It’s the time of the year when everybody is talking brackets and bubbles, who is going to make the NCAA Tournament, who is going to miss it, and who can win it all. March is coming, and the excitement is building — but not everywhere.
There are places used to March Madness that have come to expect the worst from their teams after having such high hopes in November.
Below are a few of the nation’s biggest underachievers:
Georgetown
The Hoyas have top-25 talent and an NIT résumé. They’re consistently inconsistent. The one thing they have done very well is lose several heartbreakers to top teams — falling by a combined 14 points to Duke, No. 20 Providence (twice) and second-ranked Maryland.
I recently proposed this question in this space: If John Thompson III had a different last name, would he still be the Georgetown coach? The reaction was split, but there is a segment of the Hoyas fan base that feels change is needed. Georgetown (14-12, 7-6) hasn’t reached the Sweet 16 since 2007, despite recruiting extremely well the last several years.
This season is by far the most glaring. The roster is deep, experienced and should’ve — at worst — produced a top-five finish in the Big East and an NCAA Tournament bid. Instead, Georgetown, picked to finish second in the league but sitting in sixth, needs to tread water just to reach the NIT. The only hopes of meaningful March basketball is winning the conference tournament.
Connecticut
Barring a collapse, UConn is going to reach the NCAA Tournament. But this year wasn’t just about being one of the 68 teams selected, it was supposed to result in a Sweet 16 and potentially a Final Four. Both are very unlikely, if not improbable, considering how underwhelming the Huskies (18-7, 8-4) have been, losing to Temple twice and Tulsa.
The biggest issue for Connecticut — ranked 20th in the preseason Associated Press poll — has been its play inside. Big men Amida Brimah and Kentan Facey just haven’t developed. Freshmen Jalen Adams and Steven Enoch haven’t made the impact some expected, and Seton Hall transfer Sterling Gibbs hasn’t performed up to expectations, shooting just 39 percent from the field.
And now questions are starting to pop up about Kevin Ollie, who missed the NCAA Tournament last year with his own recruits and hasn’t done much better with them this year, either, after winning it all with Jim Calhoun’s players in 2013-14.
Gonzaga
The Zags aren’t quite as disappointing as the Hoyas and Huskies, but this was a chic Final Four pick by some in November, ranked ninth in the preseason. While Gonzaga (20-6, 12-2) remains atop the West Coast Conference, a game ahead of St. Mary’s, it is only getting in by winning the WCC tournament. The 2-6 record against teams in the top 100 in the RPI isn’t good enough for a program that has reached the tournament the last 17 years and possesses this kind of pro-level talent.
Yes, the season-ending back injury to center Przemek Karnowski was a killer, but there’s more than enough talent on coach Mark Few’s roster to have done better this year. Kyle Wiltjer is shooting 48 percent after hitting 54 percent of his shots last year, and the play in the backcourt of senior Eric McClellan and Josh Perkins has fallen well short of their expected contributions.
Say good night, Grayson
Grayson Allen’s buzzer-beater to lift Duke past No. 7 Virginia was clutch. It was extremely difficult. But it was also illegal.
He walked, went up and down, landing with his right foot before releasing the shot. It was a travel. Virginia was robbed of a big road victory and Duke was given a huge résumé-building win.
It became an instant debate on social media, and several national pundits said Duke is never getting called for a travel in that spot at Cameron Indoor Stadium. But it shouldn’t matter if there is no time on the clock or 10 minutes left. If the game is tied or it’s a blowout. A travel is a travel. Just like a foul is a foul, the phrase you always here when contact is called in a big spot late in the game. Bryan Kersey, Tim Nestor, Terry Wymer — the officials for the game — should’ve done better.
Game of the week
Duke at No. 9 North Carolina
Wednesday, 9 p.m.
A few weeks ago, the biannual showdown looked dull, a probable rout. But that was before Duke reeled off four straight wins — almost certainly played its way back into the top 25 when the new poll is released Monday — including beating No. 13 Louisville and seventh-ranked Virginia last week. The biggest change has been the emergence of freshman Brandon Ingram, who is finally performing like a top-five pick after a mostly underwhelming first season in Durham.
Stock Watch
Up
Tyler Ulis
Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine and Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield are the clear front-runners for National Player of the Year honors, but Kentucky’s Ulis should be in the discussion, too. The 5-foot-9 sophomore is having a remarkable season, and he’s been at his best lately, notably his 27-point, 12-assist masterpiece in a road rout of South Carolina on Saturday, as the Wildcats have begun to turn it on. He’s been their rock as inconsistent freshmen surround him, and now that they are finding a groove, his play has skyrocketed even further.
St. Bonaventure
The odds remain long for the Bonnies to receive an at-large bid to the tournament, but they are in the mix, after this five-game winning streak that includes wins over George Washington and St. Joseph’s. St. Bonaventure has an RPI of 34 and is just a game out of second in the Atlantic 10. Not bad for a team picked to finish eighth.
Down
Big East
There is a chance the league could receive just three bids on Selection Sunday, which would be nothing short of a public-relations disaster after getting six a year ago. After No. 1 Villanova, fifth-ranked Xavier and No. 20 Providence, there is no clear-cut fourth team. Seton Hall looked like it, before losing at home to Butler. And the Bulldogs responded to that big win by getting hammered at home by Xavier on Saturday. Both are firmly on the bubble, but that’s better than Creighton, Georgetown and Marquette, all of whom need basically to run the table to have any shot at an at-large bid. And, remember, only Xavier last March has reached the second weekend of the tournament from the Big East since the formation of the new-look league two years ago.
Wichita State
The Shockers are going to need to win the Missouri Valley Conference to reach their fifth straight NCAA Tournament. Despite a shaky performance in non-conference play, mostly because of the absence of senior point guard Fred VanVleet, Wichita State was thought to be in fine shape — until losing two of its last three games in the MVC. The résumé is poor, an RPI of 52 with only one quality win, over Utah, which won’t get it done.
Sweet 16
A prediction of the top four seeds in the NCAA Tournament (listed in order):
1. Kansas, Villanova, Oklahoma, Iowa
2. North Carolina, Michigan State, West Virginia, Xavier
3. Iowa State, Virginia, Maryland, Oregon
4. Kentucky, Miami, Dayton, Purdue