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Steelers’ George Pickens makes insane one-handed catch vs. Browns

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Steelers’ George Pickens makes insane one-handed catch vs. Browns

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Was that Pittsburgh Steelers rookie receiver George Pickens or Odell Beckham Jr. who made that insane one-handed seize?

On Thursday night time’s recreation between the Steelers and Cleveland Browns, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky launched a deep go down the proper sideline supposed for Pickens, nevertheless it a little bit bit too far.

That’s till Pickens prolonged his proper arm and did his finest Beckham impression, snagging the ball and holding it to his physique after hitting the bottom laborious.

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George Pickens of the Pittsburgh Steelers seems to be on through the recreation towards the Detroit Lions at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Aug. 28, 2022.
(Joe Sargent/Getty Photographs)

The 36-yard reception arrange a Steelers landing drive that was capped by a Najee Harris run into the top zone. Rookie working again Jaylen Warren additionally had some good runs to get Pittsburgh into the purple zone.

STEELERS ROOKIE GEORGE PICKENS CLAIMED TO BE OPEN ‘90% OF THE TIME’ VS. PATRIOTS

Beckham’s catch was probably extra spectacular while you put them aspect by aspect — contemplating he had a Dallas Cowboys cornerback draped throughout him that dedicated go interference. It additionally went for a landing.

Mitch Trubisky of the Pittsburgh Steelers scrambles from Anthony Walker Jr. of the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on Sept. 22, 2022.

Mitch Trubisky of the Pittsburgh Steelers scrambles from Anthony Walker Jr. of the Cleveland Browns through the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on Sept. 22, 2022.
(Gregory Shamus/Getty Photographs)

However that was Beckham’s rookie 12 months in a primetime Sunday Night time Soccer recreation. Pickens is making an announcement of his personal on nationwide TV.

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He additionally made some statements previous to the sport this week. Pickens, a Georgia product, mentioned that he felt he was open “90% of the time” within the Steelers’ loss to the New England Patriots this previous Sunday.

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“I simply say that as a result of I’m a giant man that runs within the low 4.4,” Pickens mentioned through the Pittsburgh Tribune-Evaluation. “I all the time have a step on any person, and my step is of course longer than the opposite particular person, and I’m really quick. I’m all the time [going to] have a step and all the time really feel like 99% of the time I’m open despite the fact that the ball will get there within the air and [the defender] will get time to catch again up.”

George Pickens of the Pittsburgh Steelers felt he was open "90% of the time" in the Steelers’ loss to the New England Patriots on Sept. 18, 2022.

George Pickens of the Pittsburgh Steelers felt he was open “90% of the time” within the Steelers’ loss to the New England Patriots on Sept. 18, 2022.
(Courtney Culbreath/Getty Photographs)

Getting into this recreation, Pickens had simply two catches for 22 yards because the Steelers are looking for their rhythm within the passing recreation with new quarterback Trubisky, who’s taking up for the retired Ben Roethlisberger.

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Creighton's Isaac Traudt monitors his glucose on the court to play college basketball with diabetes

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Creighton's Isaac Traudt monitors his glucose on the court to play college basketball with diabetes

When Creighton basketball player Isaac Traudt’s teammates take a break at practice, they might grab a drink of water, chat it up or go over assignments.

Traudt does that, too, but not before he checks a device attached to his body that tells him his blood glucose level. Depending on what it says, he might need to grab some energy chews for a sugar bump. The routine is the same at halftime of games.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody put down a packet of chews faster than Isaac,” athletic trainer Ben McNair said. “He can probably put a pack of those down in 10 to 15 seconds.”

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Traudt was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 16 years ago, at age 4, and he’s never let it stop him from pursuing the sport he loves. He will be with the Bluejays on Thursday when they open the NCAA Tournament against Akron in Pittsburgh.

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The 6-foot-10, 235-pound forward grew up in Grand Island, 130 miles west of Omaha, and was a two-time all-state player and Nebraska high school player of the year in 2022. He spent his first college season at Virginia, sitting out as a redshirt, and announced his transfer to Creighton last March.

