This will be a short post for tonight, as I just got back from the Greenville, SC opening NCAA Tournament rounds.
Just some quick thoughts from what I saw…
- Paulo Banchero’s talent level is unreal up close. I don’t care what they say about Auburn’s Jabari Smith. Banchero is better. He’s like a smoother bigger version of Grant Hill. He’s as good as he wants to be.
- Duke still can’t defend all that well, but they took a lot of body blows from a tough Michigan State team and held firm. They showed a toughness in Greenville we haven’t seen from them most of the year.
- Miami’s guards were incredible. The completely dictated the tempo and game flow against Auburn and USC. You get good guards in March with a coach like Jim Larranaga, and yea Miami has a reach shot at the Final 4.
- Auburn is who I thought they were. Up close it’s even more evident. Get the SEC teams into a half-court game and the game plan goes out the window. Bruce Pearl got completely outcoached by Larranaga. SEC teams try to run their opponents off the floor. They are talented, but when forced into a deliberate half-court basketball they were a disaster in March. All 5 of their losses were to double-digit seeds.
- USC’s pep band was incredible. You have to see them.
Last thought the ACC after a forgettable OOC season went 8-2 in the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament. 12-2 if you include NIT results. The ACC needed a strong March and they got one.
Miami, Duke, and North Carolina headed to the Sweet 16. Virginia and Wake Forest still playing in the NIT.
I’ll have a lot more to say about this over the course of the week.
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