March Madness Teams and Players to Watch
Winthrop -- The Eagles were 14-4 as of January 19, and three of their losses were in close games to NCAA powerhouses, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Maryland. Nine of Winthrop's players get significant minutes, paced by guards Torrell Martin and Michael Jenkins, who combine for 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. The Eagles are one of those special teams that make March Madness so exciting. Look for Winthrop to win the Big South Conference, get a 12 seed and upset someone in the NCAA Tournament.
Butler -- Setting aside a recent Horizon League loss to Illinois-Chicago, we still love the Butler Bulldogs. Winners of the Pre-season NIT, Butler has great guard tandem of A.J. Graves (only one missed free throw all year) and Mike Green. The Bulldogs could have 27 wins when March Madness rolls around, which should get Butler a solid 5 or 6 seed in the NCAA tournament, presenting a second-round match-up no team will want.
Hofstra -- One of the smallest teams in college basketball, the Hofstra Pride plays four guards and a forward, none of whom is bigger than small NBA shooting guards. Hofstra's heralded trio of Loren Stokes, Carlos Rivera and Antoine Agudio combine for 50 points 7 rebounds and 9 assists per game, and they are all 6-3 or smaller. After losing its first three games, Hofstra won 12 of its next 13, including a victory over conference leader Old Dominion. Hofstra could be a March Madness "bubble team," but if the Pride gets in, it will be a scary game for a heavily-favored opponent.
Air Force -- The Falcons are a remarkable 17-2 and a top 20 NCAA team. The most impressive thing about Air Force, though, is that it has done all of this using pretty much just 5 players. Four Falcons play 30 or more minutes per game, and a fifth gets 27. The next-most minutes by any Falcons player is 14. Dan Nwaelele, Jacob Burtschi and Matt McCraw have been steady, if unspectacular. Can Air Force keep up this remarkable run and be a March Madness favorite? We don't know, but it will be a fun ride.
Oregon -- The Oregon Ducks are another tiny team, using a four-guard lineup successfully. Oregon has knocked off UCLA and Arizona, playing four guards, including mighty-mite freshman Tajauan Porter, who is just 5-6 and 160 pounds. The Ducks ran off a surprising 17 wins against just one loss, heading into a PAC-10 game with Cal. Games against four NCAA top 20 teams, plus other tough conference opponents await, so the Ducks will be well-tested heading into March Madness. A favorable NCAA Tournament draw, and the Ducks could go a long way.
Indiana -- While Big Ten fans have zeroed in on freshmen-laden Ohio State with star Greg Oden and powerhouse Wisconsin, most people outside of Bloomington have overlooked the Indiana Hoosiers -- the real surprise of the conference. The Hoosiers weren't supposed to compete this season -- a transition year with a new coach, Kelvin Sampson, the departure of leading scorer Robert Vaden and the doubt surrounding the return of center D.J. White, who missed most of last year to injury.
Meanwhile, White has been superb at 14 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and Earl Calloway and A.J. Ratliff have more than replaced Vaden's production. Freshman Armon Bassett has been a pleasant surprise with 9 points in 25 minutes per game. Indiana opened the season 13-4, 4-1 in the Big Ten, and the Hoosiers are a legitimate threat to win the conference.
Just another great story, heading into March Madness.
