Photo: Florida Gulf Coast University makes the Sweet 16 / AP Photo
There’s a lot that has to go right for a team to win the NCAA National Championship in men’s basketball. In fact, you need a lot of luck on your side. It takes six consecutive wins against quality competition to hoist the trophy on the first Monday of April. One misstep and you’re out of the tournament.
Every body had a strategy when it comes to filling out a bracket. Which team had the best defense during the season? How did they play on the road? Who had the toughest regular season schedule? Which team looks like they have the best chemistry? What do the matchups look like? This team matches up well with this team, but they might struggle against that team.
As we approach the Sweet 16, the hard truth is that it all comes down to talent. In order to win the National Championship a team needs to have a player (or preferably two or three) who can get hot and put the team on his back and carry them to the title and into the annals of history.
Here are a few teams that have players capable of either cutting down the nets or at least make a pretty impressive run through to the Final Four:
Michigan: The Michigan Wolverines have had their ups and downs in the brutally stacked Big 10 conference. But despite a little inconsistency, they are title contenders. Tim Hardaway Jr., Glen Robinson III and Trey Burke are all future NBA players who are great athletes that can handle the ball.
Indiana: The Hoosiers are many people’s odds-on favorite to win the National Championship and for good reason. Big man Tyler Zeller and guard/forward Victor Olidipo could both make cases to be the National Player of the Year. Not only that, they are both tenacious competitors and aggressive defenders.
Duke: It’s the same old story for the Blue Devils: they have one of the most talented teams in the nation and they are well coached. Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry combine to make the Blue Devils the most dangerous three-point team in college basketball and Mason Plumlee is a big man that can bang with any college player out there. If the shots are falling, the Blue Devils won’t find much competition in the tourney.
The same goes for Masters 2013. Guess who’s coming off of a tournament win at Bay Hill? Oh, and he just so happens to have the number one ranking in the world for the first time in over two years. And if you still don’t know who I’m talking about then I’ll give you one more hint: he has at times been considered the best golfer of all time.
That’s right, Tiger Woods.
Photo: Tiger woods Trophy, Bornrich.com
But if for some reason you don’t want to go with the hot hand then maybe Rory McIlroy will a wise decision. The young golfer just lost his number one ranking to Woods and has been off his game lately, but he has proven over the past couple years that there’s not a golfer on the planet that can keep up with him when he’s on his game.
So don’t outsmart yourself. Sure, there are always some surprise runs by a Cinderella team or a young upstart golfer, but when the dust is settled, it’s pretty safe to say that the most talented participants are left standing.
-written by Ashley Roberts
Guest Authors and Friends of Pinstripe Magazine, Online Mens Magazine for Gear, Girls and Gadgets.
