Monday, January 19, 2015

15 in '15 (Final 4)

After a few weeks of contemplation I have found four in college basketball teams that are on the highest watch in the new year. As a reminder, this isn't predictions of standings, or the actual Final Four predictions (those may come later), but a list of the top fifteen teams in the country that should be on the basketball fan's radar. We start off the Final Four with #4...

#4 Iowa State Cyclones
Most recently, ISU handed Kansas their first Big XII loss of the year in convincing fashion: an 86-81 victory at home where they have struggled against the Jayhawks, having two losses in their own building. What propelled them to this win was all five of the Cyclone starters collecting a double double and when they run an extremely fast-aced offense that averages the most transitional points out of any major conference, it shows. Iowa State, also the nation's leader in assists per game, took the court in an aggressive fashion the whole season, only falling to one of the best teams in my opinion, Baylor, South Carolina, and the Maryland team that has made it's mark on the B1G. A test of the team's true grit will come when they play five straight games against ranked opponents starting off with Oklahoma on the 9th of February and ending with a contest with the Baylor Bears on the 25th. Freshman Georgies Niang is one part of a triple threat poised to make some noise come March with Naz Long and Bryce Dejean-Jones, the teams top scorers. With almost the exact same PPG, minutes played, RPG, and FG%, expect these three young men to power Iowa State into the Elite 8.


#3 Arizona Wildcats
A preseason Final Four candidate, the Wildcats have been extremely determined to remain that way. After a surprising upset in Vegas to UNLV, the 'Cats rebounded for two dominating wins over rival Arizona State and Oregon. Following a loss to Oregon State, it was easy for Arizona to stick to what they did before the game against the Running Rebels and win. Early season padded games against Oakland and Cal State Northridge were not surprising, but it was nice to see competitive victories against a few ranked squads like San Diego State and a very good Gonzaga team that was extremely impressive when I saw them play last year. (Now obviously some seniors left and they added some guys, but it is pretty much the same team as last year's Maui Invitational tournament championship contender). Chester High School product, Rodae Hollis-Jefferson has proved to Arizona that he is one of the best young athletes in the country. As a sophomore, he averages a double double and is a legitimate threat at the forward position. His strength as a defender and a shooter will match up well against future Pac 12 opponent Jordan Loveridge of Utah. Personally, I see a possibility of an exit of the tournament in the Sweet 16 even though to a team like Northern Iowa but an Elite 8 birth is not out of the question.

#2 Michigan State Spartans
There are a handful of elite coaches in the business. Names like Coach K and John Calipari come to mind but MSU head coach Tom Izzo is definitely on that list of great coaches. With over twenty players in the NBA who came out of Izzo's program, his legacy in East Lansing is legitimate much like his current team's chances of a B1G Championship. Even though they have suffered six losses, only one draws a lot of concern, the L to Texas Southern at home. TSU, by the way, has a losing record and has only won three away games all year (one of which was against the Spartans). That loss shouldn't define a team, but it should be remembered and used to build off of, and that's exactly what Izzo did. Denzel Valentine and Travis Trice, two of the leaders of the team are excellent shooters and need to keep their hot hand and propel their team through the remaining parts of their B1G schedule to try and get to face Maryland again in the conference tournament. If MSU beats Maryland on the road to Chicago, don't be surprised if a 9 seed gets handed to the Spartans.

#1 Duke Blue Devils
The 2014-15 Duke Blue Devils were in an interesting position going into the season; they recruited three stellar athletes that would be starters as freshman. It has happened before, but Coach K is notorious for giving playing time to seniors and veterans of the roster, so having two starters as freshman is a scenario more accustom to John Calipari Kentucky who seem to have endless freshman every year. The adversity was obviously handled well, for the Blue Devils went on a 14-0 run to start the season where they won their games by an average of a little above 21 points as well as they were one of the last three unbeaten teams in the country. This season, Duke has beaten three ranked teams (Micigan State, Wisconsin, and Louisville) plus the defending nation champion UConn Huskies. Tyrus Jones, Jahlil Okafor, and Justice Winslow have all solidified the fact they belong in Cameron Indoor. The trio is impressive for sure, scoring a combined 674 points. Okafor is a projected first overall selection, but with the continued success of the team, it would make sense for him to stay at school and develop. NC State and Miami were two schools that knocked Duke off of their track for an undefeated season. The perfect record wasn't going to happen, but it was a bit surprising when the Wolfpack was able to halt that dream early. The more surprising piece of it all is that the Hurricanes added a second straight loss, especially at Cameron where Duke is historically dominant. Duke holds the top four longest home win streaks in the ACC and the longest non-conference home win streak in the NCAA so obvious dominance in Durham as the Crazies often call it the #HardestRoadGame. Either way, Duke has found a way to win this season, and they will continue on to a national championship, or well, that's at least what this Devils fan thinks.


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