One month down. And the primary of 5 months didn’t disappoint. In this version of the Weekly Word, look beneath for the Power 37, the participant and workforce of the week, the video games to look at and a breakdown of the place the highest leagues stand.
But first a soapbox second about Feast Week tournaments.
I really like them. And I need the three-game tournaments to outlive. But I’m not naive. I do know coaches and directors are shying away from the format. Well, not less than for the elite faculties. Most faculties in Division I battle to get peer-to-peer high-level non-conference residence video games. So, going to a impartial web site to ensure two video games, not to mention three, can dramatically assist out a schedule. Getting alternatives to select up Quad 1 video games on a impartial court docket shouldn’t be dismissed.
Sure, the North Carolina at Kansas sport and the collection between Duke and Arizona amongst others are unbelievable for the game. But a slew of groups don’t get these sort of home-and-home probabilities.
Let’s take Maui, Atlantis and Players Era as examples.
What did we discover out in Maui?
Auburn is a title contender. Memphis ought to be the very best workforce within the American and is a top-25 workforce. Dayton ought to be the highest workforce within the A-10. Iowa State will problem Kansas within the Big 12. Michigan State and North Carolina might go both means within the coming weeks and UConn discovered that they should enhance defensively and discover ways to shut out video games. Playing comfortable video games might not present these solutions.
MAUI RESULTS: Scores from the 2024 Maui Invitational
In the Bahamas, Oklahoma and Louisville have utterly modified the narrative of their seasons with their run to the title sport. West Virginia’s win over Gonzaga was a season-changing win for brand spanking new coach Darren DeVries. Like UConn, Indiana found that it should defend at a better stage if it’s going to contend and the identical was true of Arizona.
In Las Vegas, Oregon proved to the nation that it’s a Final Four contender and Alabama continued to show it belongs in that very same dialogue. Houston and Creighton — a pair of preseason top-15 groups — aren’t able to make that step but. San Diego State picked up a much-needed win over Houston after shedding at residence to Gonzaga and Texas A&M re-established itself as a NCAA-bound workforce. Rutgers’ incapability to shut out video games means the Scarlet Knights can have a slew of strain to win large within the Big Ten.
And let’s be clear right here: Rutgers isn’t getting Houston and Alabama to play in Piscataway. Memphis can’t get UConn anymore, not to mention Michigan State. A sport towards Auburn might occur since they’re regional groups, however that’s an outlier.
The two-game format is the brand new pattern, however life as a males’s and ladies’s faculty basketball participant must also be about experiences. And attending to play in a well-run occasion in Maui, the Bahamas and/or Las Vegas for 4 days is tough to duplicate. I get it that the funds will get tighter as extra money is distributed. But let’s not lose the significance of those early-season tournaments that may give the game the that means it wants earlier than New Year’s.
The 12 video games on the Lahaina Civic Center I witnessed had been among the greatest non-conference video games I’ve seen in years. I’ve been doing this for 30-plus years and the ambiance of the Maui Invitational is such a singular a part of the season that it should/ought to be preserved. I had quite a lot of followers come as much as me all through the week and say how a lot they sit up for the occasion. Going to the Maui Invitational is akin for quite a lot of diehard followers as a bucket listing occasion, just like going to a March Madness first-weekend occasion.
This yr held a particular that means because it was the primary time the occasion was again because the tragically lethal wildfires of August 2023. The neighborhood remains to be therapeutic, not to mention rebuilding. And it’s/was essential to keep up a stability of getting vacationers return — a should as a result of reliance within the financial system of holiday makers — and being respectful of the native residents who lived by the trauma.
The occasion itself did pay the correct respect to what occurred. This was solely the second time since 2019 that the occasion was in Maui because of Covid as properly. The occasion was performed in Asheville, N.C., and Las Vegas, in 2020 and 2021, respectively. It was again in Maui in 2022 however needed to be relocated to Honolulu in 2023 as a result of fires.
Most occasions have two classes of two video games every, which suggests there may be empty sections when one group of followers emptys out. But because the Civic Center is so the flip of the world occurs after every sport, guaranteeing that there’s a raucous ambiance for every workforce. The followers journey to cheer on their workforce and pack the few seats behind every workforce’s bench whereas additionally taking on one finish zone and the other facet of the benches. No different occasion has this sort of intimacy. My hope is that the format gained’t get altered sooner or later and if it does solely with some minor tweaks.
The newest Power 37 rankings after a prime 25 was turned the wrong way up with over half of the groups shedding final week (5 groups misplaced twice and a kind of 5 misplaced 3 times).
The March Madness Power 37
- Auburn (Prev. 4, 7-0): The Tigers gained the Maui Invitational by beating Iowa State after which North Carolina and crushing Memphis. They performed properly sufficient and regarded the half to be the very best workforce within the nation.
