March Madness

10 Teams Under the Radar

Stanford

The Cardinal is a team that is flying under the radar, nationally, because they are not a top three team in the Pac-12. They play consistent ball as they play consistently on offense and stifling defense. Four double-digit scorers in Chasson Randle, Dwight Powell, Josh Huesteis, and Anthony Brown lead them. Stanford is firmly in the field of 64 for the NCAA tournament. Unless they lose their last two games and get sent home early in the Pac-12 tournament, they should make the big dance. This will not be an easy team to beat because they manage to stay calm like their coach Johnny Dawkins. This team has upset ability as they beat Connecticut and Michigan earlier in the year.

 

BYU

BYU has big wins over Stanford and Texas. In addition, they played Iowa State, Wichita State, Oregon, and Massachusetts, which were all losses. The out of conference schedule and overall strength is there. However, the Cougars are firmly on the bubble and will more than likely have to play into the tournament. This team will have to win its final game and have to make a deep run into their conference tournament. Any losses would result in BYU missing the NCAA tournament. If they win out, this team is loaded with guys that can score the basketball. They are led by one of the nations best scorers in Tyler Haws as he scores well over 20 every game. Haws is a 6'5 guard that can score in many different ways. Matt Carlino, Kyle Collinsworth, and Eric Mika each do a good job at scoring and rebounding. With so much offensive firepower, this team will need to put the clamps down on defense. Nevertheless, the NCAA is built on elite guard play, which means Carlino and Haws can help BYU get a win or two. If Haws scoring ability translates to the tournament, think Stephen Curry at Davidson or Jimmer Fredette at BYU.

 

Oklahoma State

The Cowboys finally ended their seven game losing streak when Marcus Smart returned from his three game suspension. Although they slipped into quite a funk, they have a good chance of making the tournament. Markel Brown, L'Bryan Nash, and Phil Forte III are solid scorers that compliment Smart. These four players are volume scorers so they can get a little cold from time to time. The Big 12 is ultra competitive so the committee may be magnanimous and grant this team with a berth. If that is the case, no team wants to face a lowly seeded Oklahoma State team. They have too much firepower not to win a game and possibly go on a bit of a run like last year's Oregon team. Smart and Brown's ability to takeover can propel this team to a possible Sweet 16 appearance.

 

Oklahoma

Lon Kruger's ball club is an inconsistent ball club. They have the talent to compete with Kansas and Iowa State, but the youth to lose against a team like Texas Tech during conference play. Buddy Hield is he leading scorer for this Sooners team, but he is the most inconsistent player out of all of them. He can erupt in one half and go extremely cold in another. Jordan Woodard, Ryan Spangler, Cameron Clark, and Isaiah Cousins are double-digit scorers as well. Tyler Neal and Je'lon Hornbeak provide three point marksmen off the bench as well. This team probably seems inconsistent because of the overall depth in the Big 12. With that being said, this team is one of the toughest to prepare for because they have so much depth. It really comes down to how interested and if they view the other team as a threat for this Sooners team.

 

Arizona State

After their controversial win against Arizona, the Sun Devils have managed to climb their way up to an eight seed. Jahii Carson who scores a lot of points for this team leads them. In addition, Jordan Bachynski and Jermaine Marshall have proven to be consistent double figure scorers. The problem with this team, after those three players, is: Can they produce enough offense to win a game or two in the NCAA tournament? They have periods during the course of the game where they go on scoring droughts. Bachynski's defensive prowess can be key for Arizona State.

 

Ohio State

 This Buckeyes team has so much talent from top to bottom. With players like Aaron Craft, Lenzelle Smith Jr., Sam Thompson, Shannon Scott, LaQuinton Ross, and Amir Williams, this should easily be one of the top teams in the Big Ten and in the country. Somehow, they have struggled with all of this talent. One of the biggest concerns with this team is can they score enough points to win. They play ball-hawking defense, but they have guys that are offensively challenged outside of Ross and Smith Jr. Ohio State loves to play at a slow pace and get good shots to set up their defense. When they are making their shots, Ohio State is the most annoying team in the country to play for 40 minutes.

 

Harvard

Some spectators might remember this Crimson team from a year ago as they ruined most people's brackets. Wesley Saunders was the key to their upset over New Mexico in the NCAA tournament a year ago. Saunders returned for another year as he leads his team to, possibly, another NCAA tournament. His scoring numbers have dipped, but he has a lot of help. Harvard has six players that average more than nine points a game. With that kind of offensive balance, it is really hard to defend them because opposing players do not know where the scoring will come from. This makes Harvard a tough team to go against even if Saunders is struggling.

 

Providence

The Friars are not a deep basketball team as they have five players that play 30 plus minutes a game and a sixth play that plays 20 minutes. They are a talented team led by their senior point guard Bryce Cotton. Cotton scores over 20 points a game on a nightly basis. He also rebounds well at his size; he is a playmaker for his teammates, and an absolute bulldog on defense. LaDontae Henton, Kadeem Batts, and Tyler Harris are efficient scorers that can rebound. This is a veteran ball club that has a lot of players that are lanky athletes. If they make it to the NCAA tourney, this team's length can be their greatest asset defensively. With Cotton's elite play at point guard, this team can upset someone during the first weekend. Having a seven footer in Carson Desrosiers can be beneficial as he averages three blocks per contest. Another win over Creighton and a couple wins in the Big East Tourney should get them in the NCAA tourney.

