We’re less than a month away from Selection Sunday and everyone across America already has their eyes on certain favorites for the 2020 Final Four in Atlanta.
Who are some off-the-radar teams that may not be a one or two seed, but could break open a bracket in March?
Check out our list below.
In no particular order:
Houston: One of the top rebounding teams in the sport, the Cougars go after loose balls like flocks of seagulls go after ham sandwiches. Kelvin Sampson does not have the perimeter experience he boasted a year ago when Houston went to the Sweet 16 and lost to Kentucky, but this back court is deeper. The Cougars have five perimeter players on their roster — Quentin Grimes, Caleb Mills, Nate Hinton, DeJon Jarreau, and Marcus Sasser — that average between 7.8 and 12.9 points. Add in a relentless front court that goes by committee and you’ve got the makeup of a seven or eight seed that could easily knock off a one or two seed in the Round of 32.
Texas Tech: Playing the Red Raiders is comparable to a boxer going against Evander Holyfield in his prime. Chris Beard has been a Division 1 head coach for just five years and he already has a 9-3 record in the NCAA Tournament. Texas Tech is elite defensively and possesses multiple players — Davide Moretti and Kyler Edwards — who were on last season’s team that was seconds away from winning a national title. The Raiders also have a pair of fifth-year seniors in TJ Holyfield and Chris Clarke that add experience. Texas Tech is 15-7 with freshman Jahmi’us Ramsey in the lineup and 2-2 when he was injured.
LSU: This team isn’t as physically imposing as the one that reached the Sweet 16 last March, but it’s still more than capable. All five starters for the Tigers average in double-figures and four of them — Skylar Mays, Javonte Smart, Darius Days, and Emmitt Williams — were key pieces on a squad a year ago that won two games in the NCAA Tournament. A breathtaking offensive unit, LSU is a prime example of a team that needs certain matchups. As long as the Tigers don’t draw an elite defensive team in the first two rounds of the field of 68, they’ve got a great chance to return to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year.
Creighton: The Jays aren’t sneaking up on anyone after last week’s win at Seton Hall, but they still aren’t likely to be on many people’s list of Final Four contenders. That is a mistake. Greg McDermott runs offense about as well as Bobby Fischer used to play chess. A mastermind at exposing mismatches, McDermott has the Big East’s best perimeter in Marcus Zegarowski, Ty-Shon Alexander, and Mitch Ballock along with a burgeoning prospect in SEMO transfer Denzel Mahoney. Creighton does not play with a traditional center, making it nearly impossible to defend if you have a true big man on the floor.
Oregon: Dana Altman is 13-6 in the NCAA Tournament as the Ducks’ head coach and always seems to have his teams playing their best at the most important time of the year. He’s never lost in the Round of 64 since he’s been at Oregon. The Ducks don’t have the offensive versatility in the front court they possessed when they went to the Final Four in 2017 or the Sweet 16 last season, but it still has the best point guard in the sport in senior Payton Pritchard. If other scoring options consistently emerge around Pritchard between now and Selection Sunday, another trip to the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend is more than within the realm of possibility.
