It’s Selection Sunday. The NCAA Tournament is about to start and there is a lot to discuss.
Let’s start 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 forward Norchad Omier and his ankle. These questions and the concerns of Canes fans have merit. That being said, don’t look for much injury news on the big guy.
Why would head coach Jim Larranaga give that away? Barring anything unforeseen, when Omier returns to the field, everyone will know. In the meantime, we wait. There is another topic regarding Miami hoops that also needs to be addressed.
Should Miami be ranked higher than the vast majority of prognosticators have predicted?
Depending on where you look, most groups have Miami as a fifth or even a No. 6 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament. There may be advantages to having lower seeds than the Canes desire.
First, it’s motivation. For crying out loud, Miami won the ACC regular season title. It’s impressive. Getting a seed as low as No. 5 or 6 won’t sit well with the Canes players or coaches.
Second, it’s a chance to make history and improve NBA Draft stock. All hurricanes I’ll cover these topics a little more later today in its own separate article, but keep in mind that this Hurricanes basketball team has earned its spot and should not be taken lightly to go from the front.
As for a Miami prediction, expect the Canes to at least reach the Final 8, assuming Omier ends up with a healthy ankle.
Cinderella is coming?
If there’s ever a year where a seed higher than No. 4 can cut down the nets, 2023 could be it. Now guess this team, good luck. One could argue that this year’s tournament would be a good bet to pick a true underdog. Just something to think about after checking the official materials later this evening.
Now it’s a serious race
Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo is a living legend. He coached 10 regular season Big 10 champions for the Spartans, six other teams won the Big 10 Tournament, and then there’s his success in the NCAA Tournament.
Izzo helped Michigan State win the national title in 2000. It was the Spartans’ first time since Magic Johnson led the Green and Whites to the 1979 championship Larry Bird and Indiana State.
He was also the leader of eight Michigan State teams that reached the Final Four. Of course, none of these Final Four appearances would have happened without Michigan State consistently being invited to the Big Dance. Or simply be invited every year for 25 consecutive seasons…
This is one of the most astonishing statistics one can come up with. An injury, a missed jump shot, something “whatever” goes wrong and the Spartans haven’t made the NCAA tournament in one of the last 25 years. Truly remarkable.
For the 2023 NCAA tournament, MSU was projected as a No. 7 seed according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
Alabama basketball in the Final Four?
It’s entirely possible, yes.
With a KemPom-adjusted efficiency measure of +26.94, Alabama has proven to be one of the best college basketball programs in the country. The Crimson Tide is 28-5, including an impressive 16-2 during the SEC regular season schedule.
Now, Alabama will face No. 18 Texas A&M for the SEC tournament championship. Consistency in playing at a high level for much of the season showed that the Tide could actually be a Final Four contender.
While Bama will likely always be a football school, don’t rule out forward Brandon Miller as one of Alabama’s many talented players who will end up at NRG Stadium in Houston for the 2023 Final Four.
Watch out for Duke
Love the Dukies or hate them, they’re a hot basketball team. All these young talents have solidified themselves; don’t be shocked if the power advances Kyle Filipowski and the Blue Devils find themselves in the Final Four.
It’s true – Duke going to the Final Four is entirely possible – and the way they played last month is proof of that.
It’s important to note that Duke is starting four players who are in their first season. Although Duke had some bumps earlier in the year, the Blue Devils have won nine straight games, including beating Virginia to win the ACC tournament title yesterday.
Which teams advance to the Final Four?
As a college basketball fan for over 40 years, there’s nothing cooler than watching the NCAA Tournament after drawing up the brackets and projecting the Final Four teams.
This year, it’s particularly difficult with frankly no one dominant team that everyone projected to cut down the nets. That said, and although premature with the official tables being released later today, here are the top four teams from a writer’s personal perspective. Take it with a grain of salt.
Kansas, Houston, Alabama and Duke. UCLA would be next on the list, but again, watch out for the Blue Devils. This team has completely changed the way they play lately.
Now, how each of these teams are ranked will determine whether they can all advance to the Final Four. We’ll all know later tonight when the brackets are released.
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