Traudt has appeared in 28 of the Bluejays’ 32 games, averaging just under 10 minutes per game and shooting 43.6% on 3-pointers. He started two games early in the season, and made five 3s and scored a season-high 18 points off the bench against Central Michigan.

Creighton’s Isaac Traudt celebrates after making a three-pointer against Central Michigan during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Dec. 9, 2023, in Omaha, Nebraska. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz, File)

Former NBA players Chris Dudley, Adam Morrison and Gary Forbes and former WNBA player Lauren Cox are among the high-level basketball players who have had to manage diabetes.

Traudt said he has had a number of parents of recently diagnosed children ask him to give their kids encouragement.

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“It’s just important for them to know their dreams can still be accomplished,” Traudt said. “They can still compete in their sports. I think that’s what a lot of them worry about. I just want to inspire them and show you can play at the highest level.

“It doesn’t really matter if you have diabetes or not. It just takes more responsibility. It’s more demanding, but at the end of the day it’s possible.”

Dr. Lori Laffel, an endocrinologist and clinical investigator who works with children and young adults at the Harvard Medical School’s Joslin Diabetes Center, said technological advances have made it easier for athletes to manage their diabetes.

In the 1950s, she said, people diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes were discouraged from engaging in strenuous physical activity because of the dangers of low blood glucose. Later research showed positive effects from exercise, but athletes had to go through the inconvenience of pricking their fingers in practices and games to check their glucose.

In recent years, athletes have used continuous glucose monitors that communicate with insulin pumps to maintain glucose levels in their target ranges. The CGM sends readings to an app on the athlete’s phone showing glucose levels at five-minute intervals and also whether it is trending higher or lower.

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Traudt said he had daily insulin injections until he switched at age 7 to an insulin pump. The modern insulin pump that he now uses can automatically adjust insulin, for example, delivering more insulin if his glucose goes too high and reducing insulin delivery when it goes too low. The pump and Dexcom CGM, which he has used since he was 13, are attached to his body under his uniform.

“Obviously, in my short lifetime it’s come a really long way,” he said. “Compared to 40 years ago, I couldn’t even imagine going through this without the technology. It would be really difficult.”

He doesn’t really need the CGM to know when his body is out of whack. When his blood sugar is low, he gets dizzy and fatigued. When it’s high, he gets thirsty and has body aches.

McNair said Traudt does a good job anticipating when he needs to up his blood glucose during practices and games.

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“As soon as he feels like he’s going downhill a little bit, we do the chews for the most part and not too long after that he’s pretty much back on the floor,” McNair said.

Laffel, who has not treated Traudt and does not know him, said she can tell from hearing his story he has had strong support from his family and the medical and coaching staffs at Creighton.

“It’s always a thrill,” Laffel said, “when I know people are playing to their potential, working to their potential and thriving while living with Type 1 diabetes.”

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Why Dodgers prospect Hyun-Seok Jang could become one of MLB's next Korean stars

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Why Dodgers prospect Hyun-Seok Jang could become one of MLB's next Korean stars

During a workout at Dodgers spring training recently this spring, Rob Hill was stopped by a bystander confused by a case of mistaken identity.

The person had seen Hill, the Dodgers director of minor league pitching, talking with a tall, lanky, athletic Asian player on the backfields at Camelback Ranch.

Was that, the bystander asked, two-time MVP Shohei Ohtani?

No, Hill politely informed them. The player in question was actually Hyun-Seok Jang.

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While Ohtani and fellow Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto have inevitably dominated headlines during Dodgers spring training this year, club officials have quietly raved about the other talented Asian product embarking on his first spring with the team.

Jang, a 20-year-old right-handed pitcher who signed for $900,000 out of South Korea last year, doesn’t have the name recognition of a big-league standout yet. But, in several years, the club is hopeful he’ll be staging his own MLB ascension — one the team never got to experience with Ohtani more than a decade ago.

When Ohtani was coming out of high school in Japan in 2012, the Dodgers attempted to persuade him to move to the United States immediately.

They were enamored with his capabilities as a pitcher. They visualized his road to major-league stardom. And, had Ohtani’s preference to remain a two-way player not ultimately persuaded him to stay in Japan and play in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, he might have been a Dodger long before signing his record $700-million contract this offseason.

