One shining moment. Confetti falling overhead. A trip to the White House. These glorious images are what every NCAA basketball player strives for. Soon, the time is coming when dreams come true, and hopes are shattered. March Madness.
One of the problems with the NBA is that there’s always one team that has the finals in the bag from day one. This year it’s the Heat. With Lebron, D. Wade, Chris Bosh and company, I feel like I’ve already seen the 2013 Finals. This is how last year’s NCAA tournament felt. Kentucky, led by the dominant seven- foot Anthony Davis and sharp-shooting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, it was certainly Kentucky’s championship to lose. Not so this year.
With Kentucky’s lineup depleted and their All-American center Nerlens Noel out with a torn ACL, John Calipari’s bad karma seems to have finally caught up with him. The current number one spot belongs to Washington’s Gonzaga. They sit at 1st with a 28-2 record, but one glance at their laughable competition throughout the regular season leaves me unimpressed.
I could go on and on, but the fact is, there is no Miami Heat, no Kentucky this year. The Wildcat’s powerhouse shoes have yet to be filled. Lets take a look at my top 5 teams (not necessarily in order) and I will try and determine this year’s “powerhouse”.
Indiana. A solid team overall, led by Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller. I expect them to take a one seed come the tournament. Although they have recently had some tough losses, I believe they will ride their raw talent until breaks underneath them.
Miami. You may not see many highlights from this team, but they can play. Despite their primary weapon, sophomore guard Shane Larkin, a deadly three-point shooter, the Hurricanes’ main advantage is the team as a whole. This group plays great as a team and gets a solid contribution from just about everyone on their lineup. This team is one to watch out for but their lack of raw talent will be a factor come the nail-biting final moments in a close game.
Duke. This is the team I am most worried about. This squad is stacked. Senior forward Mason Plumlee averages a double-double and shoots nearly 60% from the floor. In addition to Plumlee, throw in there four of the best three-point shooters in the country, (Kelly: .521%, Curry: .437, Sulaimon: .415, Cook: .410). When you do that, it’s hard to lose.
Michigan. What is happening to them? When the Wolverines are on their home court they’re unstoppable, but away… they’ve lost four straight. Sure they’ve got talent. Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. are the real deal, but if this team can’t find away to win outside their comfort zone, they might as well make a conference with Kentucky and Gonzaga!
Kansas. Obviously I’m biased, but this year KU is the real deal. Kansas has what it takes to win it all. Bill Self is starting four seniors-Withey, Johnson, Young, and Releford- (all with final four experience), and arguably the most talented freshman in the league -Ben Mclemore, (notice I didn’t say the best). With that experience and that talent, how could they lose? I’ll tell you how. Kansas has a tendency to play down to their opponent, especially when they have a stacked roster. Must I remind you? 2010: the Jayhawks get knocked off in the second round by the 9 seed Northern Iowa. Our lineup that year included Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich, Xavier Henry, and the infamous Morris twins. 2011: the following year, KU suffers a humiliating defeat at the hands of the grossly un-talented VCU with perhaps the best roster Kansas University has ever had (Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed, Thomas Robinson, Tyshawn Taylor, Josh Selby, and the NBA committed Morris twins).
I won’t rant any longer. The bottom line is this: Kansas’ greatest fear isn’t Indiana, or Michigan, or even Duke. It’s the little guy. The underdog, Cinderella, whatever you want to call it. Beware of the underdog.
