Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Bracket (because I said so; fourth overall seed)
1. Texas Longhorns* vs. 16. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers*
Hype becomes reality as the Longhorns use their great mix of talent to overrun the Jayhawks for the Big-12 championship. Myles Turner leads the way and becomes the best freshman in the country. Isaiah Taylor and Javan Felix emerge as a lethal backcourt duo with different styles of play to confuse the defense. Rick Barnes becomes the frontrunner for Coach of the Year.
Coastal Carolina uses the scoring prowess of Warren Gillis to take control of the Big South early and never left it go. Gillis ranks among the top scorers in the country, leading the Chanticleers to a 23-win season before the conference tournament, making it to the top 5 rankings in the Mid-Major polls.
8. Washington Huskies vs. 9. Dayton Flyers
Lorenzo Romar feels the seat getting a little bit hotter and his players respond for him in a big way. Nigel Williams-Goss climbs up draft boards as he makes miraculous play after miraculous play, leading the Huskies to the Pac-12 tournament championship. Washington makes the 2015 NCAA Tournament to the surprise of everyone thanks to the help of non-conference wins against San Diego State and Oklahoma.
Dayton feels no Elite Eight hangover and continues to be a mainstay in the high-major, lesser-major conferences. Archie Miller takes home conference Coach of the Year honors and Jordan Sibert continues to remind Ohio State what might’ve been had they been able to keep him in Columbus. No surprises this time.
5. Michigan Wolverines vs. 12. winner of Boise State Broncos vs. Florida State Seminoles
Caris LeVert does what many expected him to do before the season and becomes the newest star for the Wolverines, elevating Michigan’s success and his draft stock in the process. Point guard Derrick Walton matures before our very eyes, becoming one of the best play makers in the Big Ten along the way.
Boise State manages to claim the second spot in the Mountain West while Florida State winds up in the top half of the ACC as the rest of the teams beat the living hell out of each other throughout the year. Aaron Thomas builds off his great run to finish the 2013-14 season and helps lead the Seminoles back to the tournament while the Broncos swoop and and pick off the rest of the field San Diego State has already chewed up in Mountain West play.
4. VCU Rams* vs. 13. N.C. Central Eagles*
Treveon Graham finishes off a stellar career and picks up multiple accolades along the way for VCU, including conference POY and being named an All-American. Shaka Smart finally gets that elusive conference championship and Briante Weber, once again, leads the nation in steals, leading the Havoc defense.
LeVelle Moton leads N.C. Central back to the tourney while having Jordan Parks grow as a player and a leader for the Eagles. Nimrod Hilliard, who garners conference POY honors, gets the accolades, but Parks becomes the most important player for the Eagles. A road win at Memphis brings the Eagles to the national stage and the rest is easier for N.C. Central.
6. SMU Mustangs vs. 11. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Losing Markus Kennedy for the first semester hurts the Mustangs in the non-conference, but the selection committee sees how much better SMU plays upon his return and gives them the benefit of the doubt. Nic Moore challenges for POY honors with UConn’s Ryan Boatright but leads the team in scoring and assists and finishes second in the AAC.
Tim Miles continues to defy the odds with Nebraska and gets them back to the NCAA Tournament. With the help of leading scorer Terran Petteway and his partner in crime Shavon Shields, the Cornhuskers put a scare in the rest of the Big Ten but fall behind late in the regular season, though their overall credentials are good enough for a tourney bid.
3. Villanova Wildcats* vs. 14. New Mexico State Aggies*
Not fearing Doug McDermott anymore, Villanova runs through the Big East without much trouble, though escape a few close calls on the road. JayVaughn Pinkston adapts to a heavier scoring load and the Wildcats get solid leadership from Ryan Arcidiacano and Darrun Hilliard in the backcourt. Jay Wright easily takes home Coach of the Year honors.
Hot off the heels of a season-opening road win at Wichita State, the rest just seems easier for New Mexico State. Daniel Mullings repeats as the WAC POY with averages of 18 points and six rebounds. Mullings’ backcourt mates DK Eldridge and Tshilidzi Nephawe each average 12 points per game to make for one lethal trio.
7. Harvard Crimson* vs. 10. Saint Mary’s Gaels
Smart kids continue to ball out as Harvard loses exactly zero games in the Ivy League schedule with Wesley Saunders leading the way in scoring. Tommy Amaker starts being rumored to a number of high-major programs throughout the season, especially after a huge road win at Virginia in December. Siyani Chambers leads the nation in assists and becomes a borderline NBA talent in the process.
Brad Waldow carries the load for the Gaels and takes them back to another NCAA Tournament appearance by averaging a double-double throughout the season. Aaron Bright and Joe Coleman come in as transfers and gives Saint Mary’s that final push towards a West Coast Conference title, but they come up just a little short. Beating Gonzaga on the road gives the Gaels that legitimacy the selection committee wants to see.
2. Duke Blue Devils vs. 15. Denver Pioneers*
Jahlil Okafor is everything he’s advertised to be and more. Okafor separates himself as the best center in college basketball and takes on the moniker as the top NBA prospect in the country. Coach K uses his combination of freshmen and upperclassman as well as anybody and proves that he can win with freshmen.
I abstained from choosing a Summit League Champion, but since this is a bracket and every conference must be represented, I’ll split the difference and pick Denver to win for this purpose only. Denver is the majority favorite to win the conference title among major outlets. Here’s a quick best cast scenario for the Pioneers:
Brett Olson captures the conference POY award and carries the Pioneers to the title after a difficult conference schedule. Jalen Love grows into a more consistent player after having his role changed last season. Denver captures the Summit League crown in its second year in the conference, holding off three other teams gunning for them.
Next: College Basketball Rankings: Preseason Top 25 for 2014-15 Season