By Mike Rifkin
Top Seeds
- Arizona
- Villanova
- Tennessee
- Illinois
- Houston
Best 1st round matchup (7) Ohio State vs (10) Loyola Chicago. Ohio State was upset as a 2 seed last year by Oral Roberts. Loyola Chicago is a defensively sound team that will not be afraid of the big stage. I really like the Ramblers in this game.
Biggest upset ( 12) UAB over (5) Houston. The Blazers are on fire, so are the Cougars. But season ending injuries to two of Houston’s guards could be the difference, as could UAB’s three point shooting they shoot 38 percent from behind the arc. Houston’s three point defense sits at 29 percent. ( Bonus Chattanooga over Illinois)
Team to make a run: (10) Loyola Chicago. Lot of people are picking Chattanooga and rightfully so but the Ramblers bring a lot of experience to this tournament. They share the basketball averaging 15 assists per game, and they turn the ball over 12 times per game. But they have very balanced scoring throughout their lineup.
Player to watch : Kofi Cockburn Illinois: If Illinois is going to make a run in this tournament it’s because of the man in the middle. Cockburn averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds per game, Illinois can not afford him to have a bad game.
Region Winner: (1) Arizona: Arizona was one of the most consistent teams all season. They average 84.6 points per game third in the nation, they shoot 49.6 percent from the field third in the nation. They have seven players who shoot higher than 30 percent from three including two who shoot 50 percent. Arizona is a tough out and I expect them to get to the Final Four.
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