Busting Brackets
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March Madness: Three biggest surprises to get bids to the 2018 NCAA Tournament

By Brad Cavallaro

SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts to a play against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at the Carrier Dome on February 3, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts to a play against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at the Carrier Dome on February 3, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MO – MARCH 07: Head coach Lon Kruger of the Oklahoma Sooners watches from the bench during the first round of the Big 12 Basketball Tournament against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at the Sprint Center on March 7, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – MARCH 07: Head coach Lon Kruger of the Oklahoma Sooners watches from the bench during the first round of the Big 12 Basketball Tournament against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at the Sprint Center on March 7, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Oklahoma Sooners

The second questionable inclusion is the Oklahoma Sooners, who not only qualified but also avoided a play in game. If you thought these last two teams (in the article) were going to miss the field, it was probably wishful thinking, even though saying both these teams limped to the finish is an understatement.

No one should be surprised that Oklahoma is included in the NCAA Tournament, but everyone should be surprised that they missed the play-in game. Since the start of February, the Sooners have gone 2-8 which should have been a compelling reason for the committee to make them earn their way into the main bracket.

Oklahoma was seen as one of the elite teams in college basketball for a brief period of time and even earned a top-five ranking in the AP Poll. Their wins at Wichita State, Kansas and Texas Tech at home, USC on a neutral, and a sweep of TCU creates a resume that is too good to leave out.

The Sooners’ only bad loss is at Iowa State so their slide could be attributed to the strength of the Big 12 conference. However, if you have watched them in the past month you know that they are a different team.

Trae Young has cooled off considerably but still leads the nation in scoring and assists. It is clear that they were too reliant on Young early in the season which has come back to bite them with his recent slump.

Stretch four Brady Manek, rim protector Khadeem Lattin, and physical wing Rashard Odomes have all been replaced in the starting lineup after slumps of their own. Oklahoma has to find answers as quickly as possible because a talented URI team awaits. URI is loaded with quality guard defenders which could lead to an embarrassing NCAA Tournament performance by the Sooners if Young is shut down.

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