If there is anything certain about this tournament, it’s that there is nothing certain about anything. Any game, team or player can shock the world in a moment with a single play. With two rounds completed, the Sweet Sixteen will commence on Saturday, March 27. The 16 teams were chosen by zero percent of brackets, even the brackets thought-out and strategically filled out by top sports analysts. Only two brackets out of about 70 million successfully foresaw 15 of the 16 teams, and 0.000158 percent picked 14 of the 16. These percentages alone portray how mad of a March this has been. The chaos is bound to prevail until the NCCA Men’s March Madness Championship on April 5.
If there is anything certain about this tournament, it’s that heart trumps seeding. With a 15 seed in the round 16, the second time in history, Oral Roberts has shocked the nation with a surreal Cinderella run on their first NCAA tournament appearance ever. A quarter of the remaining teams have a double-digit seeding. At this point, it is anyone’s game and the best team of the day will triumph. Between now and the championship game anything can happen, so instead of predicting all the upsets to ensue and all the buzzer-beater tears, I will highlight some of the teams to watch for the upcoming rounds.
If there is anything certain about this tournament, it’s the spotless record of Gonzaga. The number one seed Gonzaga has yet to meet defeat at the hands of any team all year. While it’s the perfect setup for an upset, Gonzaga is too ferocious an opponent, with powerhouse freshman Jalen Suggs to lead the bulldogs far in this tournament. Suggs is a contender for the men’s college basketball National Player of the Year, along with two of his teammates Drew Timme and Corey Kispert. Anyone writing off such an invincible team to make it to the championship is depending on a major upset.
If there is anything certain about this tournament, it’s the talent of Baylor’s offense. The junior ball-handler, Jared Butler, another contender for the National Player of the Year title leads the untouchable Baylor offense. Only allowing four turnovers in their last game against Wisconsin, Baylor has five players ranked nationally in the top 200 for offensive rating. Butler is such a force that he averages 29.2 minutes a game, dominating the court and creating such a large lead that he is no longer needed. There is no question of how powerful of an offense this team has, with four members averaging over 40 percent from the three-point line. However, if any team were to stop this offense long enough to beat them, it would be in this tournament.
The odds are ever in the favor of Gonzaga and Baylor; however, odds and chance are never very reliable when it comes to March Madness. It would be foolish to undercut the stats of other impressive teams. Loyola Chicago dominates defensively, allowing for the least points scored against them this season, with a defense so powerful they should not be doubted. The Cinderella team, Oral Roberts has the highest percentage in free throws and might be able to scathe by on opposing fouls alone. Houston’s defense is praised for their stops of field goal attempts, blocking any three-pointers to keep the momentum low and without momentum, they might be able to steal a couple of wins.
If there is anything certain about this tournament, it’s that there is nothing certain about anything. Only when the buzzer rings and the clock runs out is when any of these games are guaranteed and not a second earlier.
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