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

Saint Bonaventure Bonnies – Atlantic 10

What Mark Schmidt has done in Olean, New York with the Saint Bonaventure program is amazing. He is going to be considered for some high major jobs in the very near future. The Bonnies went wire to wire in the Atlantic 10 as the best team in the league and surprised me.

I figured they would be good but would be a bubble team at best. What really happened is that Saint Bonaventure has one of the best defenses in the country and an offense that isn’t great but it’s good enough to win them the majority of their games with their defense.

Best Player: Kyle Lofton

The junior point guard has been the model of consistency his three seasons in Olean. He has averaged 14 points per game every single year he has played and has started every game and never comes off the floor. He is a workhorse, tough as nails and the Bonnies emulate their star point guard.

Lofton is different than a lot of guys though because he is not a good shooter from deep at all, he is a guy who can blow past you get to the lane, and make an easy bucket or get fouled where he is an 81% free throw shooter. Lofton is also the anchor of the defense and usually locks down the opponent’s best player. While he may not stand out right away when watching the Bonnies play just know he is on the floor making the team better.

Chance at Upset

The Bonnies were rewarded with a 9 seed which is always the toughest game to pick. The defense is real and the big man Osun Osunniyi for the Bonnies is on the verge of becoming an elite rim protector. Saint Bonaventure also has two players in Jaren Holmes and Dominick Welch who are great shooters. Lofton is a great passer and another starter Jalen Adaway is a great compliment to Lofton on the offensive end at getting to the rim. That is it for who plays for Saint Bonaventure.

They usually only play five guys significant minutes and most of them never leave the floor. The depth has and always will be a question for the Bonnies in the NCAA tournament. How long can these five guys carry them?  Chance at upset: 50%.

Alabama Crimson Tide – SEC

Nate Oats should win the National Coach of the Year, what he has turned Alabama into in just two seasons is unbelievable. Alabama is loaded, they play lockdown defense and can shoot the ball well from the outside. The Crimson Tide won both the SEC regular season and the conference tournament and only lost two conference games all season long. That is impressive considering where they were when Nate Oats took over.

Just a disclaimer; Alabama makes double-digit threes a game and even when they are struggling they are not going to stop shooting them. They average about 30 threes a game. They have great individual shooters who can make a lead balloon fast. Alabama is a team that can win a title and has a great chance at a final four.

Best Player: Herbert Jones

It is usually pretty rare to see the same player win both the conference player of the year and the conference defensive player of the year. Jones has done both of those things and makes a huge impact for Alabama on both ends of the floor.

Jones doesn’t take most of the shots and he isn’t going to be the flashiest guy on the floor. He is going to make the right play, shoot the lights out from downtown and be the team’s emotional leader. He is also the guy who shuts down the opponent’s top player and is going to do it the entire game.

For a 6’9” forward he is one of the best passers in the game and is always looking to get his teammates involved. When Jones is playing his unselfish brand of basketball the Tide are at their best and when they are moving the ball they can score with ease at times.

Chance at Being Upset

The Crimson Tide is one of the best teams in the country and has been all year. They just missed a one seed and were given a 2 seed. Alabama is a team that I have picked to make the final four because they have too many pieces in their starting five that is too much for many teams to compete with. They shoot the ball extremely well from deep especially guys like John Petty Jr, Jaden Shackelford, and Joshua Primo.

They have a ton of rebounding in Jordan Bruner and Herb Jones and they play great defense. Alabama is going to be overwhelming for a lot of the lower seeds and should win going away. I have the Crimson Tide in the final four. Chance of being upset early 5%.