-
0
No. 1 Xavier Musketeers
Of all the schools that get overlooked in terms of consistent NCAA Tournament success, Chris Mack's Musketeers may be the most underrated. As a No. 11 seed last season, the Musketeers made the Elite Eight, the sixth time in the past 10 years that "X" has reached at least the Round of 16. Mack became the third consecutive Xavier coach to lead the school to an Elite Eight (Thad Matta, Sean Miller), but can Mack do what his predecessors never did and take the Musketeers to the Final Four? (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 1 Xavier Musketeers
Trevon Bluiett became only one of only 13 players in Big East history to be named to the All-Big East First Team three times after his stellar senior season. He flirted with the NBA after last season, but returned to Cincinnati and was the lynchpin in dethroning Villanova at the top of the Big East in the regular season. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 1 Xavier Musketeers
Xavier is not ranked sixth in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.com, because of being a one-man team. Senior guard J.P. Macura is second on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game, and is as adept at finishing inside off of a drive than draining a three-pointer. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 1 Xavier Musketeers
The Musketeers got a boost this season from Wisconsin-Green Bay graduate transfer Kerem Kanter, the younger brother of New York Knicks center Enes Kanter. The lefty, who was the team's sixth man for most of the season, is the team's third-leading scorer at 10.2 points per game while hitting 56 percent of his shots from the field. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 8 Missouri Tigers
A Illinoisan by birth (East St. Louis), Cuonzo Martin left the Golden State and the University of California after last season and returned to the Midwest as he has led the Missouri Tigers to the NCAA Tournament in his first season in Columbia. (Yasmin Vahdatpour/ALOST) -
0
No. 8 Missouri Tigers
Martin led the Tigers to the NCAAs without the services of the player regarded as the top-ranked high schooler in this year's class, Michael Porter Jr., who suffered a back injury just two minutes into his debut. The 6-10 freshman made it back for the SEC Tournament game against Georgia, but it still remains to be seen how many minutes Porter Jr. will play against the Seminoles, as well as how effective he can be. (Yasmin Vahdatpour/ALOST) -
0
No. 9 Florida State Seminoles
Leonard Hamilton continues to be one of the more underappreciated coaches in the game, as he has now led Florida State into the NCAAs for a second consecutive season. In 16 seasons in Tallahassee, Hamilton has led the Seminoles to 20 wins or more in 10 of those seasons. Hey, remember when he was the head coach of the Washington Wizards for one season? Well, you might not remember it since the Wizards went 19-63 that season. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 9 Florida State Seminoles
When All-ACC Honorable Mention guard Terrance Mann (14) plays in the first-round game against Missouri, it will be the junior's 100th career game as a Seminole. Mann leads the Seminoles in both scoring (13.3) and rebounding (5.7), and does most of his damage on drives to the basket and midrange. Mann has only hit 12 three-pointers all season. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 9 Florida State Seminoles
The long-range threat for the Seminoles is former middle-school tight end Phil Cofer (0), who is listed at 6-foot-8 and 218 points, but he definitely packs a lot more bulk than what his listed weight would suggest. He has a deft touch from the outside, as he's hit 39.6 percent of his shots from beyond the arc this season. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes
Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann was comfortable at Butler, but, after Thad Matta was let go by Ohio State well after all other coaching vacancies had been filled after last season, Holtmann was offered - and took - the job in Columbus. What should have been a transition year at Ohio State turned into a special one for Ohio State. The Buckeyes went 15-3 in Big Ten play and Holtmann ended up winning 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes
The hardware did not stop at the coaches for Ohio State, as forward Keita Bates-Diop (33) won the league Player of the Year. In January, KBD became the first Buckeye since former NBA All-Star Michael Redd to score at least 25 points in three consecutive games, with Bates-Diop scoring 32 in the 80-64 win over then No. 1 Michigan State on Jan. 7. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes
Senior guard Jae'Sean Tate (1) was named All-Big Ten Second Team by the coaches, and he's a do-it-all guard who gets most of his points in the paint. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 4 Gonzaga Bulldogs
Only Kansas, Duke and Michigan State have made more consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances than Mark Few's Gonzaga Bulldogs, who have now made the Big Dance for a 20th year in a row. Few has been head coach for 19 of those seasons and, after an appearance in the national championship game last season, is looking to win one more game in this year's NCAA Tourney and bring the national championship to Spokane. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 4 Gonzaga Bulldogs
No Przemek Karnowski, no Zach Collins, no problem. Last year's frontcourt was decimated due to those departures, but Jonathan Williams (3) stepped in and has performed well. Williams has put up nine double-doubles in his last 11 games. Also, forwards like Killian Tillie and Rui Hachimura have also shined, to the point where this year's front line might be even better than last year's. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 4 Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga's backcourt is still solid as well, led by senior Josh Perkins (13), who, along with Williams and Hachimura, was selected to the All-West Coast Conference First Team. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 3 Michigan Wolverines