Last summer, Jang faced a similar set of circumstances, albeit without the two-way caveat.

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A native of Changwon, South Korea, a port city on the country’s southern coast, Jang emerged as not only the nation’s top high school player, but one of its more promising young pitching products in recent memory.

He has all the tools of a potential future MLB starter, from his 6-foot-4 frame to his upper-90s mph fastball to an array of breaking pitches that can induce swing and miss.

Yet, like Ohtani, he had the option to bide his time until then playing in his home country — where he was widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in the most recent KBO League draft, and would have been a prominent national figure in Korea’s baseball community.

“He would’ve started in the KBO, at the top level, right away,” said Daniel Kim, an independent South Korean journalist who has contributed to ESPN’s coverage of the nation’s domestic league. “If you’re a top one, two, three [high school] player, you get a lot of recognition.”

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However, in what was a relatively polarizing move in South Korea, Jang decided to forge a different path.

As he neared the end of his high school career, he announced his intention to sign with an MLB team. Last August, the Dodgers were the ones to secure his signature. And now the team — which just so happens to open its season Wednesday in Seoul against the San Diego Padres — is hoping he can become their next Korean success story, following in the footsteps of past star pitchers like Chan Ho Park and Hyun-Jin Ryu.

“We see a future with top-of-the-rotation starter stuff,” Hill said. “It’s just a matter of getting there and doing it. He can do so much with the ball. He’s so adept at trying to improve. I think the sky’s the limit.”

Jang, who declined an interview request for this story, explained at the time of his signing that he wanted to move to the U.S. to expedite his path to the major leagues.

He noted MLB clubs’ advanced infrastructure for pitching development, from advanced analysis to high-tech training facilities.

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He said he was eager to face American competition, despite the unglamorous minor-league lifestyle of small towns and long bus trips that come with it.

Most of all, he wanted to test himself competitively, unafraid of uprooting his life and moving 6,000 miles away to a country where he speaks little (though more every day, Hill said) of the English language.

“It was a tough decision for me because I dreamed of pitching both in the KBO and MLB,” Jang said in a statement last August, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. “But ultimately, I wanted to challenge myself in the best league in the world and decided to take a crack at MLB.”

To Dodgers executives, it was the last piece of confirmation they needed.

“I think it’s a really good indication of make-up and work ethic,” general manager Brandon Gomes said of Jang’s decision.

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Added Hill: “He’s incredibly ambitious … He doesn’t care necessarily about everyone’s opinions. He just wants to be good.”

There were plenty of other teams, of course, interested in the pitcher. The Texas Rangers were seen as the strongest other contender to sign him, according to one person with knowledge of the situation who was unauthorized to speak publicly.

At the time Jang announced his MLB intentions, the Dodgers also lacked the kind of money remaining in their annual international bonus pool to seriously make a run at signing him, forcing the front office to quickly try and seek out a trade.

A deal quietly came together on Aug. 4 of last year, when the Dodgers flipped prospects Aldrin Batista and Maximo Martinez to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for international slot money.

A week later, Jang’s signing with the team was official — a turn of events even the pitcher acknowledged came as a bit of a surprise.

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“I knew they were interested in me,” he said at a news conference announcing the decision. “But I didn’t think I’d end up signing with this team.”

Before coming to the U.S., Jang played with the South Korean national team in last year’s Asian Games. By helping the country win a gold medal in the event, he earned an exemption from its mandatory military service obligations, clearing the way for him to play full-time in America this year.

According to Dodgers vice president of player development Will Rhymes, Jang will likely start this season in the rookie-level Arizona Complex league. Currently ranked as the club’s 18th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, he is still at least two to three years away from the big leagues.

In the meantime, Jang has worked closely with Hill and the rest of the Dodgers player development staff this spring on refining his expansive repertoire of pitches — which includes a sinker, changeup, curveball and slider in addition to his tantalizing high-velocity four-seamer.

“I mean, what doesn’t he throw?” Hill joked about Jang’s arsenal. “The actual command and ability to manipulate the baseball, it’s pretty advanced for his age.”

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When Gomes first met Jang in person at the club’s DodgerFest event last month, he was struck by how the then-teenage prospect (Jang only turned 20 last week) sized up to Bobby Miller, the 6-foot-5 right-hander coming off a promising rookie season in 2023.

