NCAA Tournament 2023: 10 biggest storylines for 1st day of games

NCAA Tournament 2023: 10 biggest storylines to watch for 1st day of games

NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 01: Associate head coach Jon Scheyer (R) of the Duke Blue Devils talks with Jeremy Roach #3 during their practice session ahead of the 2022 Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four at Caesars Superdome on April 1, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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NCAA Tournament San Diego State Aztecs Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Charleston looks to validate its 30+ win season against San Diego State

We were close to having a furious debate on Selection Sunday had College of Charleston not won against Hofstra to win the CAA Tournament title and the autobid. Had they not, they were projected to not only miss the NCAA Tournament but by doing so, become the first team ever in the modern era to win at least 30 games and not get an at-large bid.

The Cougars were compared to Florida Atlantic all throughout the season but the Owls were clearly viewed better, getting a 9 seed. This team got a 12 instead. The good news is that they got as good of a 5 seed opponent as possible, taking on San Diego State. The Aztecs won 27 games and the Mountain West regular season and conference tournament titles and once again have an elite defensive unit.

San Diego State only has one double-digit scorer though in Matt Bradley and can be vulnerable offensively. The Cougars, on the other hand, have five players averaging at least 10 ppg and rank in the top 20 nationally at over 80 ppg as a team.

This will be the standard battle of offense vs defense and without a clear star, there could be a number of outcomes that occur in this matchup. But College of Charleston is the one that has the most pressure, as a blowout loss may prove that they didn’t warrant an at-large bid no matter what.

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