March Madness Sweet 16 Preview: No More Suits

March Madness Sweet Sixteen Preview: No More Suits

By analyst Gabriel Rauch

Tournament record: 4-4

In the last two years: Coach K, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim and Jay Wright have all retired ushering in the end of an era of college basketball. We’re in a new time in college basketball where kids get paid, the rosters get an overhaul each year and coaches dress in track suits instead of a three piece. While coaches Izzo, Self, Calipari, and Pitino are still around; they’re the last of their kind. It’s over. It’s time to find our new reliable college coaches to bet on every March for the next decade. So who are these men?

UConn(4) -3.5 / Arkansas(8) 

Dan Hurley and Eric Musselman are the two dads you dread meeting when your girlfriend brings you home for the first time. Hurley wears his emotions on his sleeve, he doesn’t like you and he lets you know it right away. Oh and you better not even think about touching his little princess, got that sport? Musselman may not be as physically intimidating, he may even practice free throws with you on the hoop in the backyard.. But he’s already done his homework on you and you can bet he’ll be on your ass if you make one small slip up. In March, cooler heads prevail. Go with Muss. 

The Pick – Arkansas +3.5

UCLA (2) -2 vs Gonzaga(3)

A rematch of the famous semi-final game two years ago, the two teams have not changed as much as one might think. Drew Timme is a senior now, having already been playing like one for three years, Mick Cronin still has a slew of veterans, and we’ll be treated to a handful of shots of Mark Few’s hot, anxious wife in the stands.

You might be tempted to go with Gonzaga: UCLA lost their best defender, Gonzaga is a juggernaut, and Few has to win it all one of these years right? You may even be right, but remember: experience matters. UCLA is older, stronger and still salty over that buzzer beater in 2021. Above all, Cronin is the better motivator. 

The Pick – UCLA -2

Houston(1) -7.5 vs Miami(5)

Kelvin Sampson’s team has had a very iffy start to the tournament, especially for a one seed. They almost lost in the first round, then after a slow start, completely smothered Auburn in the second. Houston likes playing teams who rely on scoring and slowing them down to play their game. Miami might be an electric offense, but their weak ACC experience will catch up to them against Houston’s veteran players. There is a reason this spread is so high. 

The Pick – Houston -7.5

Creighton(6) -10 vs Princeton (15)

Princeton has had an historic run, led by homer coach Mitch Henderson who has a legit roster to work with (at least by Ivy League standards). The Tigers edged out Arizona who were not tournament ready, and dominated a defensively flawed Mizzou team and they deserve all the credit in the world. However, it all comes to an end for them against Greg McDermott’s Creighton team, who has everything needed to go far in March: size, shooting and experience. Kalkbrenner has been better than advertised in his comeback year and will expose Princeton’s lack of talent. 

The Pick – Crieghton -10

The Don’t Bet This Game of the Week

Alabama(1) vs SDSU(5) 

Remember that Kobe quote, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” don’t listen to that, skip this game. These teams are completely different in every way, Alabama with more talent, SDSU with more experience. Lingering over all of it is the Brandon Miller situation about whether he is involved in an ongoing murder investigation. There are too many variables for this one, so just skip it.

Games I Missed

Texas(2) vs Xavier(3)

If I had to choose, I would go with Xavier just because Sean Miller has more experience and is an underrated coach. Rodney Terry has done a great job taking over for Chris Beard due to his domestic violence controversy, but it is hard to see an interim coach going far in the tournament. 

Tennessee(4) vs FAU(9)

Rick Barnes has a team of grown men who, on paper, should dominate FAU. However, Barnes is a perpetual underachiever in the tournament, which makes him hard to trust. FAU almost lost to FDU, which also rules them out of being in contention. Skip this one. 

Kansas State(3) vs Michigan State(7) 

This game is a fantastic matchup for the sport, old vs new. Jerome Tang vs Tom Izzo on one of Izzo’s last chances at that elusive second championship. This one is too close to call, but the line movement toward Michigan State being favored by 1.5 is suspicious to say the least. I would take Michigan State if I had to choose, but I won’t pretend that this game is anything more than a coin flip of two teams that have overachieved this season. 

Any questions or comments? Email me at gabriel.rauch@gmail.com