March Madness Preview

This year's Men's basketball season has been filled with ups and downs. Ranked teams have been losing left and right. That being said, this is shaping up to be a March Madness for the ages. The outright number one seed this year is looking like it is going to be Houston. Houston made the final four last year — and has many of their players returning this year. Led by senior guard Marcus Sasser (17.1 PPG), they are heading into their conference tournament at 28-2 — number 1 in the national AP poll. One of the reasons for their success is their defense. At 56.5 PPG, they allow the second least amount of points in the nation.

A mid major team that has a great chance at making a Cinderella run this year is Oral Roberts. If you are an Ohio State basketball fan, this name will ring a bell. Back in 2021 Oral Roberts made the sweet sixteen as a 15 seed after beating Ohio State and Florida. This year, Oral Roberts is led by a veteran guard that was on the team in 2021. Max Abmas is averaging 22.2 PPG and the Golden Eagles finished the season at 30-4. Their only 4 losses are against high power division one teams, two of them being top 25 teams (Houston and Saint Marys). The Golden Eagles have already punched their ticket by winning their conference tournament — they did not lose one conference game all year.

A dark horse team to look out for is Michigan State. They are playing their best basketball right now — classic Tom Izzo basketball. The head coach of MSU, Tom Izzo, has been to the final four eight times. This team seems like one of Tom Izzo’s well disciplined and high IQ teams. They are led by seniors Joey Hauser and Tyson Walker. These are the two players Izzo gives the ball to during crunch time. The Spartans also shoot the ball with great efficiency. At 40.1% from behind the arc, MSU is one of four teams in the nation to shoot above forty percent. With a highly experienced front court and backcourt — the Spartans have what it takes to make the final four for Izzo’s ninth time.