Espn All You Need to Know About March Madness
The posturing and politicking is finished. The field has been chosen, the bracket has been set up and the madness of March has finally arrived in college basketball game.
Having trouble making sense of it all? No problem. Here are x things yous should know virtually this year'due south NCAA tournament:
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Outset FOUR: The NCAA tournament hasn't started on Thursday for years, just there may exist more than interest than ever in the four "First Four" games played Tuesday and Midweek in Dayton, Ohio. Sure, Albany and Mount St. Mary'southward are probably playing for a take a chance to be whipped past overall No. 1 seed Florida, and the winner of Cal Poly-Texas Southern will have to face unbeaten Wichita Country. But the other 2 games feature some notable names: Iowa and Tennessee are vying to be the No. 11 seed and Northward Carolina Land and Xavier will battle to be the No. 12 seed in the S Region.
"It didn't affair what seed or where we were going, I'm just excited for the opportunity," said the Hawkeyes' Aaron White. "We're in. That'southward all you lot tin enquire for."
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Concluding FOUR: The drama of Pick Sunday oftentimes centers on the teams that were left out, and this year was no different. SMU didn't have consecutive losses until ending the regular flavor with defeats to Louisville and Memphis, but a loss to Houston in its AAC tournament opener bumped the Mustangs from the NCAA tournament to the NIT. Florida Land, Greenish Bay and Georgetown were besides left hanging when the terminal teams were placed in the bracket.
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REGION TO Spotter: Even coaches who landed in other regions pointed to the Midwest as the most brutal road to the Final 4 in Arlington, Texas. Forth with the tiptop-seeded Shockers, you take two of the hottest teams in the country in Louisville and Michigan - who played in last yr's national title game - and perennial powerhouses Duke and Kentucky.
"Yous can analyze information technology a lot of different ways," said Kansas State coach Bruce Weber, whose team will confront Kentucky in the viii-9 matchup on Friday in St. Louis. "We're going to have to play and it doesn't matter who you play. Yous've got to play good basketball."
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BEWARE THE 12 SEEDS: Just about every year, it seems a No. 12 seed rises up to knock off a No. 5 seed. Iii of them did it last year in Oregon, Mississippi and California. And each of the 12-5 games in this year's tournament offers reason to be wary. Stephen F. Austin, which plays VCU, hasn't lost since November. Due north Dakota State heads into its game against Oklahoma featuring a dynamic playmaker in Taylor Braun. The winner of Due north Carolina State-Xavier volition have some momentum heading into a game against No. five seed Saint Louis. And Ivy League gnaw Harvard has won viii straight as it prepares to face Cincinnati.
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IF THE SHOE FITS: Sure, the notion of a "Cinderella" has become cliche, just it's likewise one of the endearing elements of the NCAA tournament. Then is there a team seeded lower than 12 that has a run a risk to make some dissonance? How about Tulsa, led past Danny Manning, in its opener against UCLA? Later on all, they called his 1988 title Kansas squad "Danny and the Miracles" for a reason. And don't forget the Gilded Hurricanes upset the Bruins in the starting time round of the 1994 tournament.
"UCLA is a very talented team," Manning said. "They ended upwards winning the (Pac-12) tournament championship. They played very well in that game and they've got actually good players that I've seen and watched for a very long fourth dimension. We've got our hands full, but I like the matchup."
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POTENTIAL REMATCHES: The NCAA selection does its best to brand sure teams that faced each other in the regular season, such as conference rivals, don't see early on in the NCAA tournament. Merely that doesn't mean there aren't some tasty potential rematches. Kansas could face New Mexico, a squad it beat in Dec, if both win their opener in the South Region. Saint Joseph's could get a risk to avenge a thirty-point whipping by No. two seed Villanova in the third round, and 5th-seeded Saint Louis could get some other crack at Wichita State in the Sweet 16.
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Bluish BLOODS: At that place are 14 schools that take won multiple NCAA championships. All but two of them - Indiana and San Francisco - are in this twelvemonth's field. The listing is topped by UCLA, the 4th seed in the S, with its 11 national titles. The Bruins are joined there by No. one seed Florida and second-seeded Kansas. Oklahoma State won its titles as Oklahoma A&M, and is the No. ix seed in the W. Cincinnati, UConn, North Carolina and Michigan State inhabit the East, and Knuckles, Kentucky and Due north Carolina State resides in the Midwest.
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NEWCOMERS: There are two newcomers to this year's party, Cal Poly and North Carolina Central. Cal Poly got in despite its xiii-19 tape when reserve guard Ridge Shipley striking a iii-pointer with thirteen.seven seconds left for a 61-59 victory over Cal State Northridge in the Big W title game, and NC Central punched its ticket in but its seventh season in Division I by beating Morgan State 71-62 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title game.
"It's a testament to what these guys practice - emotional stamina and mental toughness," said Cal Poly's Chris Eversley. "It started with the coaching staff and the guys we brought in - guys that were willing to buy into our program both offensively and defensively."
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ODDS: It was no surprise that Florida was installed as the early favorite to win the national title by the Las Vegas casinos. Several that put out lines immediately subsequently the subclass was revealed had the Gators at 4-i. Michigan State, Arizona and Kansas were in the next tier of favorites, followed by a group that included Wichita State, Virginia, Duke, Syracuse and Louisville.
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HOME COOKING: Several teams are going to feel correct at home for their opening games of the tournament. And several teams are going to feel like information technology's a route game. Florida plays the Albany-Mount St. Mary's winner in Orlando, and UCLA takes on Stephen F. Austin in San Diego. Syracuse heads downwards the road to Buffalo for its game against Western Michigan. Baylor will face Nebraska in San Antonio, Wisconsin plays American in Milwaukee, and Duke will open confronting Mercer in Raleigh, N.C.
"We're but excited to be in the tournament, get-go of all, then being a 2 seed in Milwaukee, I mean, it'due south going to be playing close to domicile, but means yous did something skillful this twelvemonth," said the Badgers' Josh Gasser. "Y'all get rewarded for what you've done."
Source: https://www.aol.com/article/2014/03/17/10-things-to-know-about-march-madness/20851662/
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