The field is set -- one exciting finish already in the books -- for the 2019 men's NCAA tournament. Will a representative from the ACC, loaded with three no. 1 seeds, produce this season's champion?
truTv, the channel everyone so happily tweets "they have to locate" every March, is the home channel for the play-in games of the NCAA tournament. Or first round games (the nomenclature changes every few years, it seems). The only crime in the first game between the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and the Prairie View A&M Panthers is that one of the teams had to go home.
The Panthers raced out to an early lead, held on for most of the second-half, only to see the Knights complete a comeback to win 82-76. This is fairly impressive, considering Fairleigh only scored six points in the game's first 9 minutes, 22 seconds.
A 48-point second half helped seal the victory. Senior guard Darnell Edge delivered for the Knights, dropping 33 points and connecting on seven 3's to help give Fairleigh Dickinson their first-ever tournament win.
The Panthers knocked down 15 three-pointers but couldn't weather the crusade of the Knights. Senior guard Gary Blackstron had 27 points and six 3's of his own for Prairie View A&M.
The reward for the Knights winning this game? A Thursday evening matchup with no. 1 in the West, the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Gonzaga is joined on the no. 1 seed line with three teams from the ACC. Questions swirled last weekend as to whether or not this would happen, especially after the Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Kentucky Wildcats in the SEC tournament semifinals. It appeared the Vols might have sewn up a first seed until they were wiped off the floor by the Auburn Tigers in the SEC title game.
From there, the debate was moot. Duke, thanks to an ACC tournament title, earned the overall no. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, with Virginia and North Carolina joining the Bulldogs and Blue Devils as top seeds.
The number ones
Zion Williamson might be the human highlight reel headlining the Duke Blue Devils (29-5) right now, but there are plenty of contributors to the no. 1 seed in the East.
Williamson shoots 69.3 percent from the field, averages 2.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game and is a beast on the boards, averaging 8.9. Delivering on both ends of the floor has been a staple of his game this season, yet his 22.1 ppg average is only second on the team.
The honor of leading scorer belongs to fellow freshman R.J. Barrett (22.9 ppg). Barrett isn't far that far behind in rebounds, pulling down 7.5 per game. His 4.1 assists are second on the team to the man who may turn out to be the most important: Guard Tre Jones.
Jones does a little bit of everything. While Williamson, Barrett, and Cam Reddish can create their own shots, it is Jones who is the floor general, leading the team with 5.3 assists. He helps pace Duke's offense to the tune of 83.5 points per game, though they've only cracked 80 twice in their last eight games.
The Virginia Cavaliers (29-3) bowed out to Florida State in the ACC tournament semifinals. Virginia's other two losses were to the Blue Devils.
Virginia's defense is as sturdy as ever, holding opponents to 55.1 points per game, best in the nation. Only once in the last ten games has a Cavalier opponent cracked the sixty point mark.
The play of guards Kyle Guy (15.6 ppg) and De'Andre Hunter (15.1) will determine how far Virginia advances. Helping man the middle this season is Mamadi Diakite, who blocks 1.5 shots per game.
Holding down the no. 1 seed in the Midwest is the North Carolina Tar Heels (27-6). North Carolina lost Duke/UNC III in the semifinals of the ACC tourney, but managed to secure a top seed. The Tar Heels utilize one of their better offenses in the nation, averaging 86.1 points per game. Defense might be at a premium in their games as UNC allows 72.9.
A trio of players average in double figures in points. Guards Cameron Johnson (16.9) and Coby White (16.3) lead the way, while senior forward Luke Maye averages double figures in points (14.7) and rebounds (10.5)
The Gonzaga Bulldogs (30-3) round out the top line. The Bulldogs seemed destined for the top overall seed before a WCC title game loss to St. Mary's. Gonzaga was held to 41 points under their average in the 60-47 loss
A night of bad shooting and questionable calls did them in. Still, the Bulldogs should be considered a threat to advance far. Rui Hachimura, Brandon Clarke, and Zach Norvell Jr. combine to average 51.9 points and 19.2 rebounds per game. Clarke also averages 3.1 blocked shots.
Four teams to watch
Looking over the bracket, there is usually a clear set of tiers in which to divide teams. This time around, the line is foggier than it is definitive.
Outside of the top-two seeds in each region, here are four teams who could make a Final Four run, beginning with the sixth-seed out West, Buffalo Bulls (31-3).
Buffalo, ranked 15th in the nation, is riding a 12-game winning streak. They will open with the winner of a First Four game between Arizona State and St. Johns. A season after winning their opening game in the tournament, look for the Bulls to make even more noise in 2019.
The Houston Cougars (31-3) had a nice little run in last season's tournament as well and could find themselves going deep in this season's tournament. Houston carries a three-seed in the Midwest region and opens play against the Georgia State Panthers (24-9).
An Elite Eight run from 2018 carried over into this season for the Kansas State Jayhawks (25-8) as they shared a Big-12 regular season title. If the Wildcats, a 4th-seed in the South, are to make a run, they'll have to do so again without second-leading rebounder and scorer Dean Wade.
Wade missed the majority of last season's tournament with a foot injury and has battled the same ailment at times this season. It's an injury that was re-aggravated towards the end of the season and Wade is currently doubtful for the NCAA tournament.
Kansas State opens against UC Irvine (30-5), winners of 16 straight.
Sometimes, you go with a team that was average through much of the season but has suddenly heated up. This year's team is the Oregon Ducks (23-12) who won the Pac-12 tournament and have victories in eight straight games. They were handed the coveted 12th-seed and will open against the Wisconsin Badgers (23-10).
Four games to watch
West region: (5) Marquette 24-9 vs (12) Murray State (27-4). Two of the top players in the nation square off in this Thursday afternoon game.
Midwest region: (7) Wofford 29-4 vs Seton Hall (20-13). Wofford shouldn't look past Seton Hall, but win this Thursday evening game and the Terriers could be headed to a 2nd-round game against Kentucky.
South region: (1) Virginia vs (16) Gardner-Webb 23-11. Let's just not have a repeat of last year, which is why eyes will be initially glued to this game on early Friday afternoon.
East region: (3) LSU 26-6 vs (14) Yale 22-7. The Ivy League seems to find the teams ripe for an upset. Will it be LSU this year?
Keep it locked in here, or via my Twitter accounts for all March Madness action.
photo credit: commons.wikimedia.org
Comments