Big 12 2018 NCAA Tournament First-Round Preview — Midwest Region
(10) Oklahoma (18-13) vs. (7) Rhode Island (25-7) Preview, Thursday, 11:15 a.m. Central, CBS
How they got here: The Sooners were likely one of the last at-large bids in the NCAA Tournament. They stumbled down the stretch and lost eight of their past 10 games. Meantime, Rhode Island earned an at-large bid out of the A-10 after winning the regular season title, but losing the conference championship game to Davidson by one point.
Expected starters and head coach
Oklahoma Sooners — G Trae Young (27.4 ppg, 8.8 apg), G Kameron McGusty (8.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg), G Christian James (12.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg), F Kristian Doolittle (2.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg), C Jamuni McNeace (6.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg) Head coach — Lon Kruger (619-394 overall, 140-90 OU).
Rhode Island — G Jared Terrell (17.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg), G E.C. Matthews (13.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg), G Jeff Dowtin (9.7 ppg, 5.9 apg), G Stanford Robinson (9.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg), F Andre Berry (9.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg) Head coach — Danny Hurley (150-104 overall, 112-81 at Rhode Island).
About Oklahoma Sooners: The Sooners were once ranked in the top 5 in the country. On Sunday, the Sooners were just hoping to hear their named called. They did, and now they hope that Trae Young can develop the same hot hand that put him on the national radar earlier in the season. Young has shot better than 35% from the field just once in the past seven games. But he’s still the country’s leading scorer and assist man and will be the obvious focus on this Rams defense. Many of these players have been here before, as OU is looking for its third Sweet 16 appearance in the past four years and few have more experience than Lon Kruger, who has taken five different teams in the NCAA Tournament. Five players on the current roster were a part of the team that reached the 2016 Final Four.
About Rhode Island Rams: The Rams are making their 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and for just the second time in program history, have reached the Big Dance in back-to-back seasons. This team has plenty of confidence after knocking off No. 6 seed Creighton last year in the first round before losing a tight one to Oregon in the Round of 32. This year, the Rams won the A-10 going 15-3, while beating Seton Hall in non-conference play and dropping a close game to Alabama. Danny Hurley was named the A-10 coach of the year, while Jared Terrell earned First-Team All-Conference honors.
Prediction: These two teams have never met before and will kick off the NCAA Tournament action on Thursday. I think we’re in for a good game, but ultimately, the Rams experience, confidence and mojo prevails. There is no reason to believe Oklahoma is going to suddenly turn things around, unless you believe that a team that has yet to play against Trae Young won’t be prepared for him. Another factor: turnovers. Oklahoma finished second to last in the Big 12 with 13.4 turnovers per game. Rhode Island ranks third in the nation with a +5.1 turnover margin. The three-guard combo of Terrell, Matthews and Dowtin create a balanced attack that should expose OU’s mediocre defense, while OU’s offense should be slowed down enough against one of the best scoring D’s in the A-10.
Next up: The winner faces either Duke or Iona in Pittsburgh.
(1) Kansas (27-7) vs. (16) Penn (24-8) Preview, Thursday, 1 p.m. CT, TBS
How they got here: Kansas won its 14th-straight Big 12 title this season and then went on to win the Big 12 tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament for a 47th time in program history. Meantime, Penn is in the Big Dance after winning the Ivy League regular season title and also edging out Harvard in the Ivy League Championship Game 68-65.
Expected starters and head coach
Kansas Jayhawks — G Devonte’ Graham (17.3 ppg, 7.5 apg), G Svi Mykhailiuk (15.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg), G Malik Newman (13.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg), G Lagerald Vick (12.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg), C Udoka Azubuike (13.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg) Head coach — Bill Self (650-200 overall, 443-95 Kansas)
Penn Quakers — G Ryan Betley (14.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg), F AJ Brodeur (13.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg), G Darnell Foreman (10.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg), F Max Rothschild (7.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg), G Antonio Woods (7.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg), Head coach — Steve Donahue (502-248 overall, 48-40 at Penn)
About Kansas Jayhawks: The Jayhawks may not have that one-and-done star, but this is a complete team that improved as the season went on. Devonte’ Graham is a senior leader running the point and the Big 12 Player of the Year. The talent around him is quality and there is plenty of depth off the bench with Mitch Lightfoot, Marcus Garrett, and Silvio De Sousa. It’s the third-straight season Kansas has been a No. 1 seed and 14th time in program history. Azubuike is a force down low and leads NCAA Division I in field goal percentage at 77.4%. Kansas is poised for a deep run and Bill Self would love to remove the notion that despite all his success in Lawrence, his teams have fallen short of expectations come March Madness.
