NCAA Basketball: Predicting all 32 autobids for 2022 NCAA Tournament
By Bryan Mauro
Patriot League
Winner: Navy Midshipmen
Colgate is the trendy pick to come out of the Patriot League again, and for good reason given that Colgate is on a long winning streak and seems to have figured out their early season struggles. Do not take the Midshipmen lightly though as they are one of the best defensive teams in the country. They allow under 60 points per game, and they are an extremely balanced offense. They don’t have a flashy guy, just like you would expect out of a service academy, the team works together to get the best shot.
Navy doesn’t play fast, and they do not shoot many threes. They take good shots and play great defense. John Carter is the best player for the balanced Midshipmen, and they are seeking their first tournament since 1998-1999, and their first win in the tournament since the David Robinson era.
Sleeper: Lafayette Leopards
The Leopards have a huge win this year when they beat Rutgers at the RAC, which is turning out to be quite the feat these days. Other than that, the Leopards have just been okay but when the Leopards are going well, they take and make a ton of threes and play fast. They don’t have the scorers they have had in the past, but they still can make a lot of games interesting with their ability to hit shots from the outside.
Sure, overall, the Leopards only shoot 32% from deep but they have three guards who take the bulk of their three-point attempts who are all shooting over 35% from deep. The league is going to won by one of the top two teams in the league but if Lafayette can get going from deep and channel what they found when they beat Rutgers, they can make a little run in the conference tournament.
SEC
Winner: Kentucky Wildcats
Dare I say that Kentucky is playing better than Auburn is currently? The SEC is loaded and there are about six teams who could win this tournament and would not shock anyone. Kentucky is back after one bad year last year and they do it in the Kentucky way. The Wildcats play fast and get to the rim. The threes they do take are very selective and make most of the ones they take. When Kentucky is playing in rhythm, they can run any team in the country out of the gym.
Kentucky can still get a one seed if they win the tournament. In a tournament setting individual talent is highlighted and usually whoever has the best player has the best chance at winning. Kentucky does have the best player in the SEC and arguably in the nation. Oscar Tshiebwe is the countries leading rebounder at 16 per game and also averages about 16 points per game. He can absolutely dominate games and I can’t wait to watch Tshiebwe and Jabari Smith from Auburn part three.
Sleeper: Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Bulldogs may be the most disappointing power conference team in the country this year. At least for a team who had a tournament roster on paper. The Bulldogs have a great team and have a ton of talent but have never been able to put it all together this season. If Mississippi State does not make a deep run in the SEC tournament, and they are likely going to have to win it, they will be on the outside looking in and likely will be an NIT team.
The Bulldogs have a great big man in Garrison Brooks who is a transfer from North Carolina. The Bulldogs also have one of the best guards that everyone in the country forgets about in Iverson Molinar. Molinar can win some games by himself and Mississippi State does have the talent to match up with some of the better teams in the league.
One thing to keep an eye on in this tournament is how motivated the top teams are. Those teams already are likely locked into their seed lines. That will help a team like the Bulldogs have a chance to win some games and win this tournament.