Two years since our last NCAA Tournament, March Madness finally makes its return with four play-in games on Thursday, followed by a full weekend of college basketball action. With much to uncover, a number of sleeper teams look capable of making an extended run, while a few others draw tougher matchups. The piece below will take an initial reaction approach to everything March Madness has to offer.
[MARCHMADNESS]
College Basketball: March Madness Reactions
Sleeper Teams
LSU — After finishing the regular season 16-8, LSU played Alabama down to the final possession in the SEC championship. Their season was highlighted by a 5-7 record in Quad 1 games, which featured victories over Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri. However, this team fell to Kentucky, Texas Tech, Florida and Alabama three times. Now landing a No. 8 seed, this uptempo offensive powerhouse looks capable of making a run.
With three elite players in Cameron Thomas, Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart, the Tigers pose problems immediately. In Round 1 LSU draws a St. Bonaventure team that narrowly made the tournament. The Bonnies finished with a 16-4 record this year but only played five Quad 1 games (3-2). St. Bonaventure plays with one of the slowest paces in college basketball, creating instant problems against a hyper-athletic LSU team.
Beyond St. Bonaventure, LSU looks capable of making a run. Michigan is a toothless No. 1 seed after losing Isaiah Livers. In the Sweet 16, LSU will see one of Georgetown (which was under .500 prior to the Big East tournament), Colorado or Florida State. Keep LSU in mind as a potential sleeper this March.
Oregon — After battling COVID-19 stoppages and a slew of injuries, Oregon finally enters the NCAA tournament with a healthy roster. Despite their numerous obstacles, the Ducks finished 20-6 this season. Between Eugene Omoruyi and Eric Williams inside, combined with elite guard play in Chris Duarte, L.J. Figueroa and Will Richardson, this team can make a run.
Right away Oregon draws a matchup against bubble-team VCU. After going 10-4 in conference play, VCU lost by 9 to St. Bonaventure in the A-10 tournament. Oregon’s biggest weakness is size. No one in their starting five stands taller than 6-foot-6, which creates issues against larger teams. VCU also doesn’t have elite size, making this a solid draw for the Ducks.
Looking beyond the first round, Oregon runs into a potential matchup against Iowa. Iowa has Luka Garza but lost depth behind him when Jack Nunge went down. This still is a solid matchup for Oregon, with Iowa ranking outside the top 200 in 3-point defense. All five Oregon starters shoot at least 35% from 3.
West Virginia — After an early exit in the Big 12 tournament, West Virginia continues to fly under the radar ahead of their NCAA tournament debut against Morehead State. With Miles McBride and Derek Culver playing at an elite level, this star power should propel the Mountaineers beyond the first few rounds.
Looking at the Round 1 matchup, West Virginia has immense advantages. The Mountaineers rank 52nd in offensive efficiency, while Morehead State ranks 38th on defense. However, Morehead State has a weakness in the interior where Culver operates. Standing 6-foot-10 and averaging 9.8 rebounds and 14.6 points per game, Culver creates a matchup nightmare in this spot.
Beyond Round 1, the Mountaineers draw a matchup against a bubble opponent in the winner of San Diego State – Syracuse. They would not face legitimate competition until potentially Houston in the Sweet 16.
Tough Draws
Loyola Chicago — After winning the Missouri Valley Conference, Loyola Chicago drew arguably the most difficult matchup in all of the NCAA tournament. In Round 1 Loyola faces off against a surging Georgia Tech team that just took down the ACC tournament. With three-headed monster Jose Alvarado, Michael Devoe and Moses Wright, the Yellow Jackets should overwhelm a Loyola team that played four Quad 1 games all season long. If Loyola happens to sneak by Georgia Tech, they will take on the Big Ten champion in Illinois in Round 2.
Florida — After losing Keyontae Johnson just four games into the season, Florida rallied to finish with a 14-9 record After knocking off Vanderbilt in the first round of the SEC tournament, the Gators dropped their second contest to Tennessee. They finished 5-5 in Quad 1 games and draws a dangerous Round 1 opponent in Virginia Tech. The Hokies lost star guard Tyrece Radford for a portion of the season after a DUI arrest. Now back in action, the Hokies field a fully healthy roster that rivals some of the best teams in the country. That is not to mention Virginia Tech has an outright advantage in both offensive and defensive efficiency in this matchup.
Missouri — After starting the season with a couple elite wins, including a victory over Illinois, Missouri limped their way into the SEC tournament. They finished with a lackluster 16-9 record and ultimately lost six of their last nine games. Making matters worse, Missouri faces a dangerous Oklahoma team in Round 1. Oklahoma already has a superior ranking to Missouri in both offensive and defensive efficiency this season. If Missouri does pull off a victory, they will draw the top overall team in the country in Gonzaga.
Awesemo’s Upcoming March Madness Tournament Content:
- CBB DFS Live Before Locks with Ben Rasa and Matt Gajewski, one hour before contest lock, every day of the tournament.
- CBB DFS Picks articles from Matt Gajewski every day of the tournament.
- March Madness betting previews of every game, all tournament long.
- College basketball DFS, betting + bracket strategy first look: Tuesday afternoon with Matt Gajewski and Ben Rasa
- Bracketology: Regional, game-by-game preview with Matt Gajewski and Ben Rasa, 7 PM ET on Wednesday.
Best Bets
Wichita State -2 — After a 1-point loss to Cincinnati in the AAC conference tournament, Wichita State found themselves in a play-in game against Drake. Drake will play this game without Roman Penn and likely ShanQuan Hemphill after both suffered injuries down the stretch this season. The Shockers rank 140th in offensive efficiency, but won eight of their last nine games to get here.
Colorado -5 — After a brutal 2-point upset loss to Oregon State in the Pac-12 tournament, Colorado draws a chance to knock off another Cinderella in Georgetown. Georgetown, meanwhile, needed to take down the Big East in order to even make the tournament. Colorado ranks 30th in offensive efficiency and 42nd in defensive efficiency, while Georgetown ranks 183rd in offensive efficiency and 126th in defensive efficiency.
Follow us on all of our social channels! Check out our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more great Awesemo content.
Looking for more March Madness college basketball CBB DFS content? We have loads of NCAA Tournament articles, data, cheat sheets and more on the Awesemo CBB home page. Just click HERE.