“When Bobby doesn’t make you look small, you’re like, ‘OK, this dude is put together,’” Gomes said. “With that body and his fastball quality right now, he certainly [projects as a] major-league starting pitcher.”

Once upon a time, the Dodgers thought something similar about a high-school-aged Ohtani.

In Jang, they see the chance to develop another future star from the other side of the world.

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NCAA Tournament bracket picks: CJ Moore picks UConn over Purdue for the title

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NCAA Tournament bracket picks: CJ Moore picks UConn over Purdue for the title

(Editor’s note: This is part of the Bracket Central Series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.)

Since Florida repeated as national champs in 2007, no defending champion has advanced past the Sweet 16. That ends this year.

 

Connecticut is the most complete team in college basketball, and it’s going to end that streak and repeat as national champions. That was my pre-bracket prediction and I’m sticking with it, but the selection committee really has me uneasy about that prediction. The Huskies received no favors as the top overall seed. You could argue that UConn has the toughest path to Phoenix as any of the top seeds. Iowa State has the best defense in college basketball. Illinois has one of the best offenses and was a team pre-bracket that I was pretty sure I would push through to the Final Four, and Auburn is the candidate to be this season’s UConn.

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My other pre-bracket rule: Fade the Big 12. The league is the most physical in the country and its teams, outside of Iowa State, are entering the NCAA Tournament bruised and battered. And if you look through the all-conference teams in the Big 12, the talent is not comparable to past years. There aren’t a lot of pros, and the talent is down. There are still a lot of good teams, but for most of the year it felt like Houston was the only great one. And Houston is a shell of itself right now.

Sometimes it’s a curse to watch a lot of college basketball because it leads to going too chalky. Last season, that would have gotten you in real trouble. This year the top is stronger. It’s not just the eye test. Adjusted efficiency margins at KenPom.com suggest this as well. For instance, last season’s No. 1 entering the tournament (Houston) would be this season’s No. 3. Last season’s No. 2 (UCLA) would fall to No. 6 this year. The numbers a year ago were hinting at possible chaos. This year we could get a more chalky Final Four.

Now, maybe you’ve come here for help with your bracket. My advice: If you’re convinced that UConn is the best team, then pick the Huskies. But if you’re not, there’s a lot of value in picking Purdue. The Boilermakers have been one of the best two teams in the country all season, but a lot of people are going to pick an early upset because Matt Painter’s team has lost in the first round in two of the last three tournaments — including No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson last year. This is not the same Purdue team. That one featured freshmen guards who were wearing down. Now Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are sophomores, and Smith, in particular, has made a big leap and is one of the best point guards in the country. He also has playmaking help in Southern Illinois transfer guard Lance Jones.

I’m sticking with UConn, but I’ve got Purdue in the championship game.

Let’s get to the nitty gritty now. Here is a region-by-region breakdown.

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East Region

• The second round is the first possible pothole for UConn. Northwestern took Purdue to overtime twice this season and has one of the best-scoring guards in America in Boo Buie. His ability to punish drop coverage is why I’m hesitant to take Florida Atlantic in the first round. FAU’s defense is designed to give up jump shots in the mid-range. Buie doesn’t take a lot of mid-range jumpers, but he’s one of the best pick-and-roll scorers in the country and has an effective field-goal percentage of 58.6 on shots off the dribble, per Synergy.

The Owls have performed their best coming off their lowest points, and losing to Temple in the AAC tournament was a low. Dusty May’s team will be motivated and also potentially a scary matchup for UConn, as the Owls also play their best against top competition — they knocked off Arizona in Las Vegas just before Christmas.

• Auburn is way underseeded if you’re a believer in metrics. The Tigers rank No. 4 at KenPom.com, and as stated earlier, they’re a good candidate to be the UConn of this tournament. UConn was also No. 4 at KenPom going into last year’s bracket and also was a No. 4 seed with the defending national champs (Kansas) as its No. 1 seed in its region.

