Freethinker
Hall of Famer
South Region
#1 Duke – This year’s Duke team is not as bad as last year’s mess but is still a far cry from the days of the Plumlee brothers, Ryan Kelly, Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer. This year they have an all-black starting 5 but highly recruited Grayson Allen has been getting increased minutes off the bench after the negro criminal Sulaimon was booted off the team. Allen is a high flyer and a sharp shooting 2 guard. Youngest Plumlee brother, Marshall, also usually sees the court. Some games more than others.
#16 University of North Florida / Robert Morris – UNF is the winner of the Atlantic Sun Conference and starts 1 White, JR forward Beau Beech. Beech averaged about 12 ppg. Guard Trent Mackey comes off the bench. Robert Morris is the Northeast Conference winner and 100% affletic. Hopefully North Florida wins this one tonight.
#8 San Diego State – The Aztecs represent the Mountain West Conference and start 1 White, RS So shooting guard Matt Shrigley. That’s it. The Aztecs are an annoying defensive team that can frustrate any opponent but the team can’t score. A boring squad.
#9 St. John’s – My local Big East squad is always is chocked full of high upside, hilariously named Hutus possessing unlimited upside. Problem is they always end up “lousing upâ€. For example, starting forward and key defensive presence, Chris Obekpa, just got himself suspended for “conduct detrimental to the teamâ€. He’ll miss the tourney. This could make way for their only paleface, Italian born Bosnian Amar Alibegovic, to grab some minutes. Best name on the team, Sir’Dominique Pointer.
#5 Utah – The Utes represent the Pac-12 and start 1 White, freshman center Jakob Poeltl. The 7 foot Austrian went from an unknown at the beginning of the season to a fast rising NBA prospect. Poeltl basically makes this team watchable as he’s quite talented. Other than him, the backup center is Dallin Bachynski. Black sg Delon Wright is talented and makes this squad dangerous.
#12 Stephen F. Austin – The Southland Conference winners are back in the tourney after upsetting VCU last year. The Lumberjacks are a popular upset pick as they basically boast the same roster as last year. They only start 2 Whites but they are their best players, rs Jr forward Thomas Walkup and Sr forward Jacob Parker. Walkup leads the team in scoring and rebounding. Tanner Clayton and Conner Brooks get minutes off the bench. Jaxon Holden does as well but on a very limited basis.
#4 Georgetown – The black panthers of college hoops out of the Big East are back to their old ways. All black, all the time. For the last 4 years the Hoyas had done something extraordinary for them in starting Nate Lubick. He was sort of a mascot for them as the fans loved him; he did the dirty work and rarely touched the ball on offense. Maybe he was holding them back from their affletic potential or maybe they’ll be upset in the first round for the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] time in 5 years (last year they missed the tourney)?
#13 Eastern Washington – The Big Sky Conference winners start 2 Whites, the leading scorer in the country and a half Indian Australian so they could be interesting to follow. Sr Parker Kelly and So Ognjen Miljkovic of Serbia are the White starters. PG Tyler Harvey led the country in scoring and makes this team dangerous. Australian, Venky Jois, appears to be half White who has an Indian (think call center) father. Off the bench is Ukrainian freshman Bogdan Bliznyuk and Australian Felix Von Hofe. Let’s hope this White-friendly squad can knock off odious Georgetown.
#6 Southern Methodist University – Winners of the American Athletic Conference are a Caste team lead by geriatric plantation master, Larry Brown. The only positive thing I have to say about them is that they defeated UConn and kept them from stealing an at large bid.
#11 UCLA – The Bruins represent the Pac-12 and start 1 White, So PG Bryce Alford. Bryce is the coach’s son and 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] leading scorer at 15 ppg. He’s a sharpshooter with underrated slashing ability. Off the bench comes highly recruited center Thomas Welch. The 7 footer has improved as the season has progressed. Also getting minutes off the bench is Hungarian freshman Gyorgy Goloman who provides more size and rebounding. UCLA was properly criticized for making the tourney, let’s hope they use that motivation to knock off SMU.
