NCAA Basketball: 10 most compelling 1st round 2023 NCAA Tournament matchups
Indiana (4) vs Kent State (13)
Our final matchup pits another blue blood with an All-American post-player against a dangerous double-digit seed. Much like Kentucky is built around Oscar Tshiebwe, Indiana will only go as far as Trayce Jackson-Davis takes them.
Squint a little at those classic crimson and cream uniforms and you can almost see Jackson-Davis protecting the paint for Bobby Knight in the ’70s. The Hoosier big man has a polished old-school game, averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds while attempting the same amount of threes this season as the person reading this (note, this doesn’t apply to any college basketball players reading this that have attempted more than zero three-pointers this year).
Jackson-Davis also blocks almost three shots per game and kicks in more than four assists, and he would probably be the Wooden Award winner if Zach Edey didn’t exist. Speaking of Zach Edey, Indiana owns two victories against Edey’s 1-seeded Boilermakers, demonstrating the ceiling that could take them deep in this tournament.
What could hold Indiana back? To start with, Kent State! The Golden Flashes force a lot of turnovers, block a lot of shots, and play good perimeter defense. Kent State has played well when given the chance against top competition, keeping it close in two of the toughest road environments in the country, at Houston and at Gonzaga.
Kent State’s senior-led backcourt keeps it in every game. Sincere Carry and Malique Jacobs are both top two on the team in scoring, assists, and steals, and it will be a fascinating clash seeing them go against Hoosier freshman sensation Jalen Hood-Schifino. At 6″6″, Hood-Schifino has the size to bother opposing guards, and he’s shown the ability to be the Robin to Jackson-Davis’ Batman, scoring 35 in one of the wins over Purdue and 19 in the Hoosiers’ Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal victory over Maryland.
Indiana has been a different team away from the friendly confines of Assembly Hall, shooting among the fewest threes, and forcing fewer turnovers away from home than all but 16 Division I teams. Kent State and its experienced backcourt seem to be the perfect team to take advantage of this. Will the hyphenated star power of Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino be enough to overcome that? That’s what makes this matchup one to watch.
Next. Top 10 most likely 1st round upsets. dark
The best three weeks of the year are about to begin. There are 22 other games (plus the play-ins!) that will all be great in their own way, but these, in my opinion, are the best of the bunch. My birthday isn’t until May, but this is even better. We can all start opening presents Thursday around noon. Enjoy the party.