Can Wichita State “Shock” the World with an NCAA Tournament Championship?

The best college basketball team isn’t supposed to be a squad from the Missouri Valley conference.  Not when there are major college athletic programs that invest millions of dollars in state of the art facilities and recruit all the potential NBA talent from around the country.  Perhaps that’s why the Wichita State Shockers remain ranked just number 2 in the country, despite being the only undefeated regular season team since 1991!  Yes, their schedule was softer than most major conference basketball teams, but wasn’t Wichita State the Cinderella team of the 2013 NCAA tournament, who shed their number 9 seed and beat both top-ranked Gonzaga and 7^th ranked Ohio State to reach the Final Four? It’s not like the Shockers haven’t played (and beaten) anyone.  So could they actually finish the job this year and win a National Title?

Of course they can.  In fact, they should be coming into this tournament as definite favorites and a number 1 seed!  But that seed really means little once the games begin, especially for title contenders.  All that matters in the next game, and winning it.  And as we have seen over the last four months, the Shockers are really good at doing that.

Railing off 34 wins this season, the team is led by the same core group that performed that tremendous March run last year.  Ron Baker, Cleanthony Early, Fred VanVleet, and Tekele Cotton are each producing over 10 points per game, and have the talent and awareness to beat anyone.  Rebounds and assists are spread out amongst the team who click better than most, even those major conference teams laden with NBA prospects.  What is most inspiring, however, is the their ability to generate turnovers and steals on defense, and their ability to turn those plays into points.  With their defensive fortitude, Wichita State can handle anyone.

But it will definitely be interesting to see how they fare in the tournament.  They haven’t played a nationally ranked team all year, and have yet to really be put to the test.  They’ve hardly even played any close games, especially in the last few months of the season!  What will happen when they face a Duke or a Syracuse or a Florida?  Can they handle the pressure of a tight game?  Will they be able to adapt from playing against teams they can breeze past, or will the tough opponents send the Shockers into, dare I say, shock?

Needless to say, the incredible Final Four run of 2013 should be a major point of strength and experience for this team.  They clearly learned that they could handle anyone, and they still have that burning desire to win, as evidenced by their impressive 34-0 record.  Whether or not they complete the miracle and earn a shocking National Title for Wichita State, the team has competed at the top level for the past 2 seasons and is fully deserving of whatever glory comes their way.  While predicting a champion is always a tough and tricky science, especially with 68 teams to choose from, I think that if there’s a strong bet in this event that will surely have the casual fans rooting for them, it’s Wichita State.  Let’s see if these guys can shock the world once again!

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Who Will Win the NCAA Basketball Tournament This Year?

As we head down the home stretch of the NCAA men’s basketball season and into late February, the wonders of March Madness awaits!  Who will be the Cinderella team that stuns the world in the NCAA tournament with a deep run?  Which strong teams right now will stutter down the stretch and fail to make an impact on this season?  And most importantly, who will rise against all the odds and take the NCAA basketball national championship in 2014?  Let’s discuss this last question right now with the 5 favorites at this point of the season:

Syracuse Orangemen – Ranked at the top of the polls for quite some time, the Orange is the only undefeated team from a major conference.  It seems they were well prepared for their first foray into the ACC!  They’ve handled everyone and always come out on top, including heavyweight teams Duke and North Carolina.  While they have 4 very capable scoring threats including Tyler Ennis and C.J. Fair, creating for a very balanced attack, their defense is among the nation’s best.  Until they lose, they will be ranked number 1 and be the favorites heading into March.  I like their chances!

Florida Gators – Although they have lost twice already this season, they have yet to lose in 2014, and both losses were closely contested against nationally ranked teams: Connecticut and Wisconsin.  They also have a balanced attack led by Casey Prather and a strong defense highlighted by Patric Young.  They have been beaten, but they have been dominating the SEC (including Kentucky) and are looking quite capable of going all the way!

Wichita State – Another undefeated program, this team feels unbeatable and are now ranked 3^rd in the nation.  While they’ve beaten a couple of SEC teams in Alabama and Tennessee, their schedule has been extremely soft.  However, one must praise the fact that they are undefeated, no matter who they have or haven’t played.  27-0 is a massive accomplishment and guys like Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker can ball!  But what happens when they play a major contender late in the tournament or even just another ranked team?  I think they will be stopped at some point fairly early in the NCAA tournament.

Arizona Wildcats – One of the season’s early bloomers, Arizona was set to be the dominant team in the nation, led by Nick Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Brandon Ashley.  Defensively, they are also a very stout team.  However, after beginning the season with 21 straight wins they have now gone 2-2, and have lost to California and Arizona State, neither of which is ranked.  While every team experiences some misfortune during a season, these losses have been embarrassing and suggest Arizona isn’t ready to win a championship.  However, if they can right the ship and get going again, the Wildcats surely are a contender!

Duke Blue Devils – Though they have 5 losses on the season, the Blue Devils are always a force in the NCAA tournament.  It is also worth mentioning that several of their losses have come at the hands of fellow contenders Arizona, Kansas, and Syracuse.  Behind the soon-to-be-NBA star Jabari Parker, the team’s hopes rest on him and his team’s ability to hit 3-pointers.  While such potent scoring can give the team a major lift, what will happen when those long shots don’t fall?  While I do not foresee this Duke team winning the title, Parker is the type of player that can take over the tournament and lead his team to glory all by himself.

So who of these 5 contenders do I predict will win the 2014 NCAA basketball tournament?  Until they are beaten, I have to go with Syracuse!  Let’s go Orange!

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