The St. Louis Region is all about second chances.
Kentucky and Gonzaga both have a chance to redeem themselves following last season’s early exits from the tournament. Michigan State has a chance to rebound from its early season losses. And Georgia Tech may have a chance to win the whole thing.
Kentucky No. 1 again
Kentucky (26-4) earned another No. 1 seed in this year’s pool courtesy of a 89-73 victory over Florida in the Southeastern Conference tournament Championship game. The Wildcats currently have five players averaging double-figures, and will try to move beyond last season’s disappointing loss to Marquette in the regional finals.
Kentucky will face Florida A&M in the first round following A&M’s victory over Lehigh in the play-in game. If the Wildcats win, they will face either Washington or Alabama-Birmingham in the second round.
No. 8 Seed Washington
If Washington can get past UAB, Kentucky may be in some trouble. After starting 0-5 in conference play, the Huskies (19-11) defeated previously unbeaten No. 1 Stanford in their final regular-season game, and advanced to the Conference finals.
The Huskies are led by 5-foot-8 guard Nate Robinson, one of the most exciting players in college basketball.
Before Robinson and company can set their sights on upsetting Kentucky, they will have to contend with an experienced UAB team that features four fifth-year seniors.
Gonzaga, Michigan State look to beat No. 1
The No. 2 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs boast the best record in the St. Louis region at 27-2, good enough to give them their highest seed in school history. Gonzaga went unbeaten in the West Coast Conference, and their only losses of the year came against No. 1 seeds St. Joseph’s and Stanford.
The Bulldogs feature a strong frontcourt with seniors Rony Turiaf and Corey Violette combining to average over 29 points per game. Point guard Blake Stepp runs the offense and averages nearly seven assists to go along with his 14.7 points per game.
One team that shared Gonzaga’s struggles with No. 1 seeds this season is No. 7 seed Michigan State. The Spartans fell early in the season to No. 1 seeds Duke and Kentucky during a tough non-conference schedule. Michigan State also had non-conference losses against Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and Syracuse.
The Spartans will have to improve on their early-season play if they are going to get past No. 10 seed Nevada in the first round. The Wolf Pack (23-8) proved they could play with anyone in their Dec. 21 win over Kansas and have a dangerous starting five led by 6-foot-9 forward Kevin Pinkney.
Georgia Tech lurking
If Gonzaga and Kentucky can go far in the tournament, one team they should be very afraid of is No. 3 seed Georgia Tech. This season the Yellow Jackets have defeated UConn, Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Maryland and enter the tournament having won four of their last five games.
With last season’s super freshman forward Chris Bosh now in the NBA, Georgia Tech revolves its game around its four talented guards. Jarrett Jack, Marvin Lewis, B.J. Elder and Will Bynum all can get out and run the floor, a style that potential second round opponents Boston College and Utah will have trouble containing.
With their big-game experience and quality depth Georgia Tech can potentially make a run at the Final Four.
Jayhawks have a short trip
A recent Sports Illustrated on Campus issue profiled the traveling habits of the Kansas basketball team. The team has a fully-equipped private jet to take them to away games, but the Jayhawks may only have to roll it out of the hangar if they head to the Final Four in San Antonio.
Kansas, the No.4 seed, has as much home-court advantage as any team in the tournament, with their first two games in Kansas City, Mo. If the Jayhawks and first-year coach Bill Self can win those games they will travel the short distance to St. Louis for the Sweet 16 and the Elite 8.
If Kansas has a short distance to travel, then the opposite is true for its potential second round opponents Pacific and Providence. If guard Miah Davis has his shooting stroke, No. 12 seed Pacific may be able to upset the Friars, who come into the tournament on a three-game losing streak.
No ‘Mo in St. Louis
One team that will not be playing in the St. Louis region is the Missouri Tigers, which lost to Michigan in the opening round of the NIT, putting an end to a disappointing season. Ranked No. 6 in ESPN’s preseason poll, the Tigers dropped rapidly from the polls following losses to such teams as Belmont and Iowa State.
With star seniors Ricky Paulding and Arthur Johnson returning to the team, and the addition of transfer Jason Conley, the 2001-02 NCAA leader in scoring, the Tigers were expected to be one of the top teams in the country. However, the Tigers instead became one of the biggest disappointments of the year.
Notre Dame also failed to get an invite to the field of 65 despite having a 17-12 record and wins over Syracuse, Connecticut and UCLA.