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March Madness is upon us, and the excitement is building as teams across the nation battle to secure their spot in the Final Four. The Thursday games will be packed with excitement, but this article previews the Friday slate of games for the first round of the Men’s Basketball Tournament.
With the stakes higher than ever, let’s look at three key matchups that promise to deliver thrilling basketball on this beautiful Friday in March.
UConn enters this matchup as back-to-back reigning National Champions. But what’s different about this season is that they are in unfamiliar territory, playing in the 8-9 game after finishing 23-10. They are led by an offense that ranks 14th in the country on KenPom’s offensive rating. Their offense, led by Solo Ball, Liam McNeeley and Alex Caraban, will pressure Oklahoma, whose defense ranks 70th in the country and will be tested right from the opening tip.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, finished 20-13 but has shown flashes of brilliance on the offensive end, ranking 21st in offensive rating on KenPom. They are led by freshman standout Jeremiah Fears, who averaged 17 points per game. Fears should be able to get to his spots in this one against a UConn team that struggles defensively. It is just a matter of whether Oklahoma can get enough stops against a talented UConn team.
Expect a competitive game, but UConn’s depth and scoring ability could prove too much for Oklahoma to handle. We expect a UConn win and a big night from Solo Ball.
Maryland comes into the tournament with one of the best-starting fives in the country. They are led by five-star freshman Derik Queen, a projected lottery pick. While Queen is the star, coach Kevin Willard did a great job building the team around him. Their guards, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel can score with the best of them while also having veteran Julian Reese crashing the boards. They can play both fast and efficient basketball. Their sharp shooting and aggressive defense will challenge Grand Canyon’s high-energy style.
Grand Canyon is a team that thrives on creating chaos with their defense, forcing 15 turnovers a game (13th in the country). They will look to disrupt Maryland’s offense and play at a very fast pace on offense. Grand Canyon was 14th in adjusted tempo according to KenPom. Grand Canyon is led by two scorers, JaKobe Coles and Tyon Grant-Foster, who both average over 15 points per game. Grant-Foster will use the experience he gained from last year’s tournament run.
We expect a lower-scoring game as both teams tighten up on defense, making every possession crucial. Ultimately, we believe Maryland’s size will be too much for Grand Canyon and expect Maryland to dominate on the boards, with Julian Reese being a big part of that.
Arizona heads into this matchup with the 12th-best offense in the nation, according to KenPom, led by the streaky Caleb Love. Love averages over 16 points per game and helped Arizona to a Big 12 Tournament Championship. Their fast-paced attack and superior athleticism will put Akron to the test.
While Arizona may have the edge in overall talent, Akron will be looking to pull off an upset with a fast-paced approach as well, led by Nate Johnson and Tavare Johnson. Akron will run with Arizona, as they rank 16th in adjusted tempo this season. Given both teams’ pace, the scoring in this game should be on the higher side. What we are worried about with Akron is their defense, as they rank outside the top 100 in defensive rating.
So, ultimately, we think this game will be much closer than anticipated. But ultimately, this game sets up for Caleb Love to have a big night. If he catches fire early, he can score with the best of them, but he is streaky. However, with the lack of defense Akron plays, we are going to pick Caleb Love to score 20+ points.
Dylan has had a love for sports since he was a kid. Four years ago, he decided to dive into the sports content-creating industry specializing in Fantasy Football, NFL and NBA. He has since had his work published on sites that include Fantasy Alarm, Fansided, and Fantasy Six Pack.