2023 NCAA Tournment Preview

Purdue’s Zach Edey is a virtual lock for player of the year. A 7’4” center, he’s been terrific this season. Averaging over 22 points per game and nearly 13 boards while shooting at an incredible 62% (his sky hook is reminiscent of Kareem - accurate and unguardable). His Boilermakers won their 29th game in the Big 10 tourney title contest on Sunday and secured a well-deserved #1 seed in the East. Edey is great, but he is not the best player in college hoops.

Houston’s Marcus Sasser also had a terrific season, averaging 17.5 points. Unfortunately, he suffered a groin injury that kept him out of the AAC tournament title game. It was perhaps no surprise that Memphis beat the Cougars with relative ease on Sunday. Maybe he was held out with an eye on the bigger prize (Houston still got the #1 seed in the Midwest). Remember the Sasser injury as you decide how far Houston will advance in the tourney.

Kentucky had a disappointing season but the reining National Player of the Year, Oscar Tshiebwe, remains a beast on the backboards - the best rebounder in the college game since Bill Walton back in the age of polyester suits and disco fever.

Add to the list: Kansas’ Jalen Wilson and Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis. (Wait, the Hoosiers are relevant again? No, not really.) Gonzaga’s Drew Timme and his ridiculous moustache are still winning games out there in the west that no one sees. Super players all, but not the best in the game either.

The first choice in a mythical NCAA hoops pick-up game without question would be Alabama’s Brandon Miller. He’s the essence of modern basketball. 6’9”, 200 pounds. Led all freshmen scoring nearly 19 points a game. Super smooth. Good handle. Three level scorer. High motor. The first freshman since Anthony Davis to win SEC Freshman of the Year and also Player of the Year. Every tall, skinny kid who can dribble and shoot gets compared to Durant, but I think Brandon Ingram is a better comparison (and that’s not faint praise). Miller led Bama to the overall #1 seed in the tourney. Brandon Miller and the Crimson Tide are for real. I wish the story ended there. Tragically, it does not.

A couple of weeks ago Bama hosted Arkansas. When introduced, Brandon Miller struck a pose with his arms outstretched while another player patted him down Law and Order style. Classless. The crowd went wild. Clueless. Oats defended Miller and refused any punishment. Unbelievable. Suspending Miller should not be a tough call. Alabama could win this thing. I hope they don’t.