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NCAA Basketball: 10 potential March Madness Bracket-Busters

By Chris Kern

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 18: K.J. Maura #11 talks to teammate Jairus Lyles #10 of the UMBC Retrievers between plays against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 18, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 18: K.J. Maura #11 talks to teammate Jairus Lyles #10 of the UMBC Retrievers between plays against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 18, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 11: Antonio Woods #2 of the Pennsylvania Quakers shoots the ball between Justin Bassey #20 and Danilo Djuricic #30 of the Harvard Crimson during the second half of the Men’s Ivy League Championship Tournament at The Palestra on March 11, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Penn defeated Harvard 68-65. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 11: Antonio Woods #2 of the Pennsylvania Quakers shoots the ball between Justin Bassey #20 and Danilo Djuricic #30 of the Harvard Crimson during the second half of the Men’s Ivy League Championship Tournament at The Palestra on March 11, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Penn defeated Harvard 68-65. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /

Pennsylvania Quakers

The Penn Quakers made the NCAA tournament last season as a No. 16 seed, where they were competitive in a 76-60 loss to the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks. This is a team with a good group of upperclassmen to go with a couple of high-level freshmen who can make a big difference. Michael Wang and Bryce Washington are both freshmen who have been key to start the season. The upperclassmen have been the leaders but these two have played some great basketball as well.

Washington is averaging 8.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while starting in 11 of the 14 games including the last eight. Wang has been making a name for himself to start the season by averaging 11.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He scored a season-high 23 points in an 89-75 upset win against the Miami Hurricanes. He made five of six 3-pointers in that game, which accounts for one-third of the 3-pointers he has made so far this season.

He did suffer an ankle injury in their most recent game so that is something they have to keep an eye on going forward to see if he will be out an extended period of time. It doesn’t seem to be severe so he should be fine by March.

This team is lead by a trio of upperclassmen in juniors AJ Brodeur and Devon Goodman to go along with senior Antonio Woods. Brodeur leads the team in scoring with 14.6 points to go along with 7.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He does a little bit of everything for this team and will continue to be relied upon in a big way. Goodman is second on the team in scoring just behind Brodeur with 13.5 points per game. He also averages 3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He has turned into a 3-point threat as he makes 37% of the 4.5 he shoots per game.

With Ryan Betley out for the season due to injury, senior guard Woods has to step up and be the leader of this team. So far this season, he is averaging 10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. He does a little bit of everything for this team, which is exactly what they need from him.

Every player is still settling into their role but they have already shown they’re potential when they upset Villanova. The Wildcats have struggled but it’s still an impressive win nonetheless. This team has the capability to beat any top seed they could be matched up with in the NCAA tournament.

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