Despite being the top seed overall, UConn was certainly not given any favors in this region. There are several very good teams within this grouping — and more than a handful have the potential to make it to at least the Elite 8. Can the Huskies withstand the tough road and repeat as National Champions?
(1) UConn vs. (16) Stetson
UConn will roll in this game. It won’t be much of a contest — and Dan Hurley’s team will set the tone moving forward for what everyone expects to be another deep run.
Winner: UConn
(8) FAU vs. (9) Northwestern
This could be Dusty May’s last hurrah as FAU”s head coach. A multitude of Power 5 teams are circling one of the industry’s brightest young coaching stars. He’s notched a .651 win percentage since taking the head coaching job at FAU in 2018. His Owls play an up-tempo game — quite dissimilar from Northwestern. Chris Collins wants to play methodically, slowly, and with toughness. This is a classic contrast in styles. Whichever team can better control the tempo will win. The guard battle of Boo Buie versus Johnell Davis figures to be a lot of fun.
Winner: FAU
(5) San Diego State vs. (12) UAB
SDSU is a battle-tested team — and one with better talent than you’d think from a Mid-Major program. The Aztecs are led by two transfers JaeDon LeDee (Ohio State) and Reese Dixon-Waters (USC). SDSU might not shoot it well from three, but it’s a deep, athletic team with plenty of experience across the board. Brian Dutcher’s team will be too much for UAB.
Winner: SDSU
(4) Auburn vs. (13) Yale
We’ve seen this story before. The uber-athletic team from a big conference getting chopped down by the Ivy League team that shoots the crap out of the ball from three. Yale just eked its way into the Big Dance by connecting on a buzzer-beater in its conference tournament. By all accounts, the Bulldogs were not the best team in the Ivy League. Auburn has won six in a row (including the SEC Tournament). Bruce Pearl employs a 10-man rotation, and the combination of pressure and athleticism will bother Yale’s shooters.
Winner: Auburn
(6) BYU vs. (11) Duquesne
BYU fared decently well in its first season within the Big 12. The Cougars by some estimations were projected to be a No. 5 seed. However, due to the fact the school does not compete on Sundays, they were allegedly moved down a notch. That’s not great news for Duquesne. Guard Jaxson Robinson leads a balanced attack where seven Cougars average at least 9.0 PPG.
Winner: BYU
(3) Illinois vs. (14) Morehead St.
Illinois triumphantly won the Big Ten tournament — knocking off a tough Wisconsin team in the final. This could be Brad Underwood’s best team top-to-bottom when factoring in guard depth and big-man play. While the Illini have fallen victim to early exits in some of the more recent tournaments, this team has the look of one that can make a sizable run throughout March.
Winner: Illinois
(7) Washington St. vs. (10) Drake
Washington State is one of the more underrated teams in the field. Playing up in Pullman, Kyle Smith has done a fantastic job rebuilding a roster that lost multiple guys a year ago. Jaylen Wells has been fantastic as a wing scorer, Myles Rice is an all-conference player, and Idaho transfer Isaac Jones is a tough matchup in the post. On the other hand, Drake has taken down multiple tournament teams this year (Nevada, Akron). The Bulldogs have won 10 of their last 11 ball games. Tucker DeVries averages nearly 22 points a game, and the Cougars don’t have a great matchup for him defensively.
Winner: Drake
(2) Iowa State vs. (15) South Dakota St.
Remember when lowly 15-seed Hampton took down No. 2 Iowa State and Jamaal Tinsley in the first round of the 2001 tournament? Well, history won’t be repeating itself this year. The Cyclones are loaded — and are a potential Final Four sleeper if things break correctly. ISU thoroughly dominated Baylor and Houston en route to winning the Big 12 Tournament. Tamin Lipsey is a stud, and Keshon Gilbert can fill it up on a moment’s notice.
Winner: Iowa State
(1) UConn vs. (8) FAU
The battle of the big men will be huge in this contest. FAU boasts 7’1″ center Vlad Goldin — whereas the Huskies have 7’2″ rising star Donovan Clingan. Goldin is a crafty player. He scores in the paint utilizing a plethora of different moves. He also averages 1.6 BPG. Clingan isn’t the offensive player Goldin is. However, he’s a bigger, better athlete, and has the size to be quite disruptive. FAU’s four-guard lineup meshes well with UConn’s personnel. The Huskies won’t be outflanked or surprised by the tempo FAU will try to incorporate.
Winner: UConn
(4) Auburn vs. (5) San Diego St.
Auburn presents a few matchup issues for SDSU. For one, the Aztecs aren’t very big. The tallest guy they play is 6’9″. Johni Broome should be able to establish himself in the paint for the Tigers early and often. Secondly, Auburn’s pressure defense should impact SDSU’s ability to shoot the ball. As it stands, the Aztecs as a team shoot only 31.3 percent from behind the arc on the year.
Winner: Auburn
(3) Illinois vs. (6) BYU
BYU is going to have a tough time defending Terrence Shannon Jr. There’s not one player on the Cougars’ roster possessing the length nor athleticism to bother the 23.0 PPG scorer. This is perhaps the single biggest reason as to why Illinois has an edge in this ballgame. The Illini in general are also a funky matchup for about everyone. There’s a lot of size up front and at the wing spots. BYU will have to shoot the lights out to combat the physicality Illinois brings.
Winner: Illinois
(2) Iowa St. vs. (10) Drake
There’s always a Cinderella story somewhere, right? In this case, Drake is going to be that Mid-Major squad that gets hot in a hurry. Many will have Iowa State as a trendy pick to make the Final Four. Not so fast, my friends! Guard Atin Wright will hit five threes in this contest. The Cyclones will be unable to turn the Bulldogs over — and instead, it’ll be Iowa State having issues taking care of the ball. Drake’s 6’10” 275-pound big man Darnell Brodie will also make his presence known.
Winner: Drake
(1) UConn vs. (4) Auburn
Auburn wants to overwhelm opponents with depth and athleticism. Well, UConn is a team built to withstand both potential ‘issues’ that a team may face when playing the Tigers. Broome will struggle to score over Clingan and Alex Karaban. Cam Spencer will light up Auburn for multiple threes, and the Tigers will ultimately wilt against the toughness Connecticut brings to the table.
Winner: UConn
(3) Illinois vs. (10) Drake
The run will continue! On paper, Illinois should win this game. They have advantages in both size and talent. However, there’s just going to be something special about this Drake team. The Bulldogs will play freely — whereas Illinois will stall based on the pressure it has to win the game. Drake better enjoy this win, which could be the best in program history. Up next for the Bulldogs is a buzzsaw nobody wants to see…
Winner: Drake
(1) UConn vs. (10) Drake
Connecticut will not be denied. When Clingan, Karaban, and Tristen Newton came back to school, you knew this team was on a mission to repeat. All of the ingredients are there — from size and athleticism to shooting from the perimeter. When factoring in the experience from last year, along with the pedigree this team collectively has cultivated, there’s no doubt that this is the favorite to win it all. Unfortunately for Drake, the Cinderella story ends here.
Winner: UConn