NFL
By: Kevin Lucas
Oklahoma; Credit to coach Kruger and his staff for assembling the perfect roster together this season down in Norman. The Sooners have an elite playmaking guard in Austin Reaves that can score from everywhere on the floor and make shots in the clutch. Umoja Gibson is one of the best shooters in the country with a shot release that is just as quick as Steph Curry’s, shooting 43% from the 3-pt line this season which is the highest percentage of his career. Cal State Northridge transfer Elijah Harkless (alongside all other transfers) was ruled officially eligible in mid-December and he has boosted this squad from possibly losing not even making the NCAA Tournament to potentially making it to the Elite 8. Harkless can do everything on the court on both offense and defense while still improving his jumper from deep range and has also proven that he’s one of the premier defensive players in the country.
Add in Kur Kuath with his 6’10 frame and you have a legitimate rim defender playing alongside the sniper senior forward Brady Manek rounding out their frontcourt and this Oklahoma squad is built for success in March. In a majority of their games, this season Oklahoma has done a great job of controlling the pace of games and forcing opposing teams to play at that pace while they also are one of the toughest rebounding teams in the nation. Competing in the Big 12 they’ve pulled off multiple wins over ranked opponents with their most impressive win coming in Morgantown against West Virginia in double overtime back in mid-February. They ended Big 12 conference play on a 4-game losing streak but I expect this team will use that more as motivation rather than sulking in a tough stretch. This season alone has shown us that the Big 12 Conference is more than just a football conference and the sneakiest team on the hoops side that can make a ton of noise in the NCAA Tournament is the Sooners of Oklahoma lead by their Hall of Fame coach Lon Kruger.
Arkansas; Between the men’s and women’s basketball teams Arkansas Razorback basketball is officially back and booming thanks to Eric Musselman and Mike Neighbors. Reeling in coach Musselman after having major success at the University of Nevada, Reno a few years ago gave the SEC yet another elite head coach that will compete with any program in the country and he is already making big waves in his second season coaching the hogs down in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks finished regular season play with an overall record of 21-5 and 13-4 in SEC play with a majority of their roster being a combination of in-state talent and transfers from all across the country which has been a staple of coach Musselman’s recruiting process ever since he first entered the ranks of college coaching. Little Rock native Moses Moody has dominated all season long with his natural scoring ability and pro-style game averaging 17 points per game while shooting almost 44% from the field. Earning both First Team All-SEC and Freshman of the Year honors in the conference, Moody will be a high first-round draft pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Indiana transfer Justin Smith is probably the most important player on this team as he can guard 1-5 on defense and on offense he can step out out and knockdown 3’s while also getting in the low block area and create easier opportunities for his team.
JD Notae won Sixth Man of the Year in the conference and he definitely earned it with his in the gym range and ability to hound opposing team’s guards by constantly getting steals while also being one of the best and most consistent spark plugs in the country. Coach Muss then has 3 guards on his roster in Jalen Tate, Desi Sills and freshman Davonte Davis that are all far above average defenders who can play in crunch time if the hogs ever need a big-time stop and have all improved throughout the season on the opposite end. The key to this team potentially making the Final Four or not is Cal Berkeley transfer Connor Vanover. Standing at 7 ft. 3 inches tall, Vanover has had a rough first season playing in the SEC because of his lack of consistently good play but all of the tools are there for him from his shooting form to his defense he must raise his level of play if the razorbacks want to play deep into March. The Muss bus is going to be rolling along in the in the SEC and college basketball world for many years to come.
San Diego State ; Around this time last year the Aztecs were very close to entering the NCAA Tournament with zero losses on their record. They then lost to Utah State in the championship game of the Mountain West Tournament, with coronavirus striking the Earth just a day later ultimately cancelling the 2020 NCAA Tournament. Now fast forward a year later and Brian Dutcher’s team is back and hungrier than ever with the same core players, a couple new additions and minus Malachi Flynn, who is now a member of the Toronto Raptors organization. In coming back for his senior year Matt Mitchell has etched his name in stone as one of the best players in program history. Mitchell was named Player of the Year in the Mountain West this season after averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds while being a 235-pound bulldozer running over the opposition. Jordan Schakel much like Matt Mitchell has gotten better in each season he has been in the 619 going from being labeled “just a shooter” to now becoming a scorer from all 3 levels and a pesky defender.
After coming off the bench for all of last season backing up Flynn, Trey Pulliam has taken the reigns of starting point guard this season and made the transition seem seamless as Pulliam has an elite floater game and is always making plays to give his team good shots on the offensive end. Cal State Northridge graduate-transfer Terrell Gomez is easily one of the best all-around scorers in the conference and has lightning-quick speed with the ball in his hands making him a nightmare to guard for opposing teams’ defense. Junior guard Adam Seiko and true freshman Lamont Butler give the Aztecs two multi-dimensional guards that round out a top-5 bench unit in all of college hoops. Coach Dutcher loves to instill defensive principles into his teams as year in and year out they play some of the best defense in the nation with this team taking pride in getting stops. Nate Mensah is a 6’10 center who is the most important and valuable piece to their disruptive defense as he not only blocks shots but also creates havoc in guarding pick-and-rolls. As long as Mensah can stay out of foul trouble then SDSU can match up with any team playing in the Big Dance. Look for San Diego State to seek vengeance this March with last season still playing in the back of their minds.
