Candid Bracketology (feat. Ace of Pods): 1/16-1/22
Sean Clark and Cole Theisen deliver the updated bracketology for the week of 1/16-1/22
Top 3 Teams that boosted their resume this week:
Clemson Tigers (15-3, 7-0) Led by Hunter Tyson and PJ Hall, Clemson had a fantastic home court advantage this week by taking care of the underwhelming (2-16) Louisville Cardinals 83-70 last Wednesday. Hunter Tyson’s 28 points and 11 rebound performance was the difference for Clemson. The Tigers continued their seven-game win streak with a 72-64 victory, led by Hall’s 26 points on 10/16 shooting from the field, at home over the blue-blood power Duke Blue Devils (13-5). This 7-0 start for the Tigers has people second guessing if this really is a football school with their best start in conference play in over 70 years. This start has boosted them up to a potential seven or eight seed in the latest overview of our Seeding Breakdown (listed below). The No.19 ranked Clemson Tigers have a tough test at Wake Forest on Tuesday and home against Virginia Tech this Saturday.
Xavier Musketeers (15-3, 7-0) Souley Boum, who transferred from UTEP, has established himself as a National Player of the Year contender this past week with 26 points in a thrilling 90-87 win over the Creighton Blue Jays in front of a packed Cintas Center, then followed that up with 16 huge points in a tough 80-76 win over Marquette. These two marquee wins have vaulted the Musketeers to eighth in the AP Poll, putting them in contention for a top-two seed in the NCAA Tournament while atop the Big East. Xavier faces DePaul and Georgetown, two Big East bottom feeders, this week after four challenging games for Sean Miller’s squad.
Marquette (14-5, 6-2) While the Golden Eagles lost at the Cintas Center on Sunday, Shaka Smart’s squad have put themselves on the national radar with a huge 82-76 win over UConn on Wednesday night. Kam Jones (15.8 PPG) is the leading scorer on the team, but Marquette bolster a deep and versatile squad where multiple different players can carry the scoring load on any given night (five players average at least 9.8 PPG). Forward Iso Ighodaro had 19 points against UConn while holding Huskies star forward Adama Sanogo to 10 points. Marquette will face No. 22 Providence on Wednesday before their weekend trip to Seton Hall.
Top 3 Teams that worsened their resume last week:
UConn (15-4, 4-4) Until the last day of 2022, the UConn Huskies looked like a frontrunner for the Final Four. Alas, Dan Hurley’s team has suffered a tough start to conference play by losing half of their games in Big East play. While losing on the road to a tough Marquette team by only six points is understandable, the Huskies got embarrassed on their home-court by a middle-of-the-pack St. John’s Red Storm on Sunday 85-74. Depth was a huge issue as three players (Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Alex Karaban) combined for 61 of UConn’s 74 points in the double-digit loss. Hurley must search for answers on defense as the Huskies face Seton Hall and Butler this upcoming week on Wednesday and Sunday respectively.
Arkansas (12-5, 1-4) After a hot start to December, winning all of their games before winter break, they have since had some eggnog hangover. They have dropped three games in a row at the hands of Auburn (14-3), Alabama (15-2), and Vanderbilt (9-8) this past Saturday. In this stretch, the lack of experience and defensive intensity has shown through for this Razorback team. This team has to gain more leadership from Rickey Council IV and Anthony Black if they want to make a deep run in March. The Razorbacks have a manageable week ahead going on the road to Missouri (13-4) on Wednesday and coming home to play the Ole Miss Rebels (8-9) on Saturday.
Tennessee (14-3, 4-1) This team had started the previous week with a five-game winning streak and been off to a red-hot start to the season, only losing to the Arizona Wildcats (15-2) and the Colorado Buffaloes (11-8). The Volunteers were 8-0 at home on the season entering last Saturday’s matchup where they fell to the Kentucky Wildcats by a score of 63-56 (11-6, 2-3). The kryptonite of the Volunteers coming down the stretch of this season will be their three-point shooting and that will certainly loom as a key factor in March. Their schedule this week is traveling to Mississippi St (12-5) on Tuesday and to LSU (12-5) on Saturday.