The Tigers have double-digit wins in 26 of their 27 wins. Last season, UConn had double-digit wins in 19 of its 25 victories heading into the NCAA Tournament and then won all of its tourney games by double digits. This is potential pothole No. 2 for the Huskies, assuming Auburn can get past Yale (Ivy League was one of the best mid-major leagues this year) and San Diego State, which has one of college basketball’s best scoring bigs in Jaedon LeDee.

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• One smart upset pick in this region could be Duquesne over BYU. The Dukes hold their opponents to 31.7 percent 3-point shooting, and BYU lives and dies by the 3. Dayton is probably the closest equivalent to BYU on Duquesne’s schedule; Duquesne got swept by Dayton in the regular season but just upset the Flyers in the A-10 tournament.

• Drake will be a popular 10-7 upset pick because it’ll have the best player on the floor in Tucker DeVries, who will be looking for tourney redemption. Last season, Drake led Miami by eight with under five minutes to go and ended up blowing the late lead, and DeVries scored three points on 1-of-13 shooting in that game. Washington State relies a lot on scoring inside the arc and was the second-best offensive-rebounding team in the Pac-12. Drake’s 2-point defense — allowing 51.9 percent — is not great, but it is the best defensive-rebounding team in the country.

Iowa State will have the best homecourt advantage the opening weekend. Iowa State fans love to travel to see their Cyclones, and it’s a short drive to Omaha. They just took over the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.

• Illinois has won seven of eight games entering the tournament, with that one loss coming to Purdue. The Illini have the positional size to match up with UConn. Their defense — 91st at KenPom — is suspect, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense when you look at the roster. Terrence Shannon Jr. can be a lockdown defender on the perimeter when he wants to be, and Coleman Hawkins is one of the most versatile defenders in the country. Shannon is averaging 31.8 points over his last four games, and he might be the toughest wing in college basketball to defend. (It’s him or Dalton Knecht.)

I’m not sure Illinois has the defensive discipline to handle all of the movement and off-ball screening action from UConn, but I was tempted to make this upset pick. If UConn ends up repeating, the Final Four could end up an easier two games than the second weekend. UConn doesn’t play through Donovan Clingan in the post a lot, but this could be a game to give him the ball a lot, as he has a size and strength advantage on Hawkins. (The Illini do have behemoth Dain Dainja off the bench.) Clingan’s rim protection will also be important, as Shannon and Marcus Domask both live in the paint.

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If Tyler Kolek is healthy, Marquette can make the Final Four. (Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)

South Region

• Nebraska has never won a NCAA Tournament game, but this is the year! The key will be trying to keep Texas A&M off the offensive glass. The Aggies are the best offensive-rebounding team in the country. Nebraska ranks 223rd in defensive rebounding rate. Whoever wins this game is a good candidate to upset Houston.

• Houston is the most vulnerable No. 1 seed with J’Wan Roberts getting injured in the Big 12 tournament. Roberts, who hurt his shin in the semis, did play in the final but lasted only 13 minutes. The Cougars are also missing their two best bench players, and Kelvin Sampson doesn’t have a lot of confidence in his reserves right now.

One of the best weapons to have against Houston’s ball-screen defense is a pick-and-pop, playmaking five and Nebraska has that in Rienk Mast. If it’s Texas A&M advancing in the first round, the Aggies can match Houston’s physicality. And while Houston’s a great offensive-rebounding team, it’s not great right now on the defensive glass, especially since losing backup center Joseph Tugler. The Aggies struggled shooting the ball most of the season, but they’re averaging 83 points and are 5-1 since inserting Manny Obaseki into the starting lineup.

I’ve gone back and forth on who will win Nebraska-A&M. My initial gut pick was Nebraska, but I’m wavering and would probably change my pick if I hadn’t already submitted my bracket! But forgot the wavering. The Huskers are not only going to win their first tourney game in school history; they’re making the Sweet 16.

• Wisconsin and Duke have tricky first-round matchups, and Vermont or James Madison would be worthwhile upset picks. I was hesitant because I’ve got Houston losing and feel like this is a strong 4-5 region. My logic for picking Wisconsin is that Duke’s interior defense is soft. Wisconsin’s Steven Crowl is playing well and will be a matchup problem for Duke in the post. Wisconsin is 15-6 when he scores in double figures.

