2019 NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga, Virginia, and Duke under most pressure to win
By Connor Hope
8) Washington Huskies
It has been awhile since we have seen a team take such a drastic fall at the end of a season like the one Washington has taken this year. Three weeks ago, the Huskies were pegged as an under-the-radar team that could upset some top seeds in the Tournament. Now, after losses to Oregon and California, the Huskies are just trying to find their footing again. The program has been fantastic, and their rise from worst to first in the Pac-12 took just two years; however, none of that matters to the national audience.
If Washington loses to a surprising Utah State team, it will not just reflect poorly on the program, it will reflect poorly on the entire conference. Consistency on offense has been an issue for the Huskies all year, and the NCAA Tournament is the perfect time to rectify the struggles. With a tough 2-3 zone, the Huskies will give most offenses trouble, but their own scoring needs to be strong enough to take advantage. Lose, and the Pac-12’s NCAA Tournament record will continue to drop to record lows.
7) Nevada Wolf Pack
In less than a month, the Nevada Wolf Pack went from Final Four contender to “the most overrated team in the nation.” They may have some bad losses on their resume, but this team still has the talent to make a deep run in the Big Dance. Fueled by experience, talent, and a desire to win, the Wolf Pack is just as good as most teams outside the Top 8 or 9 overall seeds. But their relatively poor eye test in big games leaves many in doubt.
Their mission is simple, beat Florida and push Michigan. Anything more than that is just icing on the cake. However, as is the case with most “overrated” teams, losing before you are expected to lose only further promotes the arguments of detractors. Nevada has had some games where individual play took over and halted their offense. Head Coach Eric Musselman needs to drill into his players’ minds the focus to play team basketball and return to the level of play that they showed in the early season.