Who is the ONE?
March Madness is here and it’s the most exciting time of the year for college basketball fans.The time of year where companies have done research and concluded that productivity drastically drops, as employees ditch work to follow every moment in hopes of winning their office pools. After the first four days, I want to focus on the top dogs in each bracket as some might wonder who is the real 1 of the Ones?
The Kansas Jayhawks plan to keep rolling and continue to look like the true #1 seed and the best team in the country. The North Carolina Tarheels need to consistently match their defensive intensity to go along with their potent high powered offense. UVA wants to finally get over the hump and make a Final Four. Middle Tennessee upset the team who’s been a thorn in their side for the last few years; Michigan State. Oregon plans to prove they belong with the big boys and continue their run and represent the west coast as other low seeds from the west have failed to do so.
The Kansas Jayhawks has been the most consistent team all season. After hitting a rough patch in the middle of the year they got their footing and ran away with the Big 12 for the 12th consecutive season.They have one of the most underrated coaches in the game in Bill Self and don’t have a single big name like most top-seeded teams, but have a collection of good players who plays great team ball. They started off Thursday by steamrolling Austin Peay by 28 points and beat dangerous Uconn team by 11 on Saturday and looked to be headed to make another strong Final Four run.
The North Carolina Tarheels may have the most talent in the tournament. Fresh off winning both the ACC conference and tournament. They have a stable of big men who are inner changeable and can wear down any front court on most nights, led by arguably the best big man in the country Bryce Johnson. There is no team left that can run with the Heels who can win most nights by outscoring the other team. The question most people have is if they can stay engaged and locked in defensively for 40 minutes.
The University of Virginia Cavaliers should send thank you cards to the 15th seed Middle Tennessee who put on their Cinderella slippers and upset Michigan State who have beaten the Cavs each of the last two years. UVA probably is the best defensive team left in the tournament with their smothering style and A+ communication. Led by ACC player of the year Malcolm Brogdon UVA has a cerebral, slow paced offense but also very efficient. That’s exactly what they showed on Thursday against Hampton winning in a runaway by 36 points where the only intense moment was when Coach Bennett collapsed in the first half but checked out fine. They beat Butler by 8 on Saturday as they again proved their style seems to fits the tournament perfect. If they force teams to play their brand of basketball, I don’t see any reason why the Cavaliers can’t be one of the last four teams standing.
The Oregon Ducks is the enigma out of all the 1 seeds. Not sure if it’s the west coast, a weaker schedule or a combination of both but they seem to fly under the radar all season but dominated the Pac 12 both in the regular season and the tournament. The Ducks are only the 10th team all-time to earn a 1 seed after entering the season unranked. Oregon like Kansas doesn’t have that one great player but has balance all over the court which makes it difficult for a defense to key in on. After a slew of the west coast teams failed to make it out of the round of 32, the Ducks flexed their left coast muscle by routing Holly Cross by 39 on Friday and proving their balance by having 4 players in double figures and 2 with 9 points. On Sunday, they struggled with St Josephs and had to come from behind in the final minutes to avoid the upset. They seem the most vulnerable of the one seeds and as the dominos have started to fall they remain in the toughest bracket with one-time number 1 Oklahoma and a Sweet 16 date with the Duke Blue devils.
Oregon seems to be in the most trouble but I don’t see the other one seeds going home anytime soon, Ironically, the Cinderella’s have cleared the path for the big dogs.After the first wave of games this tournament three of the four top teams have played so well, the question has yet to be answered, who is really the one of ones?
