet for a first-round upset of Creighton. Behind Marcus Foster, Justin Patton and Khyri Thomas, the Bluejays can score in bunches. But they have struggled to find consistency since losing star Maurice Watson Jr. last month to a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury and subsequent arrest on a sexual assault charge. Although Creighton made it to the Big East tournament final, the Bluejays are 5-7 in Watson’s absence. The Rams defense could provide a path into the second round.
The sleeper: It’s hard to call a No. 3 seed a sleeper, but when Oregon went from a potential No. 1 seed to No. 3 in about 24 hours, it was hard to argue. The Ducks lost to Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament final and lost senior forward Chris Boucher to a torn left ACL. Without Boucher’s length, the Ducks struggled to rebound and keep Arizona out of the lane. His ability to stretch the floor with threepointers was missed, too. Without him, their offense stagnated. But give coach Dana Altman a week to prepare and recognize how talented the Ducks’ mesh of interchangeable parts really is, and Oregon could rebound to make a deep run, anyway. The winner: Kansas regularly gets dinged for early NCAA exits, but this is a team that developed unnatural toughness during the regular season. Yes, the Jayhawks won their 13th consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship. But scratch a little deeper, and they won with a ton of nail-biters and unlikely comebacks. That’s the kind of grit that, fused with obvious talent, could take Kansas a long way. Of course, Kansas was without freshman phenom Josh Jackson during an upset loss to TCU in a Big 12 tournament quarterfinal. But led by senior point guard Frank Mason III, USA TODAY Sports’ national player of the year, the Jayhawks are capable of getting back to the Final Four for the first time since 2012. Mason could lead them down a favorable geographic path (Tulsa and then Kansas City) all the way to Phoenix.