Donovan West, Sports Editor
@DWest_courant
1. Can Caitlin Clark continue to make history?
Despite the abundance of headlines encircling men’s college basketball, this year, the biggest name in the sport might be playing in the women’s tournament. This season, Caitlin Clark set the all-time NCAA scoring record and is single-handedly detonating women’s basketball. Clark is averaging over 32 points per game and has become must-watch television every time she plays. She will look to bring Iowa their first-ever national championship and continue to cement herself as one of the greatest to ever play. The women’s tournament should be the best it has ever been; let’s just hope Iowa can make it to the final four.
2. Can UConn repeat as champs?
The UConn Huskies are looking to become just the eighth team in college basketball history to win consecutive championships in what would be the first time since 2007. Coming off of last year’s pure destruction of March Madness, where the Huskies won every game by double digits, UConn will enter this year’s tournament as favorites to repeat. Defending the title would tie UConn for the fourth most championships in men’s college basketball history, with six, and cement the school’s legacy as a blue blood of the sport. Despite losing three players to the NBA last year, Head Coach Dan Hurley has revamped and reloaded this UConn roster, giving them a legitimate chance to make history once again. UConn is on the brink of immortality, but anything can happen in March.
3. Can Purdue and the Big Ten break the curse?
After losing to 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson last year, Purdue has become a laughingstock of the college basketball world. In the era of Head Coach Matt Painter, beginning in 2005, the Boilermakers have lost to five double digit seeds and only advanced past the Sweet 16 once. Yet, Purdue is not alone in their history of failure in March. This same deadly disease has plagued a majority of the Big Ten since Michigan State’s title over two decades ago. And in what seems to be a weaker Big Ten, Purdue might be the only shot the conference has to break their curse. However, there is precedent in what Purdue is trying to do; Virginia won the 2019 championship after losing to 16-seeded UMBC the year prior.
4.Who will be this year’s Cinderella team?
Doug Edert, Max Abmas, Sister Jean- the tournament has a way of shining a light on small schools and players and turning them into American icons. This year, there are numerous mid-majors equipped with the tools to inflict damage- notably Grand Canyon, Appalachian State and Indiana State. My favorite of the bunch is Indiana State and their star player Robbie Avila. It might be his glasses or maybe his extremely slow Jokic-like playstyle, but Robbie Avila is a phenomenal player and spectacle that just might win over America. Oh, and look out for Loyola Chicago to make another run or Tyler Thomas and Hofstra to become tournament darlings.
5. Who is going to win the men’s and women’s championship?
There are five teams that are good enough to win the men’s tournament- I’m sorry if your team isn’t one of them. Houston has the best defense in America and has championed the country’s best conference all year. UConn has been even more dominant than last year and has the existing championship pedigree that is invaluable in March. Purdue has the best player in the country, and Tennessee has an incredible transfer that can drop 30 points on any given night (Zach Edey and Dalton Knecht). My final team is Creighton; they have already shown they can beat UConn and are coming off of an Elite Eight run last year. Look out for the Blue Jays. On the women’s side, I can give analysis on star-studded teams like South Carolina or LSU, or I can ride with the history books. Caitlin Clark and Iowa are winning it all.
