This weekend separates the contenders from the pretenders as the Sweet 16 will end with the Final Four. With all eyes on this weekend’s games, let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories in college basketball.
Do The Underdogs Have A Chance?
One of the most exciting aspects of the NCAA tournament every year is seeing the Cinderella teams, who go from relatively obscure to tournament darlings. This year, there are four double-digit seeded teams that made the Sweet 16. Here is a look at each of their upcoming matchups.
One of the most intriguing teams in the tournament is the Saint Peter’s Peacocks. After taking down the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats (85-79) and No. 7 Murray State Racers (70-60), they now are set to take on No. 3 Purdue on Friday.
The Peacocks are led by junior guard Daryl Banks III, who is averaging 11.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. The Peacocks average 66.9 points per game while allowing 62.7 points per game.
Two of the underdogs will square off on Friday when No. 11 Iowa State matches up with No. 10 Miami. These two have run through teams like No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 6 LSU, and No. 7 USC.
The Iowa State Cyclones have had the biggest turnaround as they went from being just a two-win team last year to now sitting at 22-12 overall.
The Cyclones are led by senior guard Izaiah Brockington, who is averaging 17.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. For Miami, senior guard Kameron McGusty is averaging 17.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.
The last of the double-digit teams is no stranger to NCAA tournament success. After finishing the season on a rough note, the No. 11 Michigan Wolverines are knocking on the door of the Elite Eight with No. 2 Villanova in their way.
The Wolverines are averaging 73.2 points while giving up 69.6 points per game.
Coaching Carousel Continues
With teams around the nation seeing their seasons come to an end, the coaching carousel is once again moving at full speed. On Monday, another high-profile opening was filled.
The Missouri Tigers announced that Dennis Gates, formerly the head coach of Cleveland State for the last three seasons, will be taking over the program.
This season, at Cleveland State, Gates led the Vikings to a 20-11 record that culminated in being beaten in the first round of the NIT.
For Missouri, they finished this season 12-21 overall and 5-13 in the SEC. That conference mark was good for just third from last as they only had better records than Mississippi and Georgia.
Gates will try to do something at Missouri that hasn’t been done in over a decade, and that is win an NCAA tournament game. First, in a loaded SEC, he will have to make the tourney.
Elsewhere, Maryland officially announced their new head coach as Kevin Willard will be taking over the program after 12 seasons at Seton Hall.
While with the Pirates, Willard led the team to one Big East regular-season championship and one conference tournament title. He also led the team to five NCAA tournaments.
For Maryland, they finished this season 11th in the Big Ten with a 15-17 overall record and a 7-13 conference record.
SMU Coach Retires
While a couple of coaches have found new homes, one is departing from his position. On Tuesday, Tim Jankovich announced he would be retiring from SMU as their head coach after six seasons.
Jankovich has had a successful coaching run that spanned four decades. His first season with SMU was in 2016-17. The team finished the season 30-5 and made the NCAA tournament that year (their last appearance).
This season, the Mustangs finished 24-9 and had their season ended when they lost to Washington State in the second round of the NIT.
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