NCAA Tournament 2021: Baylor, Ohio State headline South Region primer
South Pod C
(6) Texas Tech vs. (11) Utah State
Texas Tech comes into the 2021 NCAA Tournament with high hopes to make some noise and potentially reach the Final Four just like they did in 2019.
Georgetown transfer guard Mac McClung leads the way for the Red Raiders, averaging 16.3 points per game. Chris Beard’s squad relates to the 2019 team that finished as runners-up in the 2019 NCAA Tournament in that they play team basketball and anyone of their contributors can take over a game when needed to.
Utah State will need to play a near-perfect game when they face a Texas Tech team that forces a ton of turnovers. Utah State, who probably feels relieved to have earned a bid into this year’s tournament, ranks in the Top 10 nationally in defensive efficiency.
The Aggies size in the paint can cause some concern for the Red Raiders leading into the contest, but the Red Raiders can beat any team in the country if they can shoot the three-ball at a high level.
Prediction: Texas Tech over Utah State
(3) Arkansas vs. (14) Colgate
Eric Musselman has been spectacular since taking over the Razorbacks program two years ago. The highlight win of the season for Arkansas was the 92-71 blowout victory over SEC Champions, Alabama on Feb. 24.
Arkansas has four players that average over 11 points per game, including freshman guard Moses Moody who led the program with 16.5 points per contest.
The Colgate Raiders give the Razorbacks a lot to worry about heading into their First Round matchup. The 14-1 Patriot League champions are packed with offensive weapons with guard Jordan Evans leading the show. Burns leads the Raiders with 17.1 points and 5.5 assists per game. Three other players. I expect this game to be wire-to-wire for most of the contest. This could be the only 3/14 upset of the tournament this year.