Gonzaga Bulldogs – West Coast Conference
Gonzaga did it, they completed the regular season undefeated and are headed to the NCAA tournament as the overall number one seed. Barring a miracle the Bulldogs will be playing for a National Title. I know how this goes Gonzaga doesn’t play anyone and they are overrated every year right? Except this year they beat Iowa, BYU three times, West Virginia, Virginia, and Kansas.
They played a tough schedule this year and outside of West Virginia Gonzaga won them all by a landslide. Gonzaga has a high-powered offense averaging well over 90 points per game and they have a defense that only gives up around 70 points per game. The Bulldogs are not going to break a sweat until the sweet 16.
Best Player: Corey Kispert
You could really insert any player here for Gonzaga, but the fact is they would not be nearly as good as they are if they don’t have KIspert. Kispert does everything he is the first option on offense, is deadly from deep, and shoots a good percentage from the free throw line. Kispert is going to be in line to win the National Player of the Year and he deserves all of the accolades he gets. The guards shoots 44% from deep, 55% overall, and 90% from the line. He is the best player on the best team in the country and is going to propel his team to a National Title.
Chance at Being Upset
The Zags are going to be favored to win the National Title when the tournament opens and the chances they are upset are minimal. Like was mentioned they likely are not going to break a sweat until the sweet 16 and even then it may be hard for the game to ever be close. Gonzaga overwhelms pretty much everyone they play quickly.
They have been starting slow lately but come NCAA tournament time that is going to change and the margin of victory should be back into the 20’s and 30’s. Chances the Bulldogs are upset is at less than 5%.
Oral Roberts Golden Eagles – Summit League
The Golden Eagles are back in the tournament for the first time since the 2007-2008 season. Rest assured that no matter what seed they get they may play one of the most exciting games in the first round due to their ability to score points in bunches. Head coach Paul Mills is from the Scott Drew coaching tree and he has guided his team to the 13th best scoring team in the country. Oral Roberts is also porous on the defensive side of the ball at times which makes their games extremely exciting. The Golden Eagles are really fun to watch.
Best Player: Max Abmas
As mentioned Oral Roberts is really fun, Abmas is the player that makes them fun. The guard is the countries leading scorer at just under 25 points per game. The best part about Abmas is that he is in range and ready to shoot as soon as the lights come on. Don’t be alarmed if he shoots the ball just over half court as he has the ultimate green light from coach Mills. The Golden Eagles need to ride the horse that got them here.
Chance at Upset
The up and down nature of this Oral Roberts team on the defensive end could lead to them getting into a large deficit early and then climbing their way out of it with their offense and mainly Abmas and big man Kevin Obanor.
The problem is that the Golden Eagles are going to be a low seed which means they are going to get paired up with a strong team out of a power conference who is going to match them on the offensive end. Abmas is capable of going for 45 or 50 points and it would take that kind of effort to pull off the upset. Chance at the upset is about 10%.