VCU Rams (A-10 Conference)
You may recall VCU’s Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2011 that ended at the hands of Brad Stevens’ Butler squad. Since then, they’ve consistently appeared in the NCAA tournament year after year but haven’t been able to conjure up any of that 2011 magic. Basketball guru Shaka Smart returns to the helm as head coach and certainly has a lot to be excited about this season.
Forward Treveon Graham (15 ppg/7 rpg in 2013) is back for another year and could lead them to the promised land if he plays to his potential. VCU also hauled in one of their strongest recruiting classes in program history, which bodes well for the future of the program in general. Perhaps the biggest reason to place your chips on this team is the fact that conference rival St. Louis is highly depleted after losing a talented crop of seniors last year, giving VCU conference supremacy.
Prediction: VCU will bounce back from its early exit in the first round at the hands of underdog Stephen F. Austin a year ago. They have a complete handle on their conference, so making the tournament shouldn’t be an issue. If another player emerges as a wingman to Treveon Graham, they’ll be a dangerous team to match up with in the later stages of the tournament. A Final Four appearance might be a bit too optimistic, but this is definitely a Sweet Sixteen capable team.
North Carolina (Atlantic Coast Conference)
A storied basketball program that’s been average (given their standards) the past few seasons, the Tar Heels are finally a legitimate contender again. Much of the burden on both offense and defense will be shouldered by junior guard Marcus Paige, who led the team last year in both points (17.5) and assists (4.2). Paige is an electrifying guard and could easily emerge as the top combo guard in the nation if he hits his stride. “He’s a complete basketball player. He’s our best shooter, best driver and best defender,” said legendary North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams.
The Heels unfortunately lost their other top two scorers, Leslie McDonald and James McAdoo, but the void should be quickly filled by five-star recruits Joel Berry (guard) and Justin Jackson (forward). Although young, this team is incredibly promising and should build on their 24-10 season to make a deep run in the tournament.
Another bonus to having a good UNC team? Rivalry games against Duke will finally be the biggest deal in the college basketball world again.Prediction: Handling their rigorous ACC schedule will be challenging, but as the old saying goes: “iron sharpens iron.” A string of consecutive games against Florida State, Syracuse and Louisville will test them, but they’ll win two out of three of those games and wind up as a four or five seed in the NCAA tournament. Don’t be surprised if they wind up making the Elite Eight.
Harvard Crimson (Ivy League)
Yes, Harvard is on this list and they deserve to be. They’re highly underrated for playing in what many deem to be a weak conference, but they always manage to shred high caliber teams when everything is said and done. Dating all the way back to the Jeremy Lin days in 2009, Harvard has racked up an impressive four NCAA tournament bids, yet not once were they ever ranked coming into those seasons.
Last year, the Crimson knocked off tournament favorite Cincinnati before fluttering out in the second round. However, Harvard has shown it can beat big teams and play fundamentally sound basketball. Unlike North Carolina, there are no superstars or studs on this team. This Crimson team is very reminiscent of the San Antonio Spurs by playing solid, unselfish and smart basketball.
Prediction: Tommy Amaker’s squad will play cohesive basketball to win the Ivy League and clinch a berth in the NCAA tournament. Their run will extend longer than it did last year, but their lack of a dominant scorer dooms their chances against war machines like Louisville and Florida. The Sweet Sixteen is a realistic expectation for this team.
Griffin Guinta can be reached at griffin.guinta@spartans.ut.edu