Wally Szczerbiak talks March Madness sleeper, stars to watch, memories and more

CBS Sports college basketball analyst Wally Szczerbiak reveals his best March Madness memories, sleeper to watch for 2023 and more for the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness is almost here with less than a week remaining until the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on Selection Sunday. The college basketball world is already buzzing, even if we all know our brackets will be busted before we reach the Second Round.

CBS Sports college basketball analyst, former NBA All-Star, and 1999 MAC Player of the Year Wally Szczerbiak is already locked in on March Madness as he readies for a frenetic month in studio. But he also took the time to speak with FanSided about the NCAA Tournament on behalf of Great Clips and their HATS OFF campaign for March Madness.

On Tuesday, March 7, Great Clips (the Official Hair Salon of March Madness) is launching the Hats Off sweepstakes that will reward one lucky fan with a trip and tickets to the Men’s or Women’s Final Four for going HATS OFF and sharing their best hat flip.

March Madness can take a lot out of fans as they ride the rollercoaster of buzzer-beaters, Cinderella wins and heartbreaking upsets. But instead of fans putting on a hat to cover their hair when rocking their fandom, Great Clips is challenging college basketball fans to go HATS OFF to show off their fresh and unique hairstyles with confidence when cheering on their favorite team.

From March 7 through March 19, fans can share a photo or video of their best hat flips on social media and online for a chance to win a trip and tickets to the Men’s or Women’s Final Four and National Championship games.

Szczerbiak talked about his own March Madness memories but also gave us a preview of who he thinks the stars of March Madness will be, which teams to keep an eye on and more.

You can watch the full interview with Wally Szczerbiak below before reading some of what he had to say.

March Madness: Wally Szczerbiak talks 2023 NCAA Tournament, March memories, Great Clips HATS OFF campaign and more

March Madness creates lasting memories for players, coaches and fans alike, something that Wally Szczerbiak has plenty of insight on, growing up as a college basketball fan but also making it to the NCAA Tournament twice during his career at Miami (Ohio).

“My first March Madness memories were when Georgetown was in the Final Four, that’s really when I got into college basketball – the Patrick Ewing team that won a national championship – and then Villanova beat them in the National Championship Game,” Sczerbiak said. “Growing up as a kid I was a huge St. John’s fan, it’s right around the corner from where I grew up on Long Island in Queens, NY. I knew a lot of former St. John’s players. My dad used to work out in the summer, when he came back from Real Madrid in Europe, at St. John’s gym, so I used to go to the gym. So those were kind of my first memories of March Madness. Then I’ll always remember the big game, Duke vs. UNLV, when Duke broke their streak and won the national championship. I think that was 1991, if my memory serves me correctly. But those were impressionable years, growing up as a kid, in high school, finding my way in basketball. I’ll never forget those years. I was a huge Duke fan growing up, I had the Duke shorts as a kid. That was the school I kind of wanted to go to when I was in high school, wasn’t quite good enough, wasn’t quite highly recruited enough to get to Duke. And it ended up working out great at Miami. But those were my memories, first and foremost, of March Madness.

“Then as a player, obviously, just being a part of it my sophomore year. We lost to Clemson in the First Round at Miami. We lost by about 10, they were really good that year. And I was motivated to get back. Made it back my senior year, obviously, and we made it to the Sweet 16, beat Washington and Utah. So, those are some of the fondest memories of my career, college and NBA included. That run we made in the NCAA Tournament was just special.”

As he’s watching the 2022-23 college basketball season with an eye toward March, though, Szczerbiak has one team to look out for that, though they won’t be a 15-seed like St. Peter’s a year ago, could make a deep run as a sleeper in March Madness: the San Diego State Aztecs.

“I’ve been following this team. And it’s the same core of guys for like the last four years. This an experienced group: Matt Bradley, Nathan Mensah, guys like that. Coach Brian Dutcher has done a great job with this team,” Szczerbiak said. “Defensively, I think that’s a really good league. They’re not a true small mid-major – they’re kind of like knocking on the door. That league might get three or four teams into the NCAA Tournament, so calling them a mid-major is a little bit of a slight but I think that’s a team that’s poised to make a run in the NCAA Tournament because they’ve been there before, they have a ton of experience. They’re a strong team, they’re a great defensive team, and this year they’re playing a lot better on the offensive end of the floor.”

