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NCAA Basketball: 10 most compelling 1st round 2023 NCAA Tournament matchups

By Terrence Jordan

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 11: Kyle Filipowski #30 reacts after a basket by Jeremy Roach #3 of the Duke Blue Devils against the Virginia Cavaliers in the second half of the ACC Basketball Tournament Championship game at Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Duke won 59-49. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 11: Kyle Filipowski #30 reacts after a basket by Jeremy Roach #3 of the Duke Blue Devils against the Virginia Cavaliers in the second half of the ACC Basketball Tournament Championship game at Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Duke won 59-49. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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NCAA Tournament DeAndre Williams #12 and Alex Lomax #2 of the Memphis Tigers (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images) /

Memphis (8) vs. Florida Atlantic (9)

Here we have another 8/9 gem. These two teams have already combined for 57 wins on the season, which feels like it has to be a record for a first-round matchup. Memphis is riding high after taking down Houston in the AAC final, while Florida Atlantic has been anonymously fantastic all year.

It seems like just a month ago, people were questioning if Penny Hardaway was the right guy for Memphis. Huh? This team is really good. They were a shot away from knocking off #1 Gonzaga in the second round last year, and though the makeup of the team is different now, they can still really play. The Tigers have speed, and they know how to use it, pushing the pace to the eighth-most fast break points in the country.

Put Memphis in the SEC or ACC and I really believe they’d be near the top. Getting an 8-seed is just a byproduct of a lack of respect for the AAC. The Tigers are the 19th-ranked team on KenPom and are one of only nine teams who rank in the top 35 in both adjusted offense and adjusted defense.

Florida Atlantic has a balanced attack, with seven players seeing over 20 minutes of court time per game. The Owls can shoot from anywhere on the court, with seven players having attempted at least 90 threes this year. This stands in stark contrast to Memphis, who is almost allergic to shooting from deep. Only 20 teams in the country launch fewer threes than the Tigers, though they shoot a respectable percentage.

Memphis is one of the more top-heavy teams in the field, with exactly half of their 79.8 points per game coming from two players. SMU transfer Kendric Davis is the heart of the Tigers’ attack, leading the team in points, assists, and free throw percentage. Senior DeAndre Williams is Memphis’ best rebounder, plus he shoots over 53% from the floor and 42% from three.

Though Florida Atlantic had an easy strength of schedule, their only three losses came on the road, and they even traveled to Gainesville and beat Florida earlier in the year. The ace up coach Dusty May’s sleeve may be Russian big man Vladislav Goldin, a 7’1″ lane clogger that has helped the Owls become one of the top teams in the country in defending two-pointers. For a Memphis team that doesn’t shoot threes, this could be their Kryptonite.

With a spread of Memphis -2, Vegas has about as much of an idea as we do on who can win this game. Both teams have compiled victories all year, but one will be out before a second round matchup with a Purdue team that historically crumbles in the tournament. The path could be there for a deeper run, we’ll just have to wait until the final set of games on Friday to find out which team has a chance to make it.

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