Under the radar team for the week:
Cole: Florida Atlantic University (17-1, 7-0) The Owls have been one of the most surprising teams of college basketball so far with their prolific offensive attack lead by the four double-figure scorers of Alijah Martin (12.8 PPG), Johnell Davis (12.1 PPG), Vladislav Goldin (10.4 PPG), and Michael Forrest (10.1 PPG). Entering this week on a 16-game winning streak, the Owls really like to push the tempo and pride themselves on winning close games down the stretch with their young and poised guard play. This team has gained so much attention, setting attendance records at FAU Arena in their 66-62 win over North Texas (14-4). FAU will be traveling to UTSA (7-12) on Thursday and UTEP (10-8) on Saturday night.
Sean: Marshall (15-4, 4-2) Marshall has not made the NCAA Tournament since their 13-seeded upset win over four-seeded Wichita State in 2018. Guard play was the theme then and this season, it has been no different as Huntington, WV has been host to the Taevion Kinsey (21.2 PPG) and Andrew Taylor (18.8 PPG) show. These two dynamic playmakers have led the Thundering Herd in scoring every single game and led the team to three-straight wins after two losses to James Madison and Georgia Southern. Against the 14-4 Southern Miss Golden Eagles, the two combined for 42 points while center Micah Handlogten cleaned up the boards with 16 rebounds to go with 17 points in the 89-67 win. Marshall will try to continue their momentum at Texas State and Arkansas State on Thursday and Saturday respectively.
Game of the Week:
Cole: UCLA (16-2, 7-0) at Arizona (15-3, 4-3) on Saturday 1/21: The Bruins have been cruising out to a stellar Pac 12 play start but over the years, they have had challenges against the Arizona Wildcats led by second year coach Tommy Lloyd. The Bruins have been led by seniors Jaime Jaquez Jr. (16.7 PPG, 7.1 REB, 2.5 AST) and Tyger Campbell (13.3 PPG, 2.6 REB, 4.7 AST) and have had no signs of regression lately playing stellar defense holding opponents to under 60 points in their last five games. On the other side of the game, this Wildcat team is coming off a 2-2 in their past four games against the Washington and Oregon Pac 12 schools. This recent stretch has been in part due to the lack of good guard play from Kerr Kriisa and early foul trouble leading to limited minutes from their leading scorer Azuolas Tubelis (20.4 PPG). If the Wildcats can settle down and withstand the early runs that UCLA provides in this game and let the ZONA ZOO get behind them, this should be the game of the season in the Pac 12.
Sean: Texas (15-2, 4-1) at Iowa State (13-3, 4-1) on Tuesday 1/17: Iowa State, one season after reaching the Sweet 16 despite a losing record in Big 12 play, looks as good as ever with Hilton Magic sweeping the nation once again. The Cyclones have already knocked off Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech by 34 points in Big 12 play and only lost at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday by two points. Jarren Holmes, Caleb Grill and Gabe Kalscheur have formed a terrifying trio that can shoot the lights out on any given night. They will welcome Texas to the Hilton Coliseum, who are weathering the storm after dismissing former head coach Chris Beard. The Longhorns survived two nail-biting games last week with a combined margin of six points in their wins over Texas Tech and TCU at home. Let’s see if Texas’ resiliency can withstand Hilton Magic.
Seeding breakdown:
1 seeds: Kansas, Houston, Alabama, Purdue
2 seeds: Xavier, UCLA, Gonzaga, Texas
3 seeds: Tennessee, UConn, Arizona, Virginia
4 seeds: Iowa State, TCU, Miami, Kansas State
5 seeds: Marquette, Rutgers, Auburn, Saint Mary’s
6 seeds: Clemson, NC State, Illinois, Michigan State
7 seeds: Providence, Iowa, Duke, Arizona State
8 seeds: Charleston, Missouri, Arkansas, Penn State
9 seeds: San Diego State, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Northwestern
10 seeds: Texas A&M, Northwestern, Oklahoma, USC
11 seeds: Boise State, New Mexico, Indiana, Maryland, Kentucky, Florida
12 seeds: FAU, Kent State, VCU, Marshall
13 seeds: Drake, Liberty, Oral Roberts, Seattle
14 seeds: Cornell, Iona, Colgate, Samford
15 seeds: EWU, UCSB, Youngstown St, SIUE
16 seeds: Asheville, Norfolk State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Southern, UMASS Lowell, SELA
Last Four In: Indiana, Maryland, Kentucky, Florida
First Four Out: Nevada, Wake Forest, Memphis, Utah State