Team Previews
Baylor (3-1)
A major national contender in recent years, Baylor’s reputation took an immediate hit when they got blown out by Gonzaga on opening night. The Bears have a talented rotation yet again this season, leaning heavily on transfers Norchad Omier and Jeremy Roach, while freshmen V. J. Edgecombe and Robert Wright are getting solid run early. There are still moving pieces, though Baylor is quickly putting that Gonzaga game in the rearview.
The Bears took down Arkansas a few days after that loss and looked dominant at home against a pair of mid-majors before making this trip. The defense was clearly smothered against the Bulldogs but both sides of the ball have fared much better in recent weeks. Obviously, Baylor is going to look better against weaker foes, but this offense as a whole has really started to click. If this team continues growing together, then Baylor certainly has the talent to be just what we expected this season.
St. John’s (4-0)
Rick Pitino’s first season at St. John’s ended just shy of the Big Dance, though he has the talent to make a run at postseason glory for the Red Storm. RJ Luis is putting up great numbers for this team in his second season while sophomores Brady Dunlap and Simeon Wilcher have both taken big steps forward in that same opportunity. St. John’s has taken care of their business to this point, even if this tournament presents a much bigger challenge.
This team has won all four of their games by double figures, though the most recent outing is the only one that stands out. The Red Storm hosted a very solid New Mexico team back on Sunday and played their most efficient game of the season in a 14-point victory. The long-range shots weren’t falling against the Lobos and this team is going to need a few of those to fall down against the other ranked teams in the Bahamas.
Tennessee (4-0)
Even though the names are different, with Dalton Knecht among those long gone, Tennessee continues to put together talented teams that play hard on defense. Zakai Zeigler remains one of the nation’s most talented point guards, causing havoc on both ends of the court. The Volunteers are getting great offensive production out of transfers Chaz Lanier and Igor Milicic and are hoping to have the firepower to at least repeat last year’s Elite Eight run.
Another team with four very solid wins, the Volunteers do have a true road win already, having won by 22 points a week and a half ago at Louisville. They put their best foot forward on defense, giving up just 55 points to the Cardinals in their best win in the early season. Pushing forward, the Volunteers are getting great interior offense especially from those new additions, but can they get the outside shots to fall against some of these stronger foes?
Virginia (3-0)
Tony Bennett surprised the basketball world when he retired a few weeks before the season began, though the show must go on for Virginia. This program has struggled in recent years, with some terrible performances in the Big Dance, though still boast a great defense and have legitimate potential. Homegrown talent is leading the charge in Jacob Cofie and Isaac McKneely, though it’s all about if the Cavaliers have enough on offense when their elite defense can’t hold back these opponents.
It hasn’t necessarily been pretty or perfect, but the Cavaliers do have three wins to start the year, even after playing Campbell relatively closely in the season opener. Last week, Virginia got a solid 10-point win over a Villanova program that’s heading in a terrible direction, with a solid effort on both sides of the ball. The 3-pointers have been falling early, and that’s part of what made this program special when it won the national title 5 years ago, but can that trend continue against significant tougher opposition?