Did you know that over 10 million people watch March Madness every year according to Statista.com? Last year, UConn (University of Connecticut) won by a landslide to San Diego State. This past 2023 basketball season was full of historic upsets. Purdue who was ranked #1 lost in the first round to #16 FDU (Fairleigh Dickinson University), #5 San Diego State beat #1 Alabama, to name a few.
Right now, the Kansas Jayhawks are ranked #1 in the country. They will be looking to hammer the ball inside this year now that Hunter Dickinson is on the team. At his previous school, Michigan, he had 1,617 points on 56% from the field. He has proven to be one of the all-time greats at Michigan. For one reason or another, he has chosen to transfer to the University of Kansas for his senior season. Dickinson will definitely be at the top of all of his opponents’ scouting reports. He is a major threat in the paint on both the defensive and offensive ends.
The University of Houston has been very talented for the last few years. According to ESPN.com, their record for the past three seasons is 93-14. They are looking to be led to another high-win season by their Covid year seniors: #1 Jamal Shead, #13 J’Wan Roberts, #20 Ryan Elvin, and #24 Malik Wilson. The Cougars pride themselves on the defensive end of the floor. They have a history of being a very hard-nosed defense and playing with extreme toughness. Houston is ranked #2 as of now, one week into the 2023 season.
The University of Tennessee has proven to be a powerhouse in the SEC (Southeastern Conference) as of late. Here is another program that has been very strong lately but struggles once it gets to tournament time. Last year, the Volunteers got upset by FAU (Florida Atlantic University). Once again proving how there were many “bracket-busting” teams in last year’s tournament. Last year, the Volunteer’s record was 25-11 according to Volunteers Basketball.com which does not give them the proper glory because that is not often a team’s record that made it to the Sweet Sixteen.
The Purdue Boilermakers hold the pre-season rank of #4. If someone talks about a disappointing team Purdue is the first on lots of minds. They had the best player in the country 7”4 Zach Edey. He was awarded the Wooden Award last year which is given to the most “outstanding” player in the country according to Woodenaward.com. Purdue’s 2023 record was 29-8. The Boilermakers ended their season with tremendous credit to FDU. This season, hopefully, Purdue can get rid of this tournament “curse” as some call it.
One thing is for sure, this college basketball season is full of outstanding, NBA-type players and will be fun to watch. Even if someone doesn’t really “like” watching sports, there’s something different about a bunch of college kids giving 100% of their body to their team, so they have the best chance of winning. Make sure to fill out your brackets this year because it is shaping up to be a good one.
