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BY DAVID DORMAN – Hoops HD Senior Staff Writer
Teams that just missed my bracket:
Butler
Mississippi State
Washington
Oregon
Virginia Tech
COMMENTS:
-UConn was very close to making the 1 line. Extremely impressive win Friday night In Seattle vs Gonzaga where they controlled the game from the tip.
-I can’t wait to see the Big East regular season and how this will play out. I really believe UConn, Marquette and Creighton all have the rosters to make a Final 4 run come March. Coaches Hurley, Smart and McDermott are experienced leaders with loaded rosters. Butler is playing really good basketball this year and is the most improved team I have seen this far in the Big East. Don’t count out Villanova, St. John’s or Providence, all have tremendous talent and the ability to contend in the loaded Big East this year.
-A bunch of Under the Radar Teams that have impressed me:
Indiana State
Princeton
Drake
James Madison
La Tech
UNC-Greensboro
-As of today I am thinking the Missouri Valley is a 2 bid league this year. Winning on the road in “The Valley” is a tough assignment in any year. Teams and Coaches are familiar with each other and many of the players have played against each other for years in college,high school and AAU. Let’s see if the Sycamore’s and Bulldogs can put together resumes worthy of an at-large bid, so far in the out of conference they look the part.
-Some power conference teams that need to pick it up immediately are:
Duke
Arkansas
Oregon
USC
UCLA
Michigan State
-It is crazy to look at this list of teams and think they need to win some road games and put together a nice conference season to make the tournament but that is exactly where these teams are at the moment.
-I want to wish everyone and your families a very Happy, Healthy & Safe Holiday Season.
-Enjoy this special time of the year with your loved ones and College Hoops!