About Penn Quakers: The Quakers won the Ivy League regular season title for the first time since 2007. Head coach Steve Donahue has redeemed himself after a very disappointing stint at Boston College and was named the Ivy League Coach of the Year. Penn is a stingy defensive team and led the Ivy League in 3-point field goal percentage defense, field goal percentage defense and defensive rebounds. The Quakers also have a balanced attack with four players averaging double figures scoring, led by sophomore Ryan Betley, who averaged 14.5 ppg. Additionally, he’s the team’s top three-point shooter, hitting at a 39% clip. Down low, keep an eye on All-Ivy First-Team player A.J. Brodeur, who averaged 13.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg, while hitting over 54% of his field goals.
Prediction: It’s never been done! Can a 16 seed finally beat a 1 seed?! Nope. Not this time. Kansas is firing on all cylinders, having lost just one game in the past month. The Jayhawks will dominate Penn from start to finish. The only chance is if the Quakers get hot from three-point range, that’s about the only thing possible to make this close. Combine that with Penn’s quality defense, especially beyond the arc, and maybe the Quakers can keep it close. But I expect a veteran KU team to take care of business and get ready for a match up on Saturday afternoon against the 8 or 9 seed.
Next up: The winner faces either Seton Hall or NC State in the second round.
(6) TCU (21-11) vs. (11) Syracuse/Arizona State Preview, Friday, 9:40 p.m. ET, CBS
How they got here: The Horned Frogs won the NIT last season and finished 9-9 in the Big 12 this year, going 21-11 overall and ended the season on a two-game losing streak. Meantime, Syracuse was one of the last four in going 20-13 overall and 8-10 in ACC play, while Arizona State wrapped up a 20-win season, while going 8-10 in Pac-12 action.
Expected starters and head coach
TCU Horned Frogs — G Alex Robinson (9.8 ppg, 6.0 apg), G Desmond Bane (12.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg), G Kenrich Williams (13.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg), F Kouat Noi (10.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg), F Vladimir Brodziansky (15.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg). Head coach — Jamie Dixon (373-149 overall, 45-26 at TCU)
Syracuse Orange — G Tyus Battle (19.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg), G Frank Howard (15.0 ppg, 5.0 apg), F Oshae Brissett (14.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg), C Paschal Chukwu (5.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg), F Marek Dolezaj (5.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg). Head coach — Jim Boeheim (923-370 overall and at Syracuse)
Arizona State Sun Devils — G Trae Holder (18.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg), G Shannon Evans II (16.6 ppg, 3.5 apg), Kodi G Justice (12.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg), F Remello White (10.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg), G Remy Martin (9.9 ppg, 2.9 apg). Head coach — Bobby Hurley (88-66 overall, 46-46 at Arizona State)
About TCU Horned Frogs: The Horned Frogs got off to a red hot start to the season, going 12-0 in non-conference play. They were able to withstand the injury to Jaylen Fisher as Alex Robinson has grown into the point guard role. Now the Horned Frogs get ready for their first NCAA Tournament game in 20 years when they were a No. 5 seed in 1998. In fact, the last NCAA Tournament win for TCU came in 1987, which was head coach Jamie Dixon’s senior season with the Horned Frogs. This is uncharted territory, but having a veteran coach like Dixon who went to plenty of NCAA Tournaments as the Pittsburgh head coach will be invaluable. The duo of Kenrich Williams and Vladimir Brodziansky is a tough match up for any team on short notice.
About Syracuse Orange: The Orange, once again, barely got into the Big Dance, giving coach Boeheim his 33rd NCAA Tournament appearance. Tyus Battle is the go-to player for the Orange as the team’s leading score with 19.8 ppg and leads the nation in minutes per game (38:52). Junior Frank Howard and ACC All-Freshman selection Oshae Brissett round out the scoring attack for Cuse. The Orange infamous 2-3 zone defense has proven effective this season, as they rank 8th nationally in field goal percentage defense (39.6%) and blocked shot average (5.6).
About Arizona State Sun Devils: Bobby Hurley returned just three players from last year’s team, but was able to get them to a First Four match up. The Sun Devils had a great non-conference with wins over two No. 1 seeds, beating Xavier and Kansas, the only team in the country to do that, along with a win over Kansas State. But Arizona State has lost five of its last six games. ASU is an offense-first team, averaging 83.5 ppg, their highest mark in 20 years. This team plays close games, with 15 single-digit Pac-12 regular season games, their most in the past 22 seasons. There isn’t a ton of experience here, but guard Shannon Evans II was part of Hurley’s NCAA Tournament team at Buffalo in 2015.
Prediction: Once the play-in game between Cuse and ASU is played on Wednesday night a prediction will come here on Thursday morning.
Next up: The winner faces either Michigan State or Bucknell on Sunday in Detroit.
