It’s customary that this month is the craziest of the year. Not only is the MLB, NBA, NHL, and XFL playing games at this point, but college basketball conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament will soon be in full swing. Just when you thought there was enough going on, an epidemic known as the “Coronavirus” is sweeping the nation. This truly is a month filled with madness.
In that regard, let’s preview some of the teams, storylines, and players that will make these next couple weeks of college basketball a must watch.
A Tournament with no Fans?
Today, the NCAA Tournament as we know it has changed, at least for this year.
According to a statement released by the NCAA President Mark Emmert, it stated that the NCAA Tournament would not be open to fans, but only to the team staffs, the media, and family members. In the statement, Emmert said, “This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes.”
This has sparked controversy all across sports. LeBron James spoke out and said that he wouldn’t play if fans were restricted access to games. James revised his statement a few days earlier as he said he would be “disappointed” to play without fans. The restriction hasn’t reached the NBA yet, but it may be on its way.
The "Coronavirus" has impacted many sporting events already. The Ivy League cancelled its conference tournament as a result, and the majority of the major conference tournaments are restricting fan access, but continuing with the tournaments as scheduled.
The effects of the epidemic will make these next few weeks interesting to say the least. For one, TV ratings are sure to skyrocket, but the environment at the games will be a nothing like they usually are. The teams are going to have to manufacture their own energy as this will be as neutral of a site as it gets with no fans in attendance.
Battle in the Big Ten
The deepest conference in college basketball is having its conference tournament this weekend in Indianapolis. For some who doubt the talent and competition, for reference, the top three teams tied for first with a 14-6 record, and Rutgers, Ohio State, Iowa, and Penn State all have 11-9 records in conference play. Coaches have remarked that this is as strong as the conference has been in years as at least 10 or 11 teams have a shot at a tournament bid.
A team to watch out for this weekend is Wisconsin. The Badgers are the hottest team in the Big Ten as they have won eight-in-a-row. After losing one of their top players in Kobe King, the Badgers rallied under head coach Greg Gard and have never looked back.
Another team to watch is the always dangerous Michigan State.Tom Izzo has the Spartans back on track. They were No. 1 in the country in the beginning of the season, and then hit a tough stretch during middle of the year, but now, they’re back to form at the right time. Winners of five in-a-row, Sparty has a shot to win yet another Big Ten Title.
It wouldn’t be a college basketball post without talking a little bit about Penn State. The Nittany Lions have lost five of their last six and are reeling right now. With a chance to rebound in Indy, Pat Chambers looks to revive the lowly Lions back to their mid-season form. Whether they can or not is purely up to Chambers and his players.
Whoever wins this conference will have the momentum to make a run in the tourney this year. That being said, there are multiple teams with that chance, it just all relies on how teams can come through in clutch situations, because there are plenty of those in this time of the year.
Players to Watch
Cassius Winston (Michigan State): Cassius Winston’s play speaks for itself. It’s been a difficult year after dealing with the death of his brother, but Winston has put his emotion’s aside and played inspired basketball. He’s averaging 18.6 points, 5.9 assists, and is shooting around 43% from behind the arc. Winston is almost a shoe-in to win the Wooden Award for his senior campaign.
He also has a defensive prowess as he is tied for the team lead in steals per game with 1.2. Winston has powered the Spartans to its winning streak as he and the team will continue to be a problem in the Tourney.
Myles Powell (Seton Hall): Powell is a premier scorer and has carried the Pirates to a 21-9 record. In terms of numbers, Powell is having a down year, but that’s not saying much as he’s still averaging 21.0 points per game which is tied for 17th best in the country.
The senior’s ability to shoot and finish is why he is dangerous. If he gets hot, he could power Seton Hall very deep into March.
Markus Howard (Marquette): Howard is the top scorer in the country. If you see here, there’s a theme with players to watch in the tournament, it’s guys who have been here before and have the ability to come through in the clutch, and Markus Howard checks all those boxes.
The senior from Chandler, AZ is averaging a staggering 27.8 points per game not to mention shooting 41.2% per game from three.
Howard was disappointed with the Golden Eagles first round exit in last year's tournament as they fell to Ja Morant and Murray State. Howard and his team will certainly be fueled to do some damage, but first they have to perform in the Big East Tournament this week.
With no fans, and millions of people watching, this certainly is going to be a march madness to remember.