#3 Iowa State – The Big 12 winners are not very White friendly. They are led by the unsightly mystery meat Georges Niang and are an undeniably good, dangerous team. Their lone Whitey is sharpshooting guard Matt Thomas. The sophomore’s minutes have actually gone down from last year! He was highly rated in HS out of Wisconsin. He should see if he could transfer to the Badgers or Marquette asap.
#14 University of Alabama Birmingham – The Blazers are the upset winners of Conference USA and shockingly start 1 White. Let me say, I saw the team photo and it was coal black so imagine my surprise when the starting PG is a White freshman from Indiana, Nick Norton. One would wonder how he ending up at UAB? Anyway he averages 7.5 ppg and 4 apg, which is good for a freshman. I’ll root for them to pull the upset.
#7 Iowa – The Hawkeyes represent the Big 10 are one of the most White friendly in the tourney starting 4 Whites. They are polar opposites of afore mentioned Iowa St. Unfortunately, they are maddening inconsistent. They’ve beaten team like North Carolina on the road and Ohio State twice but lost to Northwestern and recently Penn St. The star here is athletic Sr forward Aaron White. He’s gotten better each year but this season took a huge step forward. The high-riser can also shoot 3’s, rebound and make defensive plays. The jack-of-all-trades has received some media praise for being one of the most underrated players in the country and I agree. The other forward is rs Jr Jarred Uthoff who originally started at Wisconsin. One wonders how the Badgers would be with him but I digress. Uthoff is a good shooter and athlete; the team’s 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] best player. Rounding out the starters are PG Mike Gessell and C Adam Woodbury. Both juniors were highly recruited players out of Iowa and both have underachieved so far IMO. Woodbury at 7’-1†especially needs to step up and become the inside force that he on rare occasions shows he can be. Off the bench comes shooter, Josh Oglesby, who has not shot the ball well this year. Iowa could easily lose to Davidson or get hot and knock off Gonzaga next round. They are impossible to predict.
#10 Davidson – In their first season in the Atlantic 10 Conference, The Wildcats won the regular season championship despite being predicted to do poorly. They start 3 fighting Whiteys and are led by Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, Tyler Kalinoski. The 6’-4†senior averaged 17 ppg, 5.5 rbpg, 4 apg and over 1 spg. Basically he does a little of everything. The other starters are Jr guard Brian Sullivan and Fr forward Peyton Aldridge. Off the bench come forwards Andrew McAuliffe and Oskar Michelsen. I really don’t know who to root for in this matchup and it especially SUCKS that the winner has to face Gonzaga.
#2 Gonzaga – The Bulldogs won the West Coast Conference yet again. The Zags start 3 Whites and are led by WCC Player of the Year and 4 year starter, Kevin Pangos. Leading scorer Kyle Wiltjer has taken the scoring burden off of Pangos allowing him to have his most efficient year running the team. Wiltjer was very wise to escape Calipari’s plantation and after sitting out 1 season has blossomed into a star with the Zags. Kyle is widely regarded as one of the top scoring threats in the country with his ability to score in many ways. The large Pole Przemek Karnowski anchors the middle and has become quite a force this year. Off the bench, is my key player for the Zags to go far, freshman forward Domantas Sabonis. The son of basketball legend, Arvydas, is a very polished inside scorer who is relentless on the boards. He provides energy, strength and grit. He’s a tough sonovagun. The other key rotation player is Kyle Dranginis, who is talented enough to start on many other programs. So this is what many are calling Mark Few’s most talented Gonzaga team. Can they get over the hump and make the final 4?
#15 North Dakota State – The Bisons are this year’s Summit League winners. Last year they upset Oklahoma in the first round. I remember them being Whiter last year as they only start 2 this year. Needless to say I’d be rooting for Gonzaga even if they started 5 White guys. The starters are forwards A.J. Jacobson and Chris Kading. Paul Miller and Dexter Werner come off the bench so maybe they’ll lighten up next season a little.
My predictions: I think Duke has a pretty easy path to the Elite 8. Stephen F. Austin could upset their way to a round of 16 match with Duke. Bottom of the bracket is Gonzaga’s to lose but they could have tough games against Iowa/Davidson and potentially Iowa St. If they face Duke, I actually like their chances to win that game.
