Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Picking winner of each conference tournament for 2022-23 season

By Bryan Mauro

Xavier Musketeers guard Souley Boum (0) and Xavier Musketeers guard Colby Jones (3) walk back to the bench during a timeout in the second half of a college basketball game between the Villanova Wildcats and the Xavier Musketeers, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, at Cintas Center in Cincinnati. The Villanova Wildcats won, 64-63.Villanova Wildcats At Xavier Musketeers Feb 21 0152
Xavier Musketeers guard Souley Boum (0) and Xavier Musketeers guard Colby Jones (3) walk back to the bench during a timeout in the second half of a college basketball game between the Villanova Wildcats and the Xavier Musketeers, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, at Cintas Center in Cincinnati. The Villanova Wildcats won, 64-63.Villanova Wildcats At Xavier Musketeers Feb 21 0152 /
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NCAA Basketball
NCAA Basketball Grambling State University Tigers Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports /

SWAC

Dates: March 8th-11th

Bartow Arena

Top Seed: Alcorn State Braves

Winner: Grambling State Tigers

Grambling has never made the NCAA tournament, until now! There is a lot to like with Grambling especially if you like old-school basketball. The Tigers entered the year as one of the oldest teams in the country and built the key pieces of the roster using the grad transfer portal. Head coach Donte Jackson also placed an added emphasis on finding great defenders.

Grambling is one of the best defensive teams in the country and we all know the adage of defense wins championships, and for Grambling, that will ring true. The Tigers use their defense which involves a lot of blocked shots and great rebounders to get the team back on offense. On the offensive end, they love to get to the rim and work the ball into the post. Grambling does not take many threes per game. They also lead the SWAC in two-point efficiency and the threes they do take they knock down as they shoot almost 40% from deep.

This year’s SWAC is not the normal version of the SWAC we are all used to, especially Grambling. Grambling has already beaten Colorado and Vanderbilt and they are not going to be scared. The Tigers do what it takes to stick with a higher seed for the entire game and make the top seed sweat.

Sleeper: Alabama A&M Bulldogs

Head coach Otis Hughley is in his first season at the helm for the Bulldogs and has been a success so far. I know that the Bulldogs have a losing record, and they are a middle-of-the-pack SWAC team but from where the program was before Hughley took over it’s a miracle that he has the team in the position to potentially make their second NCAA tournament. I am going to go on record as saying that I really enjoyed watching Alabama A&M play.

They have two small quick guards who like to penetrate and get easy looks at the basket and Garrett Hicks and Messiah Thompson carry the bulk of the load for the team. Thompson is one of the shortest players in Division 1 and he and his counterpart Hicks are one of the best shooting backcourts in all of college basketball. Those two players are both shooting over 40% from deep and when they are going well the Bulldogs are very hard to beat.

Olisa Blaise Akinobi is an elite rim protector and is also extremely athletic. It’s hard to say how long Alabama A&M remains in the league tournament but they are well-coached and have a roster that can give some teams a lot of trouble when they are playing well.

American

Dates: March 9th-12th

Dickies Arena

Top Seed: Houston Cougars

Winner: Houston Cougars

Houston has dominated the American over the last few seasons and this season the Cougars have been near the top of the rankings all season long. The current number one team is rarely challenged in the American, which is why they are leaving for the Big 12. The Cougars head into championship week with a one-seed locked up in the NCAA tournament. Houston has the best defense in the country and makes it painfully hard to score against them. Houston plays fast on offense but slow teams down to the slowest pace in the country on defense. The Cougars are fun to watch and even though many will say they have not been battle-tested, many believe they still have the most talented team in the country.

Marcus Sasser is the American Conference player of the year as he is scoring 17 a game and is the defensive leader for the Cougars. It would be a huge surprise if Houston didn’t blow everyone out in the league tournament as their margin of victory for the year currently stands at 19 points. The Cougars are likely to hoist the National Title this season for the first time ever.

Sleeper:  Temple Owls

Houston does have a loss in the conference this year and it was to the Temple Owls. Temple was at the top of the standings mid-way through the season but as the season wound down they did not perform well and find themselves in the middle of the pack. The Owls are a team with a ton of history, but just like everything in life, it is a what have you done for me lately type of thing. Temple has a lot of veterans and two elite scoring guards in Khalif Battle and Damian Dunn. Those two guards can get going at the same time and when they are scoring, they can play with anyone and will stay in a game with anyone. Temple will be in most of the games in the tournament and maybe lightning can strike twice, and they can knock off Houston again.

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