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As the Miami Heat’s 27-game winning streak finally came to an end last night, the basketball world can now give its full attention to the Sweet Sixteen, which begins tonight.
The 12 games between now and Sunday will narrow down the field of 68 to the Final Four who will meet in Atlanta next weekend for a shot at the national title.
The first week of the NCAA Tournament is in the books, and one thing is clear — the draft stock of many of the top players did not improve. In fact, Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel’s stock was probably helped the most of any top prospect — and he was unable to play in the NIT because of a torn ACL.
But there were certainly others who helped themselves.
Most years, where we’re talking about the NBA draft, the relative strengths of the various shapes and sizes differ. The 2013 draft will be no exception. While there are talented perimeter scorers, lockdown defenders, and everything in between, the 2013 class does lack something significant this year … star power on the wings.
Following the Jimmy Valvano speech, in back-to-back games at 7:30 and 9:30, the Michigan Wolverines and Indiana Hoosiers had a chance to make a statement in front of anybody who was willing to tune into ESPN.
Neither team disappointed their home fans nor their TV viewers: Indiana obliterated North Carolina by the score of 83-59, while Michigan won a hard-fought 79-72 contest over North Carolina State.
It was a team night for Indiana and Michigan, but boy oh boy did individuals shine brightly on Tuesday night. Analysis and highlights below, plus a must-see dunk from the NBA:
In an extremely loaded four-team preseason tournament, the Legends Classic in Atlanta tonight will place No. 7 Kansas against No. 14 Michigan State on one side of the bracket while the defending national champion No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats will face the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils.
Although Kentucky escaped its matchup with the Maryland Terrapins on Friday at the Barclays Center, it’s clear that this Kentucky team is a work in progress and will try to find itself as the season progresses.
