Conference Winner: Cincinnati
Yes, this should have been SMU but Larry Brown is as dirty
as John Calipari but just doesn’t cover his tracks as good. Either way I
thought the Bearcats would give them a good run at the top spot. All
starters for Cincinnati return from last years’ tournament team but more
importantly Mick Cronin is back after having to take the season off to recover
from his brain aneurism. That alone with SMU out and a weak bottom half
conference should be enough for Cincinnati to return to prominence.
At-Large: Connecticut
I considered Connecticut for a little while at the top but
the loss of Ryan Boatwright is going to be bigger than people think.
Kevin Ollie is a good coach and I like a few of their pieces, including a
couple graduate transfers, but it usually takes a while for those players to
mesh together. I see the Huskies as a team that stubbles out of the
block; finishes under the radar and then wreaks havoc upon the bracket when
they are under seeded.
At-Large: Tulsa
Frank Haith returns his top 8 players from last year and
look to take that next step from the NIT to the NCAA. Last year they
started hot, going 10-0 but then kind of limped through finishing 23-11.
This year they have a little tougher non-conference schedule so 10-0 may not be
possible but I guarantee their computer numbers will be a lot better. I
don’t expect 30 wins but Tulsa is good enough to secure a bid around 10-11
seed.
Possible At-Large: Memphis
Too much turnover and turmoil at Memphis. Josh Pastner
may be on the hot seat at this point.
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