When you think of John Beilein-coached teams, you think of offensive spacing, three-point shooting and preparedness for tournament play. All of that came to the fore for the Wolverines as they won the Big Ten Tournament for a second consecutive season, but the biggest reason for Michigan's rise has been its defense. The Wolverines led the Big Ten in scoring defense (63.5 PPG allowed) and rank ninth in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com. The last time Michigan led the Big Ten in scoring defense was when the Brown vs. Board of Education decision was rendered by the Supreme Court...1964! (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 3 Michigan Wolverines
Michigan is still pretty good on offense, led by 6-11 junior forward Moe Wagner (13), who might be playing in his last few college games before he decides to take his immense talents to the pros. The 2018 Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Wagner saw his season take off on Jan. 13, when he scored 27 points in East Lansing as Michigan upended then-No. 4 Michigan State. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 3 Michigan Wolverines
Another player in good form for Michigan and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (12), who went 11-for-17 from three-point range in the four Big Ten Tournament games the Wolverines won at Madison Square Garden two weeks ago. Probably the biggest challenge for Michigan is the fact that they've had a week off after playing the Big Ten Tournament, a byproduct of the Big Ten Conference scheduling its tournament in 2018 for MSG and having to stage it a full week before its regularly-scheduled time slot to avoid conflicts with the Big East Tournament. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies
By the middle of December, Texas A&M and head coach Billy Kennedy looked as if they had a Final Four-caliber team, starting 11-1 and securing wins over nationally-ranked teams West Virginia and USC. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies
Then the injury bug bit a chunk out of the Aggies, who lost wing players DJ Hogg and Admon Gilder to suspension and injury respectively, and then lost Marquette transfer guard Duane Wilson (13) for the season due to a knee injury suffered vs. Kentucky on Feb. 10. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies
But the Aggies are still formidable, as Robert "Big Bob" Williams (44) is always a threat to blow the roof off an arena with his leaping/dunking ability. Williams won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award for a second consecutive season. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies
Hogg (1) has played in 29 games this season and is the Aggies' best three-point shooter at 38.5 percent. His perimeter defense, along with Admon Gilder's, is just as influential to the Aggies as their offense. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 10 Providence Friars
If you were not familiar with Providence head coach Ed Cooley before last week, you definitely were introduced to him during his team's run to the Big East Tournament title game, showing a refreshing, enthusiastic attitude on the sideline...oh, he also had his pants rip from the back during the title game, necessitating him to drape a towel across his waist during the second half of the title game against Villanova. But know one thing: Cooley can coach, and he has led the Friars to the NCAA Tournament for a fifth consecutive season. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 10 Providence Friars
Cooley's best teams at Providence are centered around point guards, and Kyron Cartwright is no exception. A Providence player has led the Big East in assists in six of the last seven seasons, and Cartwright happened to lead the Big East in that category this season. Unlike other Friars point guards in that span, Cartwright is also the team's go-to player in crunch time, and has already hit some clutch shots to win games, including in both Big East Tournament wins last week against NCAA Tournament teams Creighton and Xavier. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 10 Providence Friars
In past years, Rodney Bullock (5) was the team's first option in terms of scoring, but he has now evolved into a versatile two-way player who now makes more game-changing plays on the defensive end. His game-saving block on a J.P. Macura layup attempt against Xavier to force overtime in the Big East Tournament helped the Friars pull off the upset of the top-seeded Musketeers at Madison Square Garden last Friday. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina faced the toughest schedule in the nation a year after winning the national championship in 2017, and Roy Williams' bunch came out of it 25-10 with 11 ACC wins. Not vintage Tar Heels, per se, but not too shabby either. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels
Senior point guard Joel Berry II (2) will undoubtedly go down as one of the great guards in the history of North Carolina, as the First Team All-ACC selection is just two rebounds away from becoming just the second Tar Heel to record at least 1,700 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists, joining Walter Davis a.k.a. Sweet D. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels
Swingman Theo Pinson (1) has stepped up his game mightily down the stretch, as he has recorded four double-doubles in the last nine games. By comparison, Pinson had three double-doubles in his first 111 games of his North Carolina career. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels
Then there's junior forward Luke Maye (32), who has gone from walk-on to All-ACC First Team selection and the ACC's Most Improved Player. He's a pleasure to talk to, as I got to witness in an one-on-one interview after the national championship last year in Glendale, but he's an absolute terror in the paint. Maye leads Carolina in scoring (17.2) and rebounding (10.1), ranking second in the ACC in the latter and ranking first in the conference in made field goals with 243. (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
Carolina on Our Minds?
