Player to Watch: Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
Without a doubt, the top player in this region would have to be Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine. The hometown kid playing for his hometown team, the senior has absolutely dominated this season, averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game. Look for the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and Wooden Award finalist to work his magic in all aspects of the game—it will likely determine the fate of whoever will come out of this region.
Dream matchup—Early rounds: No. 5 Purdue vs. No. 4 Iowa State
This is, statistically, a really good matchup, and it’s a good measuring stick to find out if Iowa State is legitimate. Purdue has the size, with their two 7-foot-plus players, and Iowa State’s top seven scorers all average over 10 points per game. The matchup to watch in this hypothetical game would be Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan and Iowa State’s Georges Niang. If any team can stop Niang from getting to the basket, it would likely be this extremely tall Purdue team.
Dream Matchup—Late Rounds: No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 2 Michigan State
This game will probably be a who-can-score-more contest between Denzel Valentine of Michigan State and Malcolm Brogdon of Virginia. With Brogdon averaging 18.7 points per game and Valentine 19.6, the key to winning this one would be stopping the other team’s scoring machine before they get started and even then, there’s no doubt it will go down to the wire.
Dark Horse: Seton Hall
No. 6 Seton Hall is led by the trio of Isaiah Whitehead, Khadeen Carrington and Desi Rodriguez. The New York City natives have been consistently putting up big points and have held the team together all season en route to its Big East title. The Pirates are pretty evenly matched against their first opponent, No. 11 Gonzaga, as well as their potential second-round opponent, No. 3 Utah. If Whitehead, Carrington and Rodriguez keep playing the way they have been all season, they have as good a chance as anybody. Barring injuries or foul trouble, Seton Hall should be in a good place if these three show up and play.
Grab Bag
No. 4 Iowa State is a bit of a motley crew—the team contains not one, not two, not three, but six transfers. Abdel Nader, who transferred from Northern Illinois, and Jameel McKay and Deonte Burton, both of whom transferred from Marquette, are all prolific scorers, averaging 13.1, 11.5, and 10.0 points per game respectively. Hallice Cook, who came in after a year at Oregon State, and Jordan Ashton, who came from Northwest Missouri State, are also contributing to the team’s success this year. The final transfer, Nick Weiler-Babb, is sitting out this year after transferring from Arkansas.
