NCAA Tournament Notes and Final 4 Predictions
It’s Selection Sunday. The NCAA Tournament will get rolling soon and there’s much to discuss.
Let’s start off with a question about Miami, followed by a few more questions, and a Final Four prediction.
What about the Canes and their NCAA seed?
There are questions about the health of power forward Norchad Omier and his ankle. Those questions, and concerns from Canes fans, have merit. That being the case, do not look for much injury news about the big guy.
Why would head coach Jim Larranaga hand that out? Barring something unforeseen, when Omier steps on the court again, everyone will know. Until then, we wait. There’s another topic with Miami hoops that needs to be addressed as well.
Should Miami be seeded higher than what the vast majority of prognosticators have them?
Depending on where one looks, most brackets have Miami as a #5 or even as low as a #6 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Perhaps there will be benefits to a lower seed than the Canes wanted.
One, it’s motivation. For crying out loud, Miami won the ACC regular season title. That’s impressive. Getting a seed as low as No. 5 or 6 will not sit well with Canes players or coaches.
Second, it’s a chance to make history, and improve NBA Draft stock. All Hurricanes will dive into these topics a little more later today in its own separate article, but keep in mind that this Hurricanes basketball team earned its way and should not be taken lightly moving forward.
As for a Miami prediction, look for the Canes to at least reach the Final 8, assuming Omier ends up with a healthy ankle.
Cinderella shows up?
If there’s a year that a seed higher than a No. 4 can cut down the nets, 2023 might be the one. Now, guessing that squad, good luck. One could argue that this year’s tournament would be a good bet for picking a true underdog. Just something to think about after one checks the official brackets later this evening.
Now that’s a serious run
Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo is a living legend. He’s coached 10 Big 10 regular season champions for the Spartans, another six teams won the Big 10 Tournament, and then there’s his success in the NCAA Tournament.
Izzo helped lead Michigan State to the 2000 national title. That was the first for the Spartans since Magic Johnson led the Green and White to the 1979 championship over Larry Bird and Indiana State.
He’s also been the leader of eight Michigan State teams that reached the Final Four. Of course, none of those Final Four appearances would have taken place without Michigan State being consistently invited to the Big Dance. Or, just flat out being invited every year for 25 consecutive seasons…
Congratulations to Coach Izzo. Quite the accomplishment. #NCAATournament https://t.co/0fAPdqrB2L
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) March 12, 2023
That’s one of the most astounding statistics anyone could accomplish. One injury, one missed jump shot, one “anything” going wrong and the Spartans did not make the NCAA Tournament during one of the past 25 years. Truly remarkable.
For the 2023 NCAA Tournament, MSU has been projected as a No. 7 seed according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
Alabama basketball in the Final Four?
It’s quite possible, yes.
With a KemPom adjusted efficiency metric of +26.94, Alabama has proven to be one of the nation’s top college basketball programs. The Crimson Tide have gone 28-5, including an impressive 16-2 during the SEC regular season schedule.
Now, Alabama will play #18 Texas A&M for the SEC Tournament championship. The consistency to play at a high level for much of the season has shown that the Tide could in fact be a Final Four contender.
While Bama will likely always be a football school, do not discount forward Brandon Miller, among many talented Alabama players, to end up in Houston’s NRG Stadium for the 2023 Final Four.
Watch out for Duke
Love the Dukies or hate them, that’s a red-hot basketball team. All of that young talent has gelled; do not be shocked if power forward Kyle Filipowski and the Blue Devils end up in the Final Four.
That’s right – Duke going to the Final Four is quite possible – and the way they’ve played the last month has been the proof for why.
It’s important to note that Duke starts four players that are in their freshman seasons. While Duke did have its lumps earlier in the year, the Blue Devils have won nine consecutive games, including having knocked off Virginia to win the ACC Tournament title yesterday.
Which teams make it to the Final Four?
As a college basketball junky over the course of 40-plus years, there’s nothing cooler than watching the NCAA Tournament after making out brackets and projecting the Final Four teams.
This year, it’s especially difficult with quite frankly no one dominant team that everyone has projected to cut down the nets. With that stated, and albeit premature with the official brackets coming out later today, here are the four best teams from one writer’s personal perspective. Take it with a grain of salt.
Kansas, Houston, Alabama and Duke. UCLA would be next in line, but again, watch out for the Blue Devils. This team has completely changed its path with how its played of late.
Now, how each of those teams get seeded will determine if they can all make it to the Final Four. We will all know later tonight when the brackets come out.
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Fan Nation High school football recruiting analyst covering the state of Florida, as well as across the Southeastern United States and the state of Texas.