Two of the highest seeds in the Spokane region of March Madness advanced in (5) San Diego State and (4) Alabama while we also saw two big upsets.
The Spokane region sent two of its best teams into the Sweet 16 while also providing us with two of the biggest upsets in March Madness so far. A top 15 team in Auburn was upset by Yale, and Saint Mary’s was knocked off in the first round against Grand Canyon. However, the road only gets tougher from here for both the Aztecs and the Crimson Tide.
Spokane Region Most Outstanding Player
Mark Sears, Alabama
This one could have been a coin flip between Mark Sears and Jadeon LeDee. The argument for LeDee is certainly there as he had an incredible two games in Spokane, Sears is more well-rounded as a guard with his ability to feed teammates and force turnovers. Shooting over 45% from behind the arc and over 50% from the field is impressive as well.
Spokane Region First Team
- G: Darrion Trammell, San Diego State – 2 GP (11.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.5 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 50 FG%, 55.6 3P%)
- G: Mark Sears, Alabama – 2 GP (28.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 54.8 FG%, 47.1 3P%)
- G: Tyon Grant-Foster, Grand Canyon – 2 GP (20.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 0.5 APG, 2.5 BPG, 2.0 SPG)
- G: John Poulakidas, Yale – 2 GP (18.5 PPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 50.0 FG%, 57.1 3P%)
- F: Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State – 2 GP (29.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 0.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 66.7 FG%)
3 Takeaways
#1: San Diego State runs the offense through Jaedon LeDee
It’s not very often you see one player having significantly more points than their teammates, but that’s exactly what is happening with Jaedon LeDee. He’s a phenomenal forward who loves working low in the post, and he is very difficult to contain defensively. The Aztecs are going to live and die by going through him. On the flip side, the supporting cast needs to step up. Darrion Trammell and Lamont Butler each had a game where they were in double digits, but the other game was subpar. Having everyone in single digits except for LeDee is not a recipe for success.
#2: Alabama has the potential to send the first 1 seed home
I’ll be the first to admit that I slept on Alabama for much of the season. Nate Oats has his group moving flawlessly offensively as they averaged 90.5 PPG in the first two rounds of March Madness. And let’s not forget the Crimson Tide shot 60% from the floor and 56.5% from behind the arc in the win over Charleston. The matchup with GCU was not how we normally see Bama with lower shooting numbers, and it’s a testament to the Lopes’ defensive game plan. Other teams in the tournament will either have to change their defensive setup to slow down the Tide’s offense or keep things the way they’ve done it all season and risk Alabama having a strong shooting day.
#3: Put some respect on the Ivy League
Yale showed everyone in the college basketball world that the Ivy League is legitimate, and no, I’m not just saying this because Auburn was the second SEC team to lose that I had in the Sweet 16. The Bulldogs forced 14 turnovers and had a whopping 10 steals as a team to give themselves extra possessions.
There was a lot of speculation about whether Princeton had done enough to earn an at-large for the Ivy League and ultimately went to the NIT. However, the Ivy League has been known to cause chaos in March for quite a few years now. It’s an up-and-coming mid-major conference that will only get more competitive as time goes on.
Lookahead for San Diego State
San Diego State is in the Sweet 16 once again, and the Aztecs are met with a rematch of last year’s title game as they face UConn. You have to beat the best to be the best, and that’s exactly what San Diego State is going to try and do. It won’t be easy, but anything can happen in March Madness.
Success for the Aztecs is going to be dependent on how well the team supports Jaedon LeDee. The Huskies are going to have multiple sets of eyes on him for the entire 40 minutes, so San Diego State has to find a way to get scoring elsewhere. If that happens, we may have ourselves a game. If not, the game could not end soon enough for Aztec fans.
Lookahead for Alabama
Alabama has a bad taste in its mouth from the Sweet 16 game last year that just so happened to be against the team mentioned above, San Diego State. The Crimson Tide are now the underdogs going into a tough matchup against North