#1 Duke – This year’s Duke team is not as bad as last year’s mess but is still a far cry from the days of the Plumlee brothers, Ryan Kelly, Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer. This year they have an all-black starting 5 but highly recruited Grayson Allen has been getting increased minutes off the bench after the negro criminal Sulaimon was booted off the team. Allen is a high flyer and a sharp shooting 2 guard. Youngest Plumlee brother, Marshall, also usually sees the court. Some games more than others.
#16 University of North Florida / Robert Morris – UNF is the winner of the Atlantic Sun Conference and starts 1 White, JR forward Beau Beech. Beech averaged about 12 ppg. Guard Trent Mackey comes off the bench. Robert Morris is the Northeast Conference winner and 100% affletic. Hopefully North Florida wins this one tonight.
#8 San Diego State – The Aztecs represent the Mountain West Conference and start 1 White, RS So shooting guard Matt Shrigley. That’s it. The Aztecs are an annoying defensive team that can frustrate any opponent but the team can’t score. A boring squad.
#9 St. John’s – My local Big East squad is always is chocked full of high upside, hilariously named Hutus possessing unlimited upside. Problem is they always end up “lousing upâ€. For example, starting forward and key defensive presence, Chris Obekpa, just got himself suspended for “conduct detrimental to the teamâ€. He’ll miss the tourney. This could make way for their only paleface, Italian born Bosnian Amar Alibegovic, to grab some minutes. Best name on the team, Sir’Dominique Pointer.
#5 Utah – The Utes represent the Pac-12 and start 1 White, freshman center Jakob Poeltl. The 7 foot Austrian went from an unknown at the beginning of the season to a fast rising NBA prospect. Poeltl basically makes this team watchable as he’s quite talented. Other than him, the backup center is Dallin Bachynski. Black sg Delon Wright is talented and makes this squad dangerous.
#12 Stephen F. Austin – The Southland Conference winners are back in the tourney after upsetting VCU last year. The Lumberjacks are a popular upset pick as they basically boast the same roster as last year. They only start 2 Whites but they are their best players, rs Jr forward Thomas Walkup and Sr forward Jacob Parker. Walkup leads the team in scoring and rebounding. Tanner Clayton and Conner Brooks get minutes off the bench. Jaxon Holden does as well but on a very limited basis.
#4 Georgetown – The black panthers of college hoops out of the Big East are back to their old ways. All black, all the time. For the last 4 years the Hoyas had done something extraordinary for them in starting Nate Lubick. He was sort of a mascot for them as the fans loved him; he did the dirty work and rarely touched the ball on offense. Maybe he was holding them back from their affletic potential or maybe they’ll be upset in the first round for the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] time in 5 years (last year they missed the tourney)?
#13 Eastern Washington – The Big Sky Conference winners start 2 Whites, the leading scorer in the country and a half Indian Australian so they could be interesting to follow. Sr Parker Kelly and So Ognjen Miljkovic of Serbia are the White starters. PG Tyler Harvey led the country in scoring and makes this team dangerous. Australian, Venky Jois, appears to be half White who has an Indian (think call center) father. Off the bench is Ukrainian freshman Bogdan Bliznyuk and Australian Felix Von Hofe. Let’s hope this White-friendly squad can knock off odious Georgetown.
#6 Southern Methodist University – Winners of the American Athletic Conference are a Caste team lead by geriatric plantation master, Larry Brown. The only positive thing I have to say about them is that they defeated UConn and kept them from stealing an at large bid.
#11 UCLA – The Bruins represent the Pac-12 and start 1 White, So PG Bryce Alford. Bryce is the coach’s son and 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] leading scorer at 15 ppg. He’s a sharpshooter with underrated slashing ability. Off the bench comes highly recruited center Thomas Welch. The 7 footer has improved as the season has progressed. Also getting minutes off the bench is Hungarian freshman Gyorgy Goloman who provides more size and rebounding. UCLA was properly criticized for making the tourney, let’s hope they use that motivation to knock off SMU.
