Free NCAA Tournament Picks and Start Times: Duke vs. Troy

They surged down the stretch of this season as a No. 1 seed in the minds of many, but they’ll enter the NCAA Tournament in the East Region as the scariest No. 2 seed you’ll ever see. Since Roy Williams is among the kings of control-freak coaches, you also just know his players wouldn’t dare answer a question along those lines. OK, Wall had some off-court issues, so maybe that isn’t the best example, but let’s move to recent times.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports laid out the case for the ACC Tournament champs on Saturday night. Grayson Allen with an ankle, Amile Jefferson with a foot; Tatum and Giles started the season on the injured list.

So, I’m sorry. I wanted it to be Gonzaga’s year too.

UNC-Wilmington gets their second crack at an ACC team, after falling to Duke past year. The Aggies smelled upset early, were shooting unusually well and led at halftime, but the Bears blew it open with a 53-point second half, switching its defense along the way and attacking the rim.

Additionally, the Tar Heels are a force on the boards and are among the best in limiting their opponent’s second-chance opportunities. Despite the Jayhawks’ lack of depth or imposing post play, this team just finds ways to win (RE: Duke, Kentucky, West Virginia, down 14 with 3 minutes to play).

Villanova’s only real challenge will be a questionable Duke squad that is peaking at the right time. A Madison Square Garden special. “I have to come out and do the same thing for a whole season”. Flip a coin in that one, but I’m going with the team that impressed me the most during Championship Week.

I love picking big upsets, but there were none here that I could pull the trigger on. “Yeah, I’d say it’s probably going to (happen)”, he said. If they can get by Dayton (which will be tough, because the Flyers are really good), Marshall’s team give Kentucky all that it can handle. “The public remembers that, and they’re betting them nonstop”. However, Princeton hasn’t lost since December. They have the right to host it whether our state is smart enough to have it. I can feel it. The Wildcats, always a threat with John Calipari coaching them, has the most National Basketball Association talent in the tournament with three players forecasted to go in the first round of the National Basketball Association draft – PG De’Aaron Fox, SG Malik Monk and C Bam Adebayo. They’ve beaten Florida, Iowa State, and Arizona. They beat Vandy by 23. In no particular order, here are five teams that got the short end of the stick on Sunday afternoon. Nothing came easy on offense for Quentin Snider and Donovan Mitchell, as the First Round win showcased Deng Adel’s value in the Card’s potential Final Four run. Tatum will be a key cog in the Duke machine if the Blue Devils are to continue their magical run in the NCAA Tournament.

Of course, there are several things working against the Redbirds – they’re No. 51 in KenPom (this makes them the eighth-best team to miss out by Pomeroy’s metrics), and like Wichita State, the record against RPI top-100 teams leaves a lot to be desired, coming in at 2-4 against those teams. The committee saw through the brand name of the program and the legendary coach to see a club that didn’t deserve to be the 10th ACC team in the field of 68, not with an Almighty RPI of 84 and a 2-11 record away from the Carrier Dome. They can only hope they get through. Yes, Oregon can still win without him, but E.C. Matthews and company are on a roll.

With short distances to Tulsa and their home-away-from-home in KC, Kansas should come out of the Midwest, but there’s the Izzo factor, Iowa State and Louisville, not to mention an OR team that has some inspiration to play for an injured teammate. He may be one of the many new March heroes to steal the stage in the next few weeks.

Count me as one of those people. Never count out Rick Pitino in March.

It’s possible with the defending national champion Wildcats and North Carolina, a five-time champ, are No. 1 seeds on opposite sides of this year’s bracket.

Nah, he’s back for more. Williams gives Middle Tennessee State a three-headed monster that can score against anybody.

“When I think of Bob Harris, I think of sustained excellence as the longest tenured broadcaster in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference”, Krzyzewski said when Harris made the announcement of his retirement.

“I have a little St. Patrick’s Day mixed with my Troy gear”, said Harrelson, a junior from Decatur in risk management and insurance. Louisville and Kentucky are No. 2s possibly looking at challenging second-round matchups this year, the Cardinals with No. 7 MI or No. 10 Oklahoma State and the Wildcats with No. 10 Wichita State. The Seahawks were 10th nationally with 85.2 points per game.