North Texas Mean Green – Conference USA
North Texas has been on the cusp of a breakout season for a while now. They were likely going to make the tournament last year, as they were the best team all year in the Conference USA. The Mean Green then got ravaged by transfers as their best player Umoja Gibson transferred to Oklahoma, and the Conference USA got better.
Head Coach Grant McCasland got his guys ready and while they were not the best team in the league they played their best when it mattered. The Mean Green is another team that gets it done on defense they only allow about 61 points per game which is good enough for 10th overall in the country. They also shoot the ball well from deep and a good 3 and d combo is sometimes all it takes in this tournament to win some games.
Best Player: Javion Hamlet
Hamlet saw a slight dip in his efficiency numbers this year, but with more shots coming to him because of the loss of Gibson it makes sense that he would see a slight dip. The sophomore point guard is still a huge threat when North Texas has the ball. He is a good shooter from deep and while he sometimes struggles inside the paint he makes up for it at the free throw line where he shoots 88%.
Hamlet was the one who got hot in overtime of the championship game to get them here and it always seems that no matter how bad of a game he is having he comes up clutch in the end. He is going to be on the floor at the end of games with the ball in his hands to make something happen.
Chance at Upset
As was mentioned, the Mean Green play a style that allows them to take and make a ton of threes on offense and then play lockdown defense on the defensive side of the ball. They also were placed in the golden zone of the NCAA tournament as they were given a 13 seed. The 4-13 game has seen its fair share of upsets over the years.
North Texas is also going to have bad nights on the offensive end given the way they play, they should still be in every game because of their defense. However, a tall lanky athletic team is going to give them trouble because of the other team’s ability to guard the three-point line. Chance at Upset 35%.
Abilene Christian Wildcats – Southland
Don’t sleep on the Southland conference the top three teams in that league could give any power school a tight game. Stephen F. Austin is a member of that conference and they have made a second weekend in recent memory. This is the second appearance ever for Abilene Christian and this year’s team is much better than the first.
The Wildcats are another team, like so many other low to mid-major schools who play smothering defense to go along with an offense that is predicated on the three-ball. The Wildcats rank 7th overall in the country in scoring defense allowing a meager 60 points per game.
Best Player: Kolton Kohl
Not many teams in the tournament can boast about having a 7’0” traditional back to the basket center. Kohl is just that and he can take over games from the jump. It is hard to pick the best player on the Wildcats because Abilene Christian is the one school in this tournament that doesn’t have a “star” player and they truly live with the definition of the pieces make the whole.
Each player makes them what they are. They have a very balanced lineup and get after it on defense together. Kohl however is the cog that makes everything work. He is skilled around the basket and makes for an easy big body to throw the ball into on the block. He is also a good rebounder and can clean up enough misses to make you have to put a body on him.
Perhaps the best part of his game is the fact that he is second on the team in assists with about two per game. He is able to get the ball draw the defense and kick out to an open shooter. It is what makes him the most valuable piece to the puzzle.
Chance at Upset
Abilene Christian was awarded a 14 seed which means they are going to get paired up with a three seed. The tournament has a lot of really strong teams this year but a 3 seed is a team that can make a Final Four and usually has a very strong team. Abilene Christian is great on the defensive end but can they score enough to compete with a power school? They will probably keep the game low scoring which may be in their favor. The Wildcats’ chances at an upset are about 45% because of the ability of the defense and the whole team concept.