The Brackets are out and let the madness begin. Our Cardinals got the number 1 overall seed in the Midwest but many believe that we will have the toughest road to Atlanta. Especially with an elite 8 match-up with Duke or Michigan St in Indianapolis looming. The bottom line is that in order to be the best you have to beat the best. It appears the Cards will get their chance to do just that. When this thing is over here in a few weeks and Louisville is the last team standing there will be no questions about who the best is.
Our Cardinals learned on selection Sunday that they would play the winner of the play-in game between 16 seed North Carolina A&T and 16 seed Liberty in their first game to kick off March Madness. And tonight A&T beat Liberty in the play-in game 73-72. So our Cards will play A&T in the first session in Lexington at Rupp Arena on Thursday night. The Cardinals will be going into the NCAA tournament as the number one over-all seed. This makes the third number one seed for Louisville and second over-all number one seed. The committee began ranking 1 seeds in 2004. Cards were a number one seed in 83 and a number one over-all seed back in 09.
North Carolina A&T is a team out of the MEAC conference and they got that conferences automatic bid by winning the conference tournament. They beat Delaware St 84-78 for their first MEAC title since 1995. They did play two Big East teams this season Cincy and Seton Hall. They lost both of those contest. They also played EKU this season and beat the Colonels 78-67. A&T last went to the NCAA tournament 17 years ago, also the last time the team won any sort of MEAC hardware. The Aggies hadn’t finished above the .500 mark in 15 seasons, and after logging their fourth one-and-done exit from the MEAC tournament in a five-year span, A&T terminated Jerry Eaves with one year left on his contract and brought in former South Carolina State and Tennessee State head coach Cy Alexander to replace Eaves. A&T will likely be an up-tempo team under Alexander, as his past squads have often finished near the top of D-I in pace. He runs an aggressive man-to-man defense that results in a high number of steals, but an even higher number of easy looks for the opposition. Expect the Aggies to work at a more deliberate pace running an offense that uses a variety of sets and emphasizes an inside-out philosophy. Five seniors and a junior return, so the Aggies will be nothing if not experienced.
Kenpom:
ADJ Efficiency- Offense 89.6 Rank 317
ADJ Efficience- Defense 95.3 Rank 81
Kenpom Overall Rank: 226
Their National Statistics:
-POINTS PER GAME
62.2
290th
OVERALL
-REBOUNDS PER GAME
35.4
131st
OVERALL
-ASSISTS PER GAME
11.1
293rd
OVERALL
-FIELD GOAL PCT
.399
317th
OVERALL
North Carolina A&T’s season averages on offense:
FG%-39.9%, 3PT-29.9%, FT-65.8%
North Carolina A&T’s season averages on defense:
Rebounds-35pg, Steals-7, Blocks-5
Projected Starters:
F Adrian Powell: He is a 6-6 senior swingman who is their top performer averaging 12.5 points per game and 5 rebounds. He is a solid shooter from anywhere on the court, and may be taking a lot of the catch- and-shoot looks.
F Austin Witter: This guy is also one of their top returning senior performers leading the team in rebounds at 7.1 per game and assist at 2.1 per game. Witter is versatile enough to play either forward spot, as well as center.
G Jean Louisme: Is another senior with a lot of experience and can shoot the deep ball. He averages 9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
F Bruce Beckford: He is a freshman from one of the most prestigious high school programs in the country, Montrose Christian Academy. And came to A&T with a college body, so he gives the Aggies a physical presence in the paint. Averages 7.9 points per game and 4.4 rebounds.
G Lamont Middleton: A junior that has a scorer’s mentality. Likes to get to the rim and finish. Is an excellent rebounder for a guard. Averages 12.4 points per game and 4.1 rebounds.
Key reserves:
F DaMetrius Upchurch: A senior who is one of only two Aggies to top 100 with his offensive rating, is a low-post player with solid offensive rebounding abilities. Averages 4.5 points a game and 3.6 rebounds.
G Jeremy Underwood: A junior that has tremendous speed and excellent court vision. Averages 6.1 points per game and 1.6 rebounds.
I don’t think our Cards will have too much trouble from A&T and I don’t think you’ll see any chance of a 16 over a 1 here. The Cards front-court will be way too talented and advance for this team to defend. Gorgui and Chane should have a field day in the opening game and the new post season beast Montrezl Harrell will have these guys hanging off his arms. Our dynamic duo in the back-court will be licking their chops about this match-up. This game will be like a tennis match with the action going up and down the court. This is a match-up that will be perfect for the Cardinals style of play.
The real challenge will start in the second round on Saturday when the Cards will play the winner of the 8 seed Colorado St vs 9 seed Missouri game. I will have the breakdown of the winner of this game on Friday.