- Kansas (Prev. 1, 7-0): This is probably not in style to drop the Jayhawks behind Auburn after Kansas beat Duke in Las Vegas however the Tigers’ week was so spectacular.
- Tennessee (Prev. 11, 7-0): The Vols are gearing up for an additional potential SEC title chase.
- Marquette (Prev. 9, 8-0): The Golden Eagles are beginning to present some separation as the very best workforce within the Big East.
- Kentucky (Prev. 5, 7-0): The Wildcats proceed to roll offensively and have scored over 100 factors 4 occasions.
- Iowa State (Prev. 7, 5-1): The Cyclones had one hiccup towards Auburn, however performed properly late towards Dayton and Colorado in Maui.
- Oregon (Prev. 16, 8-0): The Ducks are beginning to appear like the very best workforce within the Big Ten after successful the Players Era Event by beating Alabama on a tip-in.
- Duke (Prev. 6, 5-2): The Blue Devils are near ending off elite groups and can get one other check this week towards Auburn.
- Florida (Prev. 17, 8-0): The Gators gained the ESPN Events match in Orlando by taking down Wake Forest and Wichita State.
- Purdue (Prev. 14, 7-1): The Boilermakers gained the match in San Diego by knocking off NC State and beating Ole Miss on the buzzer.
- Alabama (Prev. 8, 6-2): The Tide have the hardest schedule and beat Houston and Rutgers in Las Vegas earlier than shedding to Oregon on a tip-in. The Tide have already overwhelmed Illinois in Birmingham and misplaced at Purdue.
- Wisconsin (Prev. 15, 8-0): The Badgers are rolling and John Tonje is within the pole place for Big Ten Player of the Year.
- Gonzaga (Prev. 2, 7-1): The Zags redeemed themselves after shedding to West Virginia in OT by knocking off Indiana and Davidson in Atlantis.
- Cincinnati (Prev. 18, 6-0): The Bearcats haven’t performed a powerful slate but however their protection has been stellar.
- Illinois (Prev. 20, 6-1): The Illini acquired a shelf win over Arkansas in Kansas City that may final the season.
- Michigan (NR, 6-1): The Wolverines are the shock within the Big Ten and are recent off a Fort Myers match title by beating Virginia Tech and Xavier.
- Memphis (NR, 6-1): The Tigers are not any joke. They can be a top-25 workforce for many of the season behind the guard play of Tyrese Hunger and PJ Haggerty and a powerful submit sport that was all on show in Maui.
- Baylor (Prev. 19, 5-2): The Bears acquired overwhelmed by Tennessee handily and can have one other barometer sport towards UConn this week.
- Oklahoma (Prev. NR, 7-0): Porter Moser’s crew gained the Battle 4 Atlantis by knocking off Providence, Arizona and Louisville.
- Ole Miss (Prev. 27, 6-1): The Rebels beat BYU after which misplaced to Purdue on a ultimate possession in San Diego.
- Arizona State (Prev. NR, 7-1): The Sun Devils beat Saint Mary’s and New Mexico en path to a match title in Palm Springs.
- San Diego State (Prev. NR, 4-2): Welcome again to the highest 25. The Aztecs left Las Vegas with a 2-1 mark by sandwiching a loss to Oregon by beating Creighton and Houston.
- Drake (Prev. 24, 7-0): The Bulldogs proceed to roll below Ben McCollum.
- Texas A&M (Prev. 21, 6-2): The Aggies misplaced to Oregon in Las Vegas however left with two high quality wins over Creighton and Rutgers.
- Pitt (Prev. 33, 7-1): The Panthers beat Ohio State in Columbus on a buzzer-beater after shedding to Wisconsin the earlier week in West Virginia.
- Michigan State (Prev. 30, 6-2): The Spartans left Maui with a 2-1 document after a much-needed win over North Carolina.
- Texas (Prev. 29, 6-1): The Longhorns haven’t misplaced since opening evening towards Ohio State in Las Vegas.
- Maryland (NR, 7-1): The Terps solely have one loss, by 4 to Marquette at residence and are quietly wanting like a top-half Big Ten squad.
- Utah State (NR, 7-0): Craig Smith, Ryan Odom, Danny Sprinkle and now Jerrod Calhoun. The Aggies have had nice success within the Mountain West of late, no matter who was the pinnacle coach.
- Dayton (NR, 6-2): The Flyers move the attention check. They had leads towards North Carolina and Iowa State however couldn’t shut out in Maui. But they did accomplish that towards UConn to finish the journey.
- Louisville (NR, 5-2): Pat Kelsey has the Cardinals related by one month with a 2-1 Atlantis mark by beating Indiana and West Virginia earlier than shedding to Oklahoma.
