Arch Madness
Arch Madness begins tomorrow night in St. Louis. In Brian’s latest bracket, he had Drake as one of the first 4 out and Indiana State as an 11-seed. I’d argue both teams should be in but that’s not how it works.
Indiana State won the regular season title, going 17-3 in league and 26-5 overall. They’re 46th in KenPom. Drake finished 2nd and went 25-6 overall, 16-4 in league. They’re 55th in KenPom. At a minimum, they both probably want to make the finals of this tournament.
Not far behind is Bradley who sits 69th in KenPom. That’s nice. They’re one of the best shooting teams in the nation and are capable of an offensive heater. They did go 4-4 over their last 8, however.
I’ll pick Drake and hope the committee takes 2.
WCC
The WCC begins their tournament in Las Vegas tomorrow night. St.Mary’s won the regular season title, going 15-1 but got trounced at home Saturday by the Zags. The box score says it was a 13-point loss, but it was never in doubt.
Speaking of the Zags, they enter the tournament on an 8-game winning streak. Early season mediocrity has slowly faded away. It took awhile for them to click but this might be Mark Few’s best coaching job in awhile. At 15 in KenPom, they’ll be underseeded and probably an afterthought in the brackets. Worth a flier in a few weeks.
San Francisco is the 3rd place team and at 71 in KenPom, a solid club. Unfortunately, they were swept by the top-2 during the regular season and probably shouldn’t instill any confidence in anyone wanting the WCC to be a bid thief.
I’ll pick St. Mary’s but think the Zags are a better bet for a deep March run. Interestingly, the MVC blew past the WCC this year in KenPom’s league metric. It’s the most improved league in the nation. Good to see the Valley bounce back
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