Takeaways from the Tournament: Rounds 1 & 2

by Jacob Sexton

Ja Morant is the real deal.

Morant is the probably the second best player in the country, and most people had no clue who he is. He dominated their Round of 64 game against Marquette and Markus Howard without having to score the ball at a high level. Morant recorded the first triple-double in the tournament in over five years with a ridiculous 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 16 assists while only taking 9 shots. Against Florida State, the lack of supporting talent unfortunately drug him down, but if you watched the game Morant was the only guy on the court for Murray State who looked like he belonged out there. He’ll likely be the second or third pick in the draft and he showed why in the first two games.

Duke’s freshmen are ready for the moment.

There’s not too much to be said here. North Dakota St. kept it close until halftime in their first game; but the four freshman dominated the second half, (it was more Zion and RJ than the other two), and Duke ran away with the game. Then as far as the Round of 32 goes, just watch the last minute of that game. Reddish’s contested 3 kept them in the game, Zion’s basket brought it to one and got UCF’s most important player off the court and RJ’s put back won the game. It hasn’t been pretty so far, but the freshman aren’t scared.

This is not the same Virginia Team.

This team is a lot tougher than in previous years. Yes, it’s quite similar to last years team in terms of what the roster looks like, but they are different in terms of their make-up. They’re stronger mentally having gone through the trials of being the first 1 to lose to a 16. They’re gonna play that same brand of tremendous defense. With the way Mamadi Diakite has been playing in the tournament, they have five solid players they can turn look to get a bucket when they need it. Virginia is ready for a fight this tournament.

Wofford deserved to be higher than a 7 seed.

This part is dedicated to the Paschal brothers. Wofford dominated the SOCON this year, and they made a statement with their opening round. The Terriers should have been seeded higher. This was a Top-25 team all year, and deserved to not have to play Kentucky in the second round. Granted they gave Kentucky a great fight, but Wofford deserved to be more along the 5 line than the 7.

The SEC is better than you think.

The SEC has put four teams into the Sweet 16, which helps them assert the conference into the conversation for who is the second best conference. All four teams have a solid chance at advancing into the Elite 8, and having put three teams into the Elite 8 two years ago it really proves the conferences strength. Furthermore, with the talent on Kentucky and Tennessee multiple Final 4 teams is a real possibility.

Oregon has a chance to make a run.

Oregon’s season was thought to be over after Bol Bol went down. However, over the last month and a half they have been a different team. The Ducks reeled off 10 wins in a row. They have looked great in the tournament after a fantastic showing in the conference tournament. Payton Pritchard is the real deal. He is a great scoring option while Louis King has developed into a great second option. On top of that if you have yet to see Kenny Wooten you’re missing out. He is one of my favorite players to watch. All around this is a solid team and they have chance to do damage.

There is a serious lack of competition.

Most of these games haven’t been very good. There have been more blow out wins so far in the tournament than I’ve ever seen. Hopefully the competition is better now that we’ve reached the Sweet 16, but this one has been fairly uneventful thus far.

Jacob Sexton is a senior at UNCG, and is a diehard Gamecock fan. He is one of the most knowledgeable basketball fans you’ll ever meet, and definitely the most opinionated. When he’s not complaining about the refs he’s telling anyone who listens how much he hates Clemson.