What team this year will surprise you with an upset over a highly seeded team like Ohio (seeded 14) beating Georgetown (seeded 3) by 14 in the first round last season?
The Belmont Bruins may not surprise everybody with their 30-4 (19-1) record but I'm sure that not everybody has seen them play on many occasion in the Atlantic Sun. Belmont has won 21 of their last 22 games. Their four losses (two to Tennessee, one to Vanderbilt, and one to Lipscmob away in conference play) have all come in single digits. They have great balance with three players averaging over 10 points a game and 8 different guys have lead their team in scoring in games this season. Belmont's leading scorer Ian Clark commented on his team's depth by saying, "It will help us in the tournament as well seeing as other teams probably won't sub as much as our system, and it could help us in the last minutes of the game in a big game in the NCAA tournament."
Some people may recognize the Oakland Golden Grizzlies (24-9, 17-1) for their extremely difficult non-conference schedule featuring seven tournament bound teams or their victory over Tennessee on the road in Knoxville. They have a high-powered offense that scores 85.5 points a game, which ranks second highest in the country. They may also have the best player in the country that nobody has heard of. Keith Benson who is averaging over 17 points and 10 rebounds a game is a monster in the post. Benson is complemented by Reggie Hamilton who is also averaging over 17 points a game as well. Oakland only lost to Michigan St. by one point and on the road to Illinois by nine. They are battle tested and their star players have proven they can play well in big games including Benson who had 26 and 10 against Tennessee and 28 and 14 in their Summit League championship game victory over Oral Roberts.
It is incredible to watch Kenneth Faried and his ability to score and even more so to watch one of his NCAA career record 1,643 rebounds. The threat of the 6-8 Faried and his counterpart Demonte Harper are dangerous to any team in the tournament. After Morehead State's (24-9,13-5) six point loss to Florida on the road in Gainesville, Florida head coach Billy Donovan was more than impressed with Faried's 20 point and 18 rebound performances including 7 boards on the offensive end. Donovan said about Faried, "That's Dennis Rodman all over again. If I was an NBA general manager I'd be taking him with my pick. That's what a next-level guy looks like. He just totally destroyed our frontcourt. ... That was definitely an incredible performance by a terrific player." I am sure that no fan wants their team's front-line to have to deal with Faried for 40 minutes in order to advance.
After Cornell's run last season into the Sweet 16, people should no longer look right over the Ivy League champion. On May 12 in New Haven, Connecticut the Harvard Crimson (23-5, 12-2) will be taking on the Princeton Tigers (24-6, 12-2) in a one game playoff for the right to be in the field of 68. The winner of this game could cause some serious havoc for a team in the big dance. Harvard is looking to ride their balanced attack with 6 guys averaging at least 9.5 points per game to their first NCAA tournament since 1946. Harvard plays great defense and has proven this fact with wins over Boston College on the road and Colorado at home, holding both to under 70 points. Princeton has proven they can win the big game with their 12 point win on the road against Penn to force the one game playoff. It is never easy to play a team like Princeton who can get hot from three as they shot 37 percent from behind the arc. Whatever team wins will most likely receive a 12 or 13 seed in the bracket and be a tough out in the tournament. You will have to beat them, as they won't beat themselves.
The Belmont Bruins may not surprise everybody with their 30-4 (19-1) record but I'm sure that not everybody has seen them play on many occasion in the Atlantic Sun. Belmont has won 21 of their last 22 games. Their four losses (two to Tennessee, one to Vanderbilt, and one to Lipscmob away in conference play) have all come in single digits. They have great balance with three players averaging over 10 points a game and 8 different guys have lead their team in scoring in games this season. Belmont's leading scorer Ian Clark commented on his team's depth by saying, "It will help us in the tournament as well seeing as other teams probably won't sub as much as our system, and it could help us in the last minutes of the game in a big game in the NCAA tournament."
Some people may recognize the Oakland Golden Grizzlies (24-9, 17-1) for their extremely difficult non-conference schedule featuring seven tournament bound teams or their victory over Tennessee on the road in Knoxville. They have a high-powered offense that scores 85.5 points a game, which ranks second highest in the country. They may also have the best player in the country that nobody has heard of. Keith Benson who is averaging over 17 points and 10 rebounds a game is a monster in the post. Benson is complemented by Reggie Hamilton who is also averaging over 17 points a game as well. Oakland only lost to Michigan St. by one point and on the road to Illinois by nine. They are battle tested and their star players have proven they can play well in big games including Benson who had 26 and 10 against Tennessee and 28 and 14 in their Summit League championship game victory over Oral Roberts.
It is incredible to watch Kenneth Faried and his ability to score and even more so to watch one of his NCAA career record 1,643 rebounds. The threat of the 6-8 Faried and his counterpart Demonte Harper are dangerous to any team in the tournament. After Morehead State's (24-9,13-5) six point loss to Florida on the road in Gainesville, Florida head coach Billy Donovan was more than impressed with Faried's 20 point and 18 rebound performances including 7 boards on the offensive end. Donovan said about Faried, "That's Dennis Rodman all over again. If I was an NBA general manager I'd be taking him with my pick. That's what a next-level guy looks like. He just totally destroyed our frontcourt. ... That was definitely an incredible performance by a terrific player." I am sure that no fan wants their team's front-line to have to deal with Faried for 40 minutes in order to advance.
After Cornell's run last season into the Sweet 16, people should no longer look right over the Ivy League champion. On May 12 in New Haven, Connecticut the Harvard Crimson (23-5, 12-2) will be taking on the Princeton Tigers (24-6, 12-2) in a one game playoff for the right to be in the field of 68. The winner of this game could cause some serious havoc for a team in the big dance. Harvard is looking to ride their balanced attack with 6 guys averaging at least 9.5 points per game to their first NCAA tournament since 1946. Harvard plays great defense and has proven this fact with wins over Boston College on the road and Colorado at home, holding both to under 70 points. Princeton has proven they can win the big game with their 12 point win on the road against Penn to force the one game playoff. It is never easy to play a team like Princeton who can get hot from three as they shot 37 percent from behind the arc. Whatever team wins will most likely receive a 12 or 13 seed in the bracket and be a tough out in the tournament. You will have to beat them, as they won't beat themselves.
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