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• Texas Tech is another Big 12 team hurt by injuries. Starting center Warren Washington has missed eight of the last nine games, and he went scoreless in 13 minutes in his one appearance during that stretch. Starting wing Darrion Williams, one of Texas Tech’s most important pieces, also sat out the Houston game with an ankle injury. I’d expect both to play, but NC State is already a tricky matchup with the red-hot DJ Burns. I was going to pick against the Wolfpack in the opening round because I figured they’d be a tired team, but the health of the Red Raiders worries me more.

• Marquette will have a challenging second-round game, whether it’s Florida, Colorado or Boise State. Both the Gators and Buffaloes are talented, and the Broncos went 13-5 in a challenging Mountain West and had the league’s best offense in conference play. Also, there’s the concern of Tyler Kolek and his oblique injury.

But I’ve been high on the Golden Eagles all season, and they’ve felt like a team that will peak in March after getting upset in the second round last season by Michigan State. Usually, when a veteran team has a loss like that and returns most of its core, it’s a safe bet that the team goes on a run. (See 2019 Virginia for the most extreme example.)

• Kentucky and Illini are the two teams in this bracket that give off the most 2023 Miami vibes. Both are electric on offense and suspect on defense. I trust the Illini more because they’re older. If Marquette-Kentucky happens in the Sweet 16, it’ll be super watchable and likely fast-paced. Wish we knew exactly how healthy Kolek will be, but Marquette is a nightmare matchup for Kentucky’s defense. Kentucky’s ball-screen defense has been brutal for much of the season, and Kolek and Oso Ighodaro are one of the best pick-and-roll tandems in the country. Marquette also can guard.

• Shaka Smart is 0-3 against Wisconsin as the coach at Marquette, including a 75-64 loss in Madison this year. That was one of the worst games of the season for Kolek and Ighodaro. The Badgers dared Kolek to shoot and took away Ighodaro on the roll. Ighodaro finished with just five points on five shots, and Kolek went 1-of-5 from distance.

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Since Jan. 15, the only two teams to beat Marquette are Creighton and Connecticut. Marquette was not quite in the right headspace early in the season when it lost that game but it’s quietly been one of the best teams in the country the last two months and still played pretty well with Kolek sidelined. Smart is finally going to get a win in this rivalry game, sending Marquette to its first Final Four since 2003.

West Region

This is the region best set up for chaos, so let’s get weird.

• Mississippi State just upset Tennessee in the SEC tournament and has the bodies to throw at North Carolina’s Armando Bacot. Chris Jans is one of the best defensive coaches in the country, and his team is holding opponents to 29.4 percent shooting from deep. He’ll be sure to limit the looks for RJ Davis and Cormac Ryan.

The Bulldogs will tempt Elliot Cadeau into shooting. He’s seen the dork defense before — when teams sag off him on the perimeter — sometimes he’s baited into shooting. He’s made just 8-of-44 3s all season. Jans has one of the hottest scorers in the country too, with freshman guard Josh Hubbard averaging 25.4 points over his last eight. A smart game plan and a hot Hubbard are the difference in the second round. And if it’s Sparty playing the Heels, that’s a core that went on a surprise run last year.

• Grand Canyon has one of the best talents in this region in Tyon Grant-Foster, the former Kansas/DePaul wing who sat out the last two years with a heart problem and returned to the floor this season to average 19.8 points per game. I went to see Grant-Foster play for the first time when he was the top-rated juco recruit at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. He’s always had the talent, and Bryce Drew has brought out the best of him. This is one of the most heartwarming stories in college basketball. Grand Canyon has a talented roster around him too, but I’m picking this upset with my heart. It’d be cool to see Grant-Foster have his moment on this stage.

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• New Mexico was the most talented team in the Mountain West but battled injuries and inconsistent play and finished sixth in the conference standings. But the Lobos got hot this weekend, winning the MWC tournament, and they’re healthy now and metric darlings. They rank No. 23 at KenPom, so that’d suggest they’re underseeded. They have a potential second-round matchup with Baylor, which has an elite offense but has been mediocre defensively the last two seasons.