The team that ended the cinderella run of the Peacocks last year, though, was No. 8 seed North Carolina, a blue blood that got hot at the right time. The Tar Heels are in danger of not making it into the field of 68, but Szczerbiak has his eyes on another blue blood that is looking dangerous at the right time again.

“I would keep an eye on Kentucky. I love what [John Calipari] does, he gets his players playing their best basketball in March,” Sczerbiak said. “I think that’s the sign of a great coach. That’s why, to me, the way the committee seeds teams based on the body of work, I think you have to look at the way teams are playing in their conference. Once conference season starts, that’s when teams need to be judged. And Kentucky’s starting to play some really good basketball, beating some really good teams. I think since they’ve made a few lineup changes, you won’t no part of going up against that length and athleticism defensively all over the floor at every position. So, Kentucky’s a team that’s going to be very under-seeded and I would watch out because they can make a run. They have Oscar Tshiebwe coming off that knee surgery in the non-conference right before the season, he’s starting to show that he’s 100 percent healthy and playing great basketball again like he did last year. So watch out for the Wildcats.”

Tshiebwe and Kentucky are the team to watch for getting hot at the right time, but March has always been a time for star-making performances. When asked about the players who could be the so-called “cast” of One Shining Moment at the end of the NCAA Tournament, Szczerbiak gave me his starting five of players who could be stars in March Madness.

“I love Jaime Jaquez. He’s one of my favorite players in college basketball. That guy has got so much grit and grind – and skill – and he does everything to help his team win,” Szczerbiak said. “He’s absolutely outstanding. I’ll go with Marcus Sasser, he doesn’t get enough national attention. He should be a First-Team All-American with the way he’s playing with Houston. That team defends, that team is as good as any and has as good as any of a chance to make it to their hometown, to Houston, for the Final Four. I’ll also go with Trayce Jackson-Davis. I mean this guy is just must-see basketball TV. Explosive dunks right and left. Dunks with his right hand, dunks with his left hand, jumps off two feet, jumps off his left foot, jumps off his right foot, and he’s just an electric player that has been at Indiana for a while and has that program in a great place. Mike Woodson’s done a phenomenal job coaching that team and doing a great job with them. Then I’m going to go with Aidan Mahaney out at Saint Mary’s. He’s a little bit unknown but he’s a special player. He’s a freshman, he’s the guy that scores all their clutch crunch-time buckets, runs the pick-and-roll very well. He’s like a basketball savant with the plays he makes – keep an eye on Aidan Mahaney coming out of Saint Mary’s, that team’s very, very underrated. That team could win a couple of games in the NCAA Tournament. And last but not least, I’ll go with Jordan Hawkins from UConn, an outstanding 3-point shooter. It’s one of the most beautiful strokes in college basketball. He’s a real key to that UConn team that’s obviously great defensively. But he’s the guy that needs to score and needs to knock down shots. I think he’s a special player, he’s played great all season long, and I think he’s got his best to come coming up here in March Madness.”

Even without seeing the bracket, though, Szczerbiak has one team that has his attention as his national championship pick. When asked for that and about the projected No. 1 seed with the best chance to make the Final Four as only one team on that seed-line did a year ago, it was Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks, the reigning national champions, that got the nod from him.

“My pick would be Kansas to repeat,” Szczerbiak said. “I think it’s wide-open, it’s going to be so much fun and that’s what I love about college basketball. I think it’s in a great place. I think anyone can win on any given day and, on a neutral court, there’s going to be a lot of madness and craziness. I’ve just been very impressed with the way that Kansas team has responded to when they did struggle and have that three-game losing streak in the Big 12 in the middle of the season, that they bounced back to looking like they’re going to get at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title and I think that league really prepares you to win in March and to win in the NCAA Tournament because you have to be ready every single night you put those shoes on and tie those laces. And that’s what it takes to win all those games in the NCAA Tournament.”

Thank you to Wally Szczerbiak for his time and talking college hoops with FanSided. You can check out his Great Clips commercial below and get ready for March Madness with the HATS OFF campaign.

For more NCAA basketball and March Madness news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.