Championship week. The tournaments before THE tournament. This week starts the conference tournaments for all the major conferences in college basketball. The mid-majors started last week with Florida Gulf Coast (24-10), Liberty (15-20), Creighton (27-7), and Belmont (26-6) already punching their tickets for the big dance. This is what starts the madness in March (although this whole season has been madness). This is the last chance for bubble teams to get quality wins over ranked teams and Cinderellas have a chance to get hot and take a spot from a team on the bubble.
All favorites determined by Las Vegas odds
ACC
Bracket
When: March 14-17
Favorite: The ACC is not what it's been in years past with only two teams ranked in the top 25, but those two (Duke and Miami) are ranked in the top 10. The return of Ryan Kelly for Duke definitely makes them the team to watch for. It seems his foot is fully healed as he went off for 36 points with 7 three's in a huge home win over Miami in his first game back. Mason Plumlee has been consistent all year averaging a double-double with 17 and 10.2. Throw in Seth Curry's 17 ppg and you have guys at three positions that would make a great Gus Macker squad.
Contenders: Miami is the first team ever in the ACC to beat Duke and North Carolina by 25 or more in the same year. The Canes have struggled to close the season losing three of their last five but are still very dangerous. Speaking of UNC, they finished strong winning six of seven but lost 69-53 to Duke their last game. Reggie Bullock had double-doubles in three of the last five games.
Pick: Duke has dominated this tournament since 1999 winning 10 of the 14 titles and will add another trophy to their mantle. Miami is on a big down slide and UNC can't match-up with Duke's talent, as they just showed us. The Blue Devils have too many players that can hurt you as five average double figures.
BIG 12
Bracket
When: March 13-16
Favorite: Other than a nasty three game losing streak, Kansas was near the top of the rankings all year led by Ben McLemore (16.5 ppg) and Jeff Withey (13.8 ppg and 8.6 rpg). They were the victim of the upset of the year when TCU beat them 62-55 but got back on track and won seven of their last eight to end the season.
Contenders: Kansas State had four losses in conference play and two were to Kansas. K-State won't shoot you out of the gym (44% FG on the season) but they play tough tenacious defense. Rodney McGruder is a games changer that can take over at any time. Oklahoma State is the other team to keep an eye on. They are led by Markel Brown (15.6 ppg) and the possible freshman of the year in Marcus Smart (14.9 ppg). The Cowboys have one win over Kansas on the road and lost in double overtime at home to the Jayhawks. They were one of the surprise teams in the country.
Pick: Kansas is another team that has had a hold on the regular season and tournament titles in the Big 12 in the past. But, Oklahoma State has the size and athleticism to compete with them. They have proven to be a tough match-up for KU in both games and Jayhawks are a team that has been shaky all year. OK-State will take the tournament title.
BIG EAST
Bracket
When: March 12-16
Favorite: The Big East is very top heavy with five teams ranked in the top 25 but the Louisville Cardinals have one of the best defenses in the country (#1 in KenPom's adjusted defense) and good offense led but Russ Smith's 18.4 ppg. Gorgui Dieng is solid in the middle averaging a double-double and Peyton Siva is one of the best point guards in the league at managing a game. If not for a 5 OT loss at Notre Dame they could be on an 11 game win streak.
Contenders: Georgetown finished the season winning 12 of 13 with wins over ranked teams Louisville, Syracuse (twice), Marquette, and Notre Dame. In that time Otto Porter Jr. made his case for POY with 16.6 ppg and 7.4 rpg. Syracuse started the season 18-1 but lost four of its last five. But don't let that fool you, this team is still dangerous. C.J. Fair, Brandon Triche, and James Southerland all average over 14 ppg and Michael Carter-Williams is a do-it-all point guard. Pittsburgh is a sleeper team to also watch out for as KenPom has them ranked 7th overall.
Pick: Louisville and Georgetown are like mirror images of each other. Both have been playing really well but the Cardinals have more help to offer Russ Smith than Georgetown has for Otto Porter Jr.