The Lobos aren’t a great matchup for Arizona in the Sweet 16. When the Wildcats have struggled this year, it’s been against teams that can take advantage of Oumar Ballo in the pick-and-roll. The Lobos P&R handlers finish the second-most possessions of anyone in college hoops, per Synergy. They have one of the best guard trios in the country in Donovan Dent, Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. They also have Nelly Junior Joseph, who is big and strong enough to deal with Ballo on the blocks.

• I’m not sure there’s a team I feel comfortable picking in the Final Four in this region. This is the region where it feels like the selection committee messed up. UNC and Arizona have the easier paths to the Elite Eight, and I’m probably dumb not picking either to get there. But, again, this feels like the spot for chaos. And the team that could benefit is Alabama, which had the hottest offense in college basketball for about the first seven weeks of the calendar year.

The Crimson Tide shoot a ton of 3s, and with that can come some variance. They also have a crummy defense. And they’re in that Kentucky/Illini category of electric offense and suspect defense. Put Illinois in this region and I’d feel great putting the Illini in the Final Four. I’m not so comfortable going with the Crimson Tide, but it’s a team that is probably better than its record. Most will see 11 losses and get scared. Most will see losers of four of their final six and get scared. But the tournament is often a reset, and teams that play unique styles are often good candidates to go on runs. Think some of Jim Boeheim’s mediocre Syracuse teams of the past.


Caleb Furst and Purdue beat Tennessee in November in Hawaii. Could they meet again in the Elite Eight. (Steven Erler / USA Today)
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Midwest Region

• Gonzaga and Kansas are both going to be popular Round 1 upset picks. McNeese State is 30-3 and coached by former LSU coach Will Wade. I was tempted. The Cowboys dominated the Southland, but that’s one of the worst leagues in college basketball. Mark Few hasn’t lost in the first round since 2008 and his team has a major size advantage.

Kansas has a confidence problem and has been the second-worst 3-point shooting team in college basketball the last six weeks. But Samford is actually a good matchup for the Jayhawks in their vulnerable state. Because the Bulldogs press, it’ll allow Kansas to get out in the open floor. That’s where Dajuan Harris Jr., Kevin McCullar Jr., KJ Adams and Johnny Furphy thrive. A fast-paced game will be a welcome change from the sometimes slog of the Big 12.

• Oregon coach Dana Altman is one of the best postseason coaches. The Ducks have made the Sweet 16 as a No. 7 and a No. 12 in their last two tourney appearances. Altman is known for mixing defenses and confusing opponents in the postseason, and center N’Faly Dante, who missed the first half of the season, is playing his best ball of the year. South Carolina coach Lamont Paris will be coaching in only his second NCAA Tournament game. The Gamecocks are also No. 49 at KenPom, so this will likely be close to a coin flip in Vegas. Feels like a good spot to pick an upset.

• Tennessee has one of the easiest second-round matchups no matter if it’s Virginia, Colorado State or Texas. That first weekend should help the Vols get their swagger back after losing two straight coming into the tournament. The key for Tennessee will be getting some offense from someone in addition to Dalton Knecht and Zakai Zeigler. Both Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi are in major slumps.

Creighton-Tennessee could be a great Sweet 16 game, but here’s betting the Vols look like themselves again the first weekend and ride that confidence to the Elite Eight. That’s where it gets tricky if they play Purdue, who beat them 71-67 in the opening round of the Maui Invitational in a game where neither team played that great. That was before Zeigler, coming off offseason knee surgery, looked like himself, but Zach Edey dominated. Not sure the Vols have an answer for slowing Edey, and the Vols couldn’t beat Purdue with Braden Smith having one of his worst games (six points, one assist, three turnovers). Purdue could end up reliving Honolulu, beating Tennessee and Marquette on its way to the national title game.

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• Purdue has the easiest path to the Elite Eight of all the No. 1 seeds, and for that reason it might be a smart champion pick. In my bracket, we get the national championship between the two teams who have been at the top of the rankings for most of the year and a game I’ve wanted to see. If it happens, UConn has the big in Clingan to slow Edey, and UConn has better talent around its star big man. I don’t love UConn’s path, but if we get this game, the Huskies are the more complete team. Purdue relies a ton on Smith and Edey, but all five of UConn’s starters could go for 20-plus any given night.

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(Photo of Donovan Clingan: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

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