With the conclusion of conference tournaments today, it is officially time to dance.
Some mid-majors got in, many got left out, but here are the storylines to watch going into the Tuesday start of this NCAA Tournament.
The Bracket
Battle of AAC champs vs. MWC champs in Seattle
Memphis and Colorado State are meeting in Seattle in the West Region first round with highlight players on both sides. The matchup of PJ Haggerty vs. Nique Clifford, two of the highest scoring guards in the country will provide some must-see TV. The Rams take a 10-game win streak into the tourney, while the Tigers have won their last eight. Two high-powered offenses will make for a highly-contested battle early on in the tourney.
Drake draws Missouri in Wichita
Two close-range teams to the state of Kansas will go to battle, with Bennett Stirtz and the Drake Bulldogs hoping to end the program’s 54-year drought without an NCAA Tournament win. Ben McCollum’s snail-page offense (59.4 possessions per game is slowest in the nation per KenPom) looks to take down the nation’s No. 5 offense in a slugfest in Wichita.
San Diego State to Dayton to face North Carolina
While many had viewed North Carolina as a team that was surely out of the field, their inclusion in the “last four in” gives Brian Dutcher and the Aztecs motivation to end their March early. San Diego State gets into the tournament for the fifth time in a row and hope to prolong their appearance this year.
UC San Diego gets Michigan in Denver
The Tritons in their first-ever NCAA Tournament in program history will take on first-year head coach Dusty May and the Michigan Wolverines in Denver. With a 35 NET ranking, the team is deceivingly even with the Wolverines, and behind Tyler McGhie, they hope to get their program’s first NCAA Tournament win as well.
Another talented 14-seed taking on Kentucky…
The Wildcats, while having a completely new roster this season, hope to avoid an upset, but the Sun Belt champion Troy Trojans hope to do the exact opposite. SBC Player of the Year Tayton Conerway will look to prolong their season even longer with a win in Milwaukee over the three-seed.
