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

Morehead State Eagles – Ohio Valley Conference

Morehead State is one of the teams who surprised me the most and that is due in part that under coach Preston Spradlin they have never finished with a winning record and have not fared well in the Ohio Valley. The Eagles have won 19 out of 20 games and that includes beating Ohio Valley powerhouse Belmont twice within the last week of the season.

Morehead State is one of the hottest teams in the country and they are playing with extreme confidence. The Eagles don’t shoot the ball overly well, they do have a top 25 defense and they play hard for the full 40 and never give up. This is their first appearance in 10 years and I promise you they are not just happy to be there.

Best Player: Johni Broome

The Ohio Valley Freshman of the year is a dominant athletic big man who is going to pose a significant matchup problem for most teams in the country. Broome shoots almost 60% from the floor and hauls in nine rebounds per game. He anchors the team on defense and averages about two blocks per game. He doesn’t foul and is quickly turning into one of the best big men in the country.

If you don’t know anything about Broome or Morehead State, you will quickly because he is going to impact the game in a positive way for the Eagles even if they lose it won’t be because Broome didn’t play well.

Chance at Upset

As was mentioned the Eagles don’t have the prowess on the offensive end of a lot of the other schools they play, but they do play with a lot of confidence and they did not show well in the non-conference portion of the season when they were paired up with some power five schools.  That was in November and Morehead State is now playing with an extreme amount of confidence and they just have the makings of one of those teams who got hot and stayed hot at the right time.

They are going to be a 14 seed and given the right matchup they can make the second weekend. I don’t have as much confidence in them as I have in others though. Give me 50% totally matchup-based.

Winthrop Eagles – Big South

Winthrop is one of those teams that is going to be a very trendy pick for the second weekend, and it is with good reason as outside of the top 4 teams in the country Winthrop may be the most complete team in the country. They have everything. They have size, skill, and depth. They make a ton of threes, don’t foul, and play good defense. They have only lost 1 game all season long and it was a close game against UNC Asheville.

Yes, I know the Big South doesn’t provide much in the way of competition some nights and Winthrop does not have a win against any other tournament teams but that was not from lack of trying. They were scheduled to play a lot of them before the year started and Covid really threw a wrench in that. Whoever is on the side of the bracket with Winthrop is not going to have an easy game.

Best Player: Chandler Vaudrin

Vaudrin is a 6’7” point guard who is also the nation’s leader in career triple-doubles. He last posted a triple-double in the Big South tournament. Vaudrin is also the nation’s leader in assists per game and is one of the best players in the country even though he plays for Winthrop.

The senior point guard would start at most programs in the country regardless of the conference or prestige. The senior guard is the Big South Player of the Year and He doesn’t do anything flashy, but he is athletic tall and really good.

Chance at Upset:

With full disclosure, I believe the Winthrop is going to be a second-weekend team regardless of matchup. They have so much more than Vaudrin and they are going to be a 12 seed which means they are going to play a potentially overseeded power team and are going to pose a bad matchup for them.

DJ Burns is a Tennessee transfer who roams the paint for Winthrop and is extremely skilled in the post. The Eagles also have a backup point guard who is one of the shortest players in the country. He moves extremely well and can shoot the ball from deep in Russell Jones. Winthrop is really good, and they have pieces everywhere. Pick them in your bracket. Upset potential is around 90%.