There are 68 teams in the knockout bracket. Miller beacon of Alabama, third best NBA prospect
March 13 – Milan
Sixty-eight suitors, a direct elimination “tennis” scoreboard, the title of national champion up for grabs. The framework of the US university tournament is now defined: the 32 winning teams of the respective Conferences have qualified by right, they have been joined by the 36 selected by the NCAA Committee for field merits, encountering calendar difficulties, excellent victories, moment form and situation injured. Starting tomorrow evening the First Four, a sort of Play-in NBA, to understand each other, then from Thursday the first round. Inside out. Winner advances, loser watches the continuation of the college tournament on television. Formula that enthuses Americans, which every year gives emotions, surprises and basketball immortality to kids who have the opportunity to conquer a page in the history of a competition with a tradition that is as ancient as it is always modern. America will stick to the small screen, as always, and online, of course, to watch March Madness. Compiling the scoreboard with the inevitable predictions. The Final Four is scheduled for April 1-4 in Houston. Who will get there?
ALABAMA AND MILLER
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The top seed overall is the Crimson Tide of Alabama University. Which compared to Houston, Kansas and Purdue, the other number 1 of the quadrants, on paper start as a team to beat. Thanks to Brandon Miller, the first-year forward who won the best player award of the SEC Tournament, the Bama Conference, which dominated Texas A&M in the final. Miller will likely be the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft behind Frenchman Wembanyama and Henderson, who plays in the G-League. I mean, first call from college. A wide winger with plenty of centimetres, great shot, athleticism and natural passing instincts. More finite than physical, as a game, thin, the big boy has only one significant unknown: he was recently involved in a murder. Cleared of all criminal charges, he still turned out to be the one who brought the murder weapon to a girl’s killer. In short, at least bad company…
SELF’S KANSAS
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The defending champions were unexpectedly evicted from Kansas City, where they were expected to host for the first two rounds of the tournament. However, Coach Self, who ended up in the hospital with a heart problem, should regularly return to the bench at the helm of the Jayhawks. Which therefore remain very insidious, with Wilson, winger, third year, as a driving force. If Alabama is the compass, the reference of the South quadrant of the board, Kansas will be that of the West.
DUKE E NORTH CAROLINA
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The Blue Devils, who last year under Paolo Banchero were able to hit the Final Four, were snubbed despite their victory in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, receiving only a fifth seed. Evicted from Greensboro, on their doorstep, where their fans had already hoarded tickets. Yet they have won 9 games in a row and are second to none for talent, with three first-round prospects in the NBA Draft: Filipowski, long white shooter, blocker center Lively and explosive guard Whitehead. North Carolina 12 months ago had been able to fold Duke in the state “derby” in the Final Four, and was considered the pre-season favorite. And instead, for the first time in history, those who boasted this expectation were not even able to qualify for the tournament, excluded third, in order of failures, from the NCAA Committee.
CANKA AND FOIS
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There will also be a little bit of Italy. Abramo Canka, freshman guard of UCLA, the famous university of Los Angeles, is a complementary player, from the bench, for the Bruins, who obtained the second seed in the West. They have just lost the Conference final, of the Pac 12, in a sprint against Arizona, also seeded number 2, but in the South. The Wildcats have Riccardo Fois, from Olbia, former assistant to Gonzaga at the university level and with the Phoenix Suns in the NBA.
March 13 – 10:35
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