Good morning, afternoon, evening to all my readers. I would like to officially welcome myself back to the world of writing (it certainly has been a while). Before I dive into my absolute favorite time of the year, let me catch you up into a little tidbit of the highlights of my life since my last article:
- I became single (hit me up, ladies, but only if you want to.)
- I grew an inch in height, now I’m a studly 5’5” (again, feel free to ‘hmu’)
- I turned 21 (It was fun, I think?)
- I watched every single college basketball game of the entire season and am now an expert on the March Madness tournament, so you have to listen to me.
March Madness. It feels good for those words to exit my mouth in alliteration form. There really is nothing that quite compares to, well, the madness of the tournament. Every year there are upsets, big and small, east and west, north and south. And every year, people debate and internally agonize on which one to pick. Some flip a coin, others choose based on mascot, and even more outsiders choose an upset because they like the team name. This year, all of you are in luck. I am here to enlighten your minds, feed your college basketball hunger, and help you create the perfect NCAA Tournament bracket.
Here are my top four upsets to watch of the first weekend:
1. Northern Iowa over Texas
While everyone else looks ahead to a possible match up of two Texas powerhouse schools in the Round of 32, I am here to say Northern Iowa arrives to crash the party. With four players in averaging double figure scoring, any night of the week one of those guys can step up and have a breakout performance. With wins over Iowa State, North Carolina, and Wichita State (twice), they can play with the big boys any night of the week. In Wes Washpun, they have an experienced point guard that leads the team in scoring and assists. Guard play is a huge factor come tourney time, and having someone who has been there before and understands how to win is a major key. Texas is no slouch with size and speedy guard play behind Taylor and Felix, but they have been inconsistent and overrated all year. They also struggle to hit outside shots while Northern Iowa can be lethal behind the arc (37.2 oercent on the year). Be sure to keep your eyes open when these two take the court.
2. Seton Hall over Utah, Round of 32
This requires the Pirates and the Runnin’ Utes to escape first round upsets, which both teams can do. Seton Hall has climbed from the depths of the Big East conference over the past five years, becoming a formidable opponent and returning to basketball prowess. Their record reflects continued success and improvement behind a veteran lineup. Personally, I’ll always take experience over talent when it comes to the NCAA tournament (Kemba, Shabazz, Wisconsin over Kentucky circa 2015, anyone?), and this year is no different. Led by a transfer guard making his third dance appearance with his third team, Isaiah Whitehead is a force to be reckoned with. He has size, strength, and confidence. Utah has excellent inside play behind POY candidate Jakob Poeltl, but guards always have the advantage over big men these days in big time games. Seton Hall is coming off a huge Big East title run and can carry that momentum into March.
3. Hawaii over California
Being on the East Coast, I have not had a chance to see these two teams play often this season. My experience with Cal is limited to the Pac-12 tournament and UVA-Cal thriller, whereas my Hawaii tape comes from a game against Oklahoma two days before Christmas. This is a sexy pick a lot of people are missing, because the NBA-filled roster of California mesmerizes many. But, by this point, you should know college and professional basketball are two totally different games. Even if a player is ready for the next level, that does not translate to success in mid-March. Hawaii hung tough when Oklahoma was playing peak basketball, and they have size and experienced guard play (see a correlation in these upset picks?) to knock off an overconfident team. Don’t be fooled by California’s ranking, they definitely aren’t a four seed, and Hawaii is better than a 13 seed. Watch out for the Rainbow Warriors.
Side Note: Hawaii definitely wins the award for best nickname.
4. UCONN over Kansas
Yep, this is my boldest upset choice of the tourney. Assuming Uconn can survive a scrappy Colorado team, they have a legitimate chance to knock off everyone’s safe pick to win the national title. UConn has stellar backcourt play to go along with huge seven footers in the front court for rim protection. Now that Brimah is healthy, and assuming he stays out of foul trouble, he can lock Perry Ellis (Kansas’ X-factor) down on the post. Daniel Hamilton will be a matchup nightmare for the smaller Kansas guards. He can make plays at any time of the game and has grown into an unselfish leader (team leader in assists per game). And, lets be honest, doesn’t this all seem too cliché? It happens every few years for the Huskies. They are counted out late in the year, make a postseason tournament run before March Madness to build momentum, and no one can stop them. I like their chances against an overconfident Kansas team due for a loss.