 

Virginia

Checking this team's stat sheet can be depressing for a person that loves offense, but the Cavaliers make up for it on defense. After getting drubbed by Tennessee, Virginia has won 14 of their last 15 with their lone loss being to Duke. Also, they sit atop the ACC and broke the school record for conference wins. Joe Harris and Michael Brogdon lead this stagnant offense, but Justin Anderson provides valuable minutes with his intensity. Akil Mitchell is the X-factor for this team because he is a scorer who is underachieving dramatically this season. London Perrantes runs this team with no fear, as he never gets rattled despite being a freshman point guard. Virginia's defense and Harris's ability to take over games has many believing they can make a Final Four run. Despite those lofty expectations, many are still numb to the success of this team.

 

Michigan

Despite not having Mitch McGary, Michigan has been able to get on a bit of a roll, as they are in first place in the grueling Big Ten. Many wrote this team off after they lost Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke to the NBA Draft. In addition, when they lost McGary indefinitely, the experts doubted they would even make the NCAA tournament. Nik Stauskas and Caris LeVert have been the main reasons why the Wolverines are back in the national spotlight. Glenn Robinson III and Derrick Walton Jr. are no scrubs as they are certainly capable of big time performances. Head coach John Beilein should definitely be acknowledged for the tremendous job he has done as a coach because they are without three players from last year's championship game. With or without McGary, Michigan should make the Sweet 16.

Chasing History

Jesse Owens

James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was a 5'10 165 pound Track and Field athlete from Oakville, Alabama. Owens had an illustrious career in Track and Field as he set many records and won many medals. He lived during a time when segregation was still rampant nationally and internationally. However, he was never deterred as he chased his dreams.

Owens family lived in Alabama until he turned nine. His parents decided to take part in the "Great Migration", which was when 1.5 million African Americans moved from the segregated south. They moved to Ohio where Owens got a job, as a student, to help his family financially. Owens was an outstanding track runner at East Technical High School in Cleveland, Ohio. He only did it to bridge the time between work and school, but he realized how much he loved it. He received his first taste of the spotlight during the 1933 National High School Championship in Chicago. He equalled the world record in the 100 yard dash with the time of 9.4 seconds. In addition, he jumped 7.56 meters in the long jumping event.

Owens would go on to The Ohio State University where he ran track without a scholarship and lived off-campus because of segregation. He still had a part-time job to support his family. Owens was recognized as the "Buckeye Bullet" because of his supernatural speed. During his time as a Buckeye, he won eight individual NCAA championships. He had a career day during the Big Ten meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1935 where he set three records. He tied the record of 9.4 seconds in the 100 yard dash, set the record in long jumping at 8.13 meters, set the record at 20.3 seconds in the 220 yard dash, and set the record at 22.6 seconds in the 220 yard low hurdles event. However, his success did not stop there.

Owens would go on to the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. This was a time when Adolf Hitler was in control of Germany and believed German athletes would dominate every event. He also believed African Americans were inferior along with the Jews. Olympic officials gave Hitler a stiff ultimatum, which was to congratulate every medalist or do not congratulate anyone. Hitler stubbornly chose not to congratulate anyone. Nevertheless, Owens won four gold medals in the 100 and 200 meter events, long jump, and 4x100 meter relay race. Owens teamed up with Ralph Metcalf, Frank Wycoff, and Foy Draper as they set the world record in the relay event at 39.8 seconds. However, Owens was not commemorated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt for his efforts when he returned home. Roosevelt was afraid if he acknowledged Owens that he would lose votes from Southern voters. Later, President Dwight D. Eisenhower honored Owens as the "Ambassador of Sports" in 1955. 

Before Owens passed away, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1970. Also, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Gerald Ford in 1976. After passing away in 1980, the USA Track and Field team created the Jesse Owens Award in 1981. It was and still is awarded to the top Track and Field athlete. Finally, his alma mater, The Ohio State University, dedicated the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium for Track and Field events only.

African American QB

Marlin Briscoe

Today, we see Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, and others that are African American quarterbacks. Older generations used to watch Randall Cunningham and Warren Moon at quarterback, but the pioneer for black QBs was Marlin Briscoe. 

Marlin Briscoe was a 5'11 178 lb quarterback and wide receiver from Oakland, CA that played high school and college football in Omaha, NE. Briscoe was nicknamed "Marlin the Magician" because he could make incredible plays on the field when his team needed them. He played in the AFL and NFL from 1968 to 1976. Briscoe played for the Broncos, Bills, Dolphins, Chargers, Lions, and Patriots. 

Briscoe was drafted by the Broncos in the 14th round of the 1968 draft. He started out eighth on the depth chart for quarterbacks, but was switched to the other side of the ball to play defensive back. An injury to the Broncos starting signal caller forced Briscoe to go back to his natural position. He excelled as he accounted for 17 total touchdowns and rushed for over 300 yards. His 14 passing touchdowns is still a rookie record for the Denver Broncos. However, his success was short lived as the team had no intentions of letting him start at QB in the next season. As a result, he asked to be released and as he signed with the Buffalo Bills. Ironically, he did not play QB for the Bills as they had a star in Jack Kemp. Briscoe decided to play receiver as he led the team in receptions twice and receiving touchdowns three times. Also, he was named to the All-Pro team and was selected to the Pro Bowl during 1970. Briscoe was traded to the Miami Dolphins where he won back-to-back Super Bowls and was a part of the only undefeated team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl in 1972. Following the 1974 season, he bounced around the league for the remainder of his career as he played for San Diego, Detroit, and New England.