North Carolina, even with Xavier as the No. 1 seed, seems like the favorite to come out of the West and make it to San Antonio and a third consecutive trip to the Final Four. Rameses thinks so. Do we agree? (Robert Cole/ALOST) -
0
Paint the Town (Scarlet) Red!
We do not, and our pick to go to the Final Four is somewhat out of left field. ALOST loves the options the Buckeyes have at their disposal, from Keita Bates-Diop's scoring to Jae'Sean Tate's playmaking ability to the inside presence of freshman forward Kaleb Wesson (34), who is a load at 6-foot-9 and 270 pounds. Ohio State is a team that finished just one game back from winning the Big Ten regular season title while routing champion Michigan State in its only meeting in Columbus. They also defeated Purdue in West Lafayette in their only meeting. Oh, and Penn State, the team that dealt OSU three of its eight losses this season, is not in the tournament. Say it with me now: O-H.......I-O! (Robert Cole/ALOST)
– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
The most wonderful time of the year is here!
Once more, we are talking about “March Madness” and the NCAA Tournament, and the 2018 NCAA Tournament may prove to be the most exciting yet; There is no one (or two) dominant team in the country while a number of talented smaller-budget programs are primed to pull off some upsets – as they always do this time of year. In A Lot of Sports Talk‘s build-up to the Big Dance, we have had the honor of being able to have a number of photographers courtside for many of the game’s biggest contests, and in so doing, have managed to take photos of players and coaches from teams that, combined, make up more than half of the 2018 NCAA Tournament field.
We are continuing to put all of those photos to good use, as the next four “Snap Judgments” galleries will be extensive displays of photos, taken from our lenses, of the major players who make up each of the four regions of the NCAA Tournament. Along with the photos, the accompanying captions will provide details on each of the teams highlighted as we preview many of the teams and edify you with what you need to know to better familiarize yourself with those schools. At the end of each gallery, we make our prediction as to which team we believe will make the Final Four in San Antonio.
Our latest preview is of the West Region, where the top seed, the Xavier Musketeers, look to build on their historic season after winning the regular season Big East Tournament title and are hoping to make it to their first-ever Final Four. Final Four appearances are what North Carolina, the No. 2 seed, specializes in, and after winning the national championship last season, look to become the first team to repeat as national champions since the Florida Gators teams of a decade ago (2006 & 2007). The team UNC beat in the national championship game, Gonzaga, also is looking to make a return trip to the Final Four, while two talented Big Ten teams, Michigan and Ohio State, look to throw a wrench into things for the top seeds out West.
We would not have been able to entertain this story idea without the yeoman effort of our senior photographer, Robert Cole, who snapped almost all of the 31 pictures in this gallery. Special thanks also go out to Yasmin Vahdatpour, whose work is also featured in this gallery.
Note: Not all teams are represented with a photo, so our apologies if your team is not a part of the gallery. That does not mean we don’t have love for you. More often than not, that means we weren’t able to make it out to the school’s location to have a photographer present to shoot them. Pictures that were not taken my A Lot of Sports Talk but featured in the galleries are noted in parenthesis at the end of each caption.
Keep refreshing this page over the next couple of hours, as we will roll out previews of each of the other regions over the next few hours.After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures.
Facebook Comments Box