#3 Iowa State – The Big 12 winners are not very White friendly. They are led by the unsightly mystery meat Georges Niang and are an undeniably good, dangerous team. Their lone Whitey is sharpshooting guard Matt Thomas. The sophomore’s minutes have actually gone down from last year! He was highly rated in HS out of Wisconsin. He should see if he could transfer to the Badgers or Marquette asap.
#14 University of Alabama Birmingham – The Blazers are the upset winners of Conference USA and shockingly start 1 White. Let me say, I saw the team photo and it was coal black so imagine my surprise when the starting PG is a White freshman from Indiana, Nick Norton. One would wonder how he ending up at UAB? Anyway he averages 7.5 ppg and 4 apg, which is good for a freshman. I’ll root for them to pull the upset.
#7 Iowa – The Hawkeyes represent the Big 10 are one of the most White friendly in the tourney starting 4 Whites. They are polar opposites of afore mentioned Iowa St. Unfortunately, they are maddening inconsistent. They’ve beaten team like North Carolina on the road and Ohio State twice but lost to Northwestern and recently Penn St. The star here is athletic Sr forward Aaron White. He’s gotten better each year but this season took a huge step forward. The high-riser can also shoot 3’s, rebound and make defensive plays. The jack-of-all-trades has received some media praise for being one of the most underrated players in the country and I agree. The other forward is rs Jr Jarred Uthoff who originally started at Wisconsin. One wonders how the Badgers would be with him but I digress. Uthoff is a good shooter and athlete; the team’s 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] best player. Rounding out the starters are PG Mike Gessell and C Adam Woodbury. Both juniors were highly recruited players out of Iowa and both have underachieved so far IMO. Woodbury at 7’-1†especially needs to step up and become the inside force that he on rare occasions shows he can be. Off the bench comes shooter, Josh Oglesby, who has not shot the ball well this year. Iowa could easily lose to Davidson or get hot and knock off Gonzaga next round. They are impossible to predict.
#10 Davidson – In their first season in the Atlantic 10 Conference, The Wildcats won the regular season championship despite being predicted to do poorly. They start 3 fighting Whiteys and are led by Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, Tyler Kalinoski. The 6’-4†senior averaged 17 ppg, 5.5 rbpg, 4 apg and over 1 spg. Basically he does a little of everything. The other starters are Jr guard Brian Sullivan and Fr forward Peyton Aldridge. Off the bench come forwards Andrew McAuliffe and Oskar Michelsen. I really don’t know who to root for in this matchup and it especially SUCKS that the winner has to face Gonzaga.
#2 Gonzaga – The Bulldogs won the West Coast Conference yet again. The Zags start 3 Whites and are led by WCC Player of the Year and 4 year starter, Kevin Pangos. Leading scorer Kyle Wiltjer has taken the scoring burden off of Pangos allowing him to have his most efficient year running the team. Wiltjer was very wise to escape Calipari’s plantation and after sitting out 1 season has blossomed into a star with the Zags. Kyle is widely regarded as one of the top scoring threats in the country with his ability to score in many ways. The large Pole Przemek Karnowski anchors the middle and has become quite a force this year. Off the bench, is my key player for the Zags to go far, freshman forward Domantas Sabonis. The son of basketball legend, Arvydas, is a very polished inside scorer who is relentless on the boards. He provides energy, strength and grit. He’s a tough sonovagun. The other key rotation player is Kyle Dranginis, who is talented enough to start on many other programs. So this is what many are calling Mark Few’s most talented Gonzaga team. Can they get over the hump and make the final 4?
#15 North Dakota State – The Bisons are this year’s Summit League winners. Last year they upset Oklahoma in the first round. I remember them being Whiter last year as they only start 2 this year. Needless to say I’d be rooting for Gonzaga even if they started 5 White guys. The starters are forwards A.J. Jacobson and Chris Kading. Paul Miller and Dexter Werner come off the bench so maybe they’ll lighten up next season a little.
My predictions: I think Duke has a pretty easy path to the Elite 8. Stephen F. Austin could upset their way to a round of 16 match with Duke. Bottom of the bracket is Gonzaga’s to lose but they could have tough games against Iowa/Davidson and potentially Iowa St. If they face Duke, I actually like their chances to win that game.
