With the March Madness tournament right around the corner it’s more than right to start speculating the outcomes of the regular season and start talking about the beginning of the college tournament.
SUNY Cortland Students Weigh in on the Upcoming Tournament
Junior here at Cortland Dom Rossi talks about the excitement leading up to the tournament, “Unfortunately, Syracuse isn’t in the tournament, but with the SEC gearing up to have more than 10 teams in the field, it will be fun to watch and see if the SEC comes out on top in this tournament.” Another student, Senior Derek Tudman adds, “The round of 64 day should be a national holiday, it is exciting to see and try to predict which major upsets will occur and who this year’s Cinderella team will be.”
As the week comes to a close, teams like the Auburn Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, and Houston Cougars are in a three leg race to the top of the college basketball ranks, all three teams chasing the number one seed. Auburn has been dominant this season despite losing against Texas A&M most recently. The Tigers still hold the one seed but with the current two seed Duke’s star studded roster with Cooper Flagg [Freshman] and Isaiah Evens [Freshman] and Houston with their consistency of great play it’s hard to tell whether they will be able to hold it. Devoted Duke fan and Junior here at Cortland Will Daggett states, “I can’t wait for the tournament to start up, honestly I’m not worried about the one seed, two seed or even three seed, I’m convinced no matter where we’re at rank wise we have a really good chance to win the tournament.”
Several Freshman are on pace to have a great impact throughout this tournament. Duke’s roster is filled with star freshmen and future NBA first round picks, specifically Cooper Flagg, a Freshman averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists per game on an efficient 49.7% shooting from the field. Another Freshman helping Duke get the job done is guard Isaiah Evens giving the Blue Devil’s consistency off the bench posting 7.9 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists per game on 45% shooting. Especially in recent games Evans has added to Duke astonishing depth. Daggett adds, “I sleep well at night knowing that Cooper Flagg is on my team instead of another. Also the consistency off the bench is going to be scary for other teams in the tournament.”
With conference tournaments about to start up, teams look to rise up the ranks or even keep their tournament berth alive. St. John’s Red Storm for example, securing the Big-East regular season title aim to move up the ranks from only being a six seed. Formerly known traditional powerhouses like Ohio State [17-13], Indiana [18-12], North Carolina [20-11], and Texas [17-13] on the other hand have very critical games coming up to just secure a spot in the tournament.
Some mid-major teams are peaking at just the right time, the teams that usually get hot right before the start of the tournament tend to be the most sneaky and potential bracket busters. Saint Joseph’s and Drexel might be just that as both programs have extended their winning streaks to an impressive four games as they enter their conference tournaments awaiting a NCAA tournament berth.
With the college season coming to an end here shortly, these Cortland students can only hope for the best down the stretch as these teams prepare for the tournament. The stage is set for yet another incredible March for college basketball, where the best college teams in the country battle it out for a chance at basketball immortality.