- West Virginia (NR, 5-2): The Mountaineers shocked Gonzaga in spherical one in Atlantis and after shedding to Louisville got here again and beat Arizona.
- Saint Mary’s (Prev. 35, 7-1): The Gaels embarrassed USC, beating the Trojans 71-36 after which misplaced to surging Arizona State.
- Xavier (Prev. 23, 6-1): Dropped its first sport of the season to upstart Michigan, however ought to be within the prime 5 within the Big East.
- Butler (NR, 6-1): The Bulldogs beat Northwestern and Mississippi State in Tempe and could possibly be an element within the chase for a bid.
- Georgia (Prev. 36, 7-1): Mike White ought to have a contending squad for an NCAA Tournament bid.
- Clemson (NR, 7-1): The Tigers have one blemish, up to now, at Boise State.
Dropped out: UConn (3), North Carolina (10), Indiana (12), Houston (13), Ohio State (22), Arkansas (25), Mississippi State (26), Creighton (28), Penn State (31), Texas Tech (32), BYU (34), Vanderbilt (37).
The March Madness National Team of the Week
Auburn: The Tigers are loaded. Johni Broome was the MVP of the Maui Invitational and could possibly be thought of the favourite for the Naismith Award. The Tigers beat Iowa State on a Broome tip-in after which dealt with North Carolina and Memphis to win the title. The large males tandem of Broome and Dylan Cardwell is imposing and the brand new backcourt trio of Chad Baker-Mazara, Miles Kelly and Denver Jones are greater than able to inflicting suits for each opponent. This workforce has depth at each place. They push the tempo, play arduous and management each backboards. Look out for the Tigers this season.
The March Madness National Player of the Week
TJ Bamba, Oregon: The two-time switch (Washington State/Villanova) was the MVP of the Players Era Event in Las Vegas. He averaged 17.3 factors over the three video games. Nate Bittle was constant all through the week and had the tip-in to beat Alabama. Keeshawn Barthelemy was additionally stellar all through the week. But Bamba had the very best total numbers, with 18 towards Texas A&M, 22 towards San Diego State and 12 towards Alabama. He made 5 threes over the week, 16 of 39 photographs and 15 of 21 free throws with 7 rebounds, 11 assists, three blocks and 5 steals.
The March Madness Games to Watch
Auburn at Duke, Wednesday: Wowza. This is a mammoth sport. Johni Broome, the newest frontrunner for the participant of the yr, towards the highest freshman in Cooper Flagg.
Marquette at Iowa State, Wednesday: This goes to be one of the vital bodily video games of the month. Both groups play HARD and defend. This could possibly be an Elite Eight preview.
Alabama at North Carolina, Wednesday: The Tide had been inside a whisker of successful the Players Era Event whereas the Tar Heels limped out of Maui 1-2.
Baylor at UConn, Wednesday: The Huskies desperately want one thing constructive to occur after the debacle in Maui. Yes, they beat Maryland-Eastern Shore, however it is a actual check.
Kentucky vs. Gonzaga, Saturday: Kentucky has fairly every week with this sport in Seattle after going to Clemson. The Zags will look to nab one other elite W.
Wisconsin at Marquette, Saturday: This is without doubt one of the prime non-conference rivalries and with each groups coming into this week undefeated the stakes are even larger — particularly since they each have powerful video games earlier within the week.
Michigan at Wisconsin, Tuesday: This is a matchup between two of essentially the most shocking groups within the Big Ten, up to now.
Kentucky at Clemson, Tuesday: This is the Wildcats’ first check since taking down Duke in Atlanta in early November.
Kansas at Creighton, Wednesday: Massive check for the Blue Jays to indicate that they’re legit. The matchup of Hunter Dickinson and Ryan Kalkbrenner ought to be the most effective large man matchups of the season.
Pitt at Mississippi State, Wednesday: This is a sleeper of a great sport after Pitt went in and beat Ohio State on the buzzer.
My prime convention contenders by one month:
In the the ACC: Duke, Pitt, Clemson, North Carolina
Sleeper: Louisville, Wake Forest
Hard to determine: NC State, Cal
In the Big 12: Kansas, Iowa State, Baylor, Cincinnati, Arizona State, Houston, Arizona
Sleepers: West Virginia, Texas Tech
Hard to determine: BYU, Colorado
In the Big East: Marquette, Xavier, Creighton, UConn, St. John’s
Sleepers: Butler, DePaul
Hard to determine: Villanova
In the Big Ten: Oregon, Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois
Sleepers: Maryland, Michigan State, Penn State
Hard to determine: Indiana, Ohio State, UCLA
In the SEC: Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida
Sleepers: Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas
Hard to determine: Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Georgia, Vanderbilt.
