College Basketball: March Madness Preview – Weekend Wrap Up!
This was a great final weekend in February for College Basketball, and we saw some big games that came with important conference tournament implication. Join us as we look into March and the madness that is sure to ensue in the next couple of weeks as we look back on the weekend that was in College Hoops!
Also, if you missed our Saturday Breakdown, be sure to click here to get looks at even more teams and conferences that we’ve discussed this weekend.
College Basketball: Big Ten
Let’s kick it off in the Big Ten. The top three teams in the conference heading into the weekend were
- Purdue
- Wisconsin
- Maryland
Luckily, all three of these teams are pretty much in the tournament already, but the people they lost to (all three lost) have been quietly building their resume. Specifically, Michigan.
The Wolverines have been stepping up lately, sweeping Indiana this season and splitting with just about every other team in the conference. As we look at the updated standing, we can see how close they are on the bubble.
Rankings:
- Purdue – 12-4
- Wisconsin – 11-5
- Minnesota – 10-6
- Maryland – 10-6
- Michigan State – 10-6
- Northwestern – 9-7
- Michigan – 9-7
Northwestern’s loss to Indiana on Saturday, sets us up for an intense matchup this coming Wednesday, March 1, as the Michigan Wolverines travel to Illinois to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. This is a game that could make or break these team’s chances to advance to the NCAA Tournament. How fitting that this game is to kick off the month of March!
Looking forward, I’d be lying if I said I saw a NCAA Champion in this division, but the brackets always unintentionally favor someone. For example, Purdue can easily beat up on weak front-courts with Caleb Swanigan and Isaac Haas, so you never know!
We’ll just have to wait for the official bracket to come out when Selection Sunday hits, March 12.
College Basketball: Big East
After this following week, and weekend, we’ve learned that Butler has Villanova’s number! Kelan Martin has been going huge, and their defense is stepping up at the right time, forcing 26 turnovers in the past two games.
To win two back-to-back road games in a week against #2 Villanova and a solid Xavier team is far from a small feat. This team could catch series momentum if they continue to dominate this week heading into the Big East tournament.
Rankings:
The top-three is still intact in terms of rankings and I can’t really see things changing in this last week barring a couple of miracles.
- Villanova – 14-3
- Butler – 12-5
- Creighton – 9-7
Villanova is still the favorite coming out, and they are going to be facing a lot of pressure as the defending National Champs. At least now we know Jay Wright can make it out of the first round!
As for Creighton, I always put faith in the McDermott family. Greg McDermott has been coaching the Bluejays since 2010, and as their Head Coach, he’s never been bounced in the round of 64. That’s something to note when filling out your NCAA Tournament bracket!
College Basketball: Pac-12
I held off until Sunday to discuss the Pac-12 and that blew up in my face. I was thinking that USC would be worth talking about but nope. USC has had an extremely tough stretch as of late playing Oregon, UCLA, and Arizona all in a row.
The three best teams in the division showed why as they all mopped the floor with the Trojans and UCLA got revenge putting up 102 points on them. Anyway, let’s talk about three of the top-ten teams in the nation.
Rankings:
- Oregon – 15-2
- Arizona – 15-2
- UCLA – 13-3
With Oregon playing Oregon State, Arizona playing Arizona State, and UCLA playing Washington State next week, I don’t foresee any change in this top-three happening. All of them can make serious runs in March, and even a team like Cal, sitting at 10-6, can turn some heads.
Let’s break down UCLA and Arizona. We’ll save Oregon for another day because we know how solid they are as a team, and how good leading scorer Dillion Brooks can be during crunch time.
UCLA
There’s not much I can say about this team that hasn’t already been said. Lonzo Ball is basically a superstar and it’s hard to turn on ESPN without hearing something about the Ball brothers (or their father), and rightfully so.
Lonzo is one of the most electric basketball players in the country, and just like Malik Monk from Kentucky, his scoring ability and court awareness makes him almost impossible to predict. He has the athleticism to dunk on you, or dish a pass while drawing contact to an open big man (T.J. Leaf).
Ball is the real deal, and because of this he’s helped Brice Alford find his rhythm. Without a pure point guard like Ball, Alford was stuck trying to create his own shot and make plays for his surrounding cast. Alford struggled heavily, but now playing at the 2, he’s been outstanding.
UCLA can go on a 20-5 run at ANY moment, making them scary to match up against in the big dance, especially when they just traveled to Arizona and handed them a loss in the McKale Center. The Pac-12 tournament is a must watch, because we’ve seen that even teams like Cal, or quietly Utah could possibly upset one of the power houses early.
Arizona
Arizona’s basketball team is great in all facets of the game. They rebound well, they play good defense, and they can score in a variety of ways. It seems like whenever someone is struggling on this team offensively, someone else shows up in a big way.
The kid from Finland, Lauri Markkanen has been a dominating presence. He’s unique. He has a great inside presence, he’s an exceptional rebounder, and he can stretch the floor. Also, Markkanen is shooting 44% from beyond the arc, and for a 7-footer with that type of range, you can almost guarantee a mismatch every single game. No wonder the European is drawing Dirk Nowitzki comparisons.
Not to mention, Arizona got a little bit scarier when they got Allonzo Trier back from a 19-game suspension, that he faced for reportedly testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.
With all that behind him, Trier has been a scoring machine leading this Arizona team in points per game since his return with 16.2. He’s gone on a stretch of scoring 20-plus in each of his last three games: 21 against Washington, 25 against USC, and 28 against UCLA on Saturday.
With Allonzo’s return, Arizona has the legitimate scorer they need to make it to the end of March.
College Basketball: ACC
The ACC is producing (as every announcer on College GameDay would say) the most complete team in the Country in North Carolina. After their win Saturday, UNC clinched a share at the ACC title for the second year in a row.
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Let’s stay in North Carolina and talk about Duke. Their season has been plagued by injuries. So far, they’ve played 29 games this season, and only two players on the roster have played in all 29, Luke Kennard and Matt Jones. Shoot, even Coach K missed time with a back injury.
In all honesty though, Duke’s team has raw talent, but due to these injuries, their chemistry is almost nonexistent. Former number-one overall recruit in 2016, Harry Giles, has looked lost as of late, especially in Duke’s loss to Miami on Saturday.
I never put anything past Coach K, but without serious improvement, this team could get bounced early in the NCAA Tournament.
Rankings:
- UNC – 13-3
- FSU – 11-5
- Louisville – 11-5
- Notre Dame – 11-5
- Duke – 10-6
- Miami – 10-6
Basically, you have UNC dominating, and every other team fighting for a better seed for when the ACC Tournament rolls around. I’m telling you, you do not want to miss the ACC tournament. If you haven’t seen Florida States Freshman PF, Johnathan Isaac play yet, you need to set your DVR. If that’s still even a thing.
This is the deepest conference in basketball right now, and even with a leader in UNC, the rest of the teams could trade games on any given day.
There will be plenty more NCAA Tournament previews coming up, as well conference breakdowns in the future so be sure to follow our twitter @FantasyCPR, to stay up to date on all the latest news!
Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR each day for all the latest fantasy sports news and analysis as we head into March Madness!