NCAA Basketball: Preview of all 31 autobids for 2021 NCAA Tournament

Eastern Washington Eagles – Big Sky

The Eagles are making their third-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament and their first since 2015. Eastern Washington has the Big Sky player of the year and the Big Sky defensive player of the year on the team currently. They have an extremely efficient offense that averages just 80 points per game.

Don’t sleep on Eastern Washington because of the conference they play in, they can play and they deserve to be in the NCAA tournament. The Eagles have two seniors on their roster and should be in the mix for the NCAA tournament again next year.

Best Player: Tanner Groves

Groves is the Big Sky Player of the Year and watching him dominate teams in the post during Big Sky play, it is no surprise as to why. The junior big man can step out and hit a three to keep the defense honest but that isn’t his game. He shoots 62% from inside the arc and 77% from the free throw line.

He also was the biggest breakout player in the league considering he averaged about 9 minutes a game over the first two years of his career. Groves also has a brother on the team who also starts and those two are looking to hopefully put Eastern Washington basketball on the radar.

Chance at Upset

The Eagles are a 14 seed and they are going to be a sneaky one. The 14 seeds in the tournament this year are all much better than their seed line. Eastern Washington is the team that is going to make you sweat in the first round if you draw them and if you took the team they are playing to go far in the tournament it is going to be an uneasy two hours for you.

They have the ability on the offensive end to hang with any team in this tournament and they have nothing to lose as no one is expecting them to win. Chance at Upset 40%

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – ACC

It is hard to fathom that a program with as much history as Georgia Tech has this is their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2009-2010. This year’s team can do some damage because they are a nightmare to get ready for on short notice. Head coach Josh Pastner has a physical team that has enough guys on offense to make it work.

Where Georgia Tech really hangs their hat is the defensive side of the ball, they throw so many defensive looks at you right away and they keep rotating them throughout the game that an offense can never get comfortable. The casual basketball fan is going to get bored watching Georgia  Tech because they don’t play all that fast and they muck the game up and run a lot of half-court offense. The Yellow Jacket offense is led by three 15 point per game scorers.

Best Player: Moses Wright

Wright is both the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year and if you have ever watched him play you would understand why. The senior big man is undersized for playing in the post but he can jump out of a gym and is stronger than most taller big men. Wright is a force on the offensive glass and protects the rim with the best of them.

Outside of the defensive end, he is extremely efficient on the offensive end shooting 54% from inside the arc and 41% from deep. Wright also has the highest usage rating on the team and leads the team in scoring, rebounding, and most defensive categories. He is going to be able to neutralize anyone put up against him. It was just announced that Wright will not be playing in the game which puts a larger emphasis on point guard Jose Alvarado and guard Michael DeVoe.

Chance at Upset

Georgia Tech is the team that can make a second weekend or get beat in the first round. Given they got a 9 seed means they are going to play a team who is on equal footing as them and is likely going to be one of the best opening games of the tournament. If the Yellow Jackets are able to hit their shots and they are playing engaged on the defensive end they can make a run in the tournament.

The problem is their matchup is against a team who shares the same strength the Yellow Jackets do. The Ramblin Wreck has to have their three horses play well and they need to stay out of foul trouble. The Yellow Jackets are another team that doesn’t have great depth beyond their top six. Chance at an upset is 50%.