BIG TEN
Bracket
When: March 14-17
Favorite: No conference has beat itself up and has been more unpredictable than the Big Ten. However, Indiana is the one team that has been the most consistent. Cody Zeller started as the POY favorite but now it's his teammate, Victor Oladipo, that is in the hunt for the honor. Zeller still averages 16.5 ppg and 8 rpg while Oladipo is putting up 13.7 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.3 steals and shooting an amazing 63% from the field. Let's not forget about the two seniors, Jordan Hulls and Christian Watford, who are ranked in the top 10 in 3-point percentage.
Contenders: Where do I start? There are so many teams that fit in this category. Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin and even Minnesota can all make a run. Michigan is viewed as next in line behind Indiana even with being the fifth seed and blowing their game against Indiana. Trey Burke, who is the leader in the POY race is averaging 19.1 ppg, 6.9 apg, and leads the nation in assist to turnover ratio at 3.65. Michigan State had a tough three game losing streak late but this is when Izzo's teams get hot. They have a solid starting five with size and speed to match-up with anybody and a defense that keeps them in every game. Deshaun Thomas leads the Big Ten in scoring at almost 20 a game and if Ohio State can get a consistent second scorer from either Aaron Craft or Lenzelle Smith Jr. this team goes from a top 15 team to a top 5 team nationally.
Pick: Indiana is still the team to beat in the Big Ten especially after their big win at Michigan. They have the best starting five in the Big Ten with the preseason POY in Cody Zeller and possibly the end of the season POY in Victor Oladipo (also the best all around player in the country). I won't be surprised if any of the teams mentioned above come out with the title but I will roll with the favorite right now. Also, if Indiana or Michigan come out on top it will be their first Big Ten tournament title.
PAC-12
Bracket
When: March 13-16
Favorite: The Pac-12 is probably the hardest conference to determine a favorite and even though Arizona didn't win a regular season title they are looked at as the top team. They started the year 14-0 with wins over Florida and Miami but had some struggles in conference play. Xavier transfer Mark Lyons leads the team in scoring at 15.1 ppg.
Contenders: Oregon gave Arizona it's first loss of the year and have recently got their point guard, Dominic Artis, back from injury. They don't have anybody that averages more than 11.2 (E.J. Singler) and balanced on offense. UCLA is led by freshmen Shabazz Muhammad, Jordan Adams, and Kyle Anderson. They also have three North Carolina transfers in Larry Drew II, Travis Wear, and David Wear. This team is very talented but lack consistency. Don't sleep on California or Colorado.
Pick: A year ago the Pac-12 only had one team reach the NCAA tournament, Colorado, who received the automatic bid for their conference
tournament title. This year I'm going with UCLA. They have the players and scoring ability to beat anybody in the conference. It comes down to whether their young players can stay focused against experienced teams like Oregon and Arizona.
SEC
Bracket
When: March 13-17
Favorite: Without question the favorite in the SEC are the Florida Gators. This had been a down year for the SEC as the Gators are the only ranked team in the conference. This team is first in KenPom's rankings and is one of the most balanced in the country. They have the ability to beat you on the perimeter with Kenny Boynton and Mike Rosario (12.6 ppg each) or pound you inside with Patric Young and Erik Murphy.
Contenders: The defending National Champion Kentucky Wildcats are on the bubble but got much needed win over Florida in their final game. The loss of Nerlens Noel for the rest of the year on Feb. 12 really set this team back. Fellow freshman Archie Goodwin has stepped up his play in Noel's absence. The Missouri Tigers are the other team to keep your eye on. They like to push the ball as much as possible and have six players averaging double figures. Phil Pressey is a great passer averaging 7.1 assists but is turnover prone (3.7 per game) and a terrible shooter (38%).
Pick: I have to go with Florida. They dominated the conference all year, winning by almost 20 points a game in league play. They have great inside-outside combinations and I have a hard time seeing this team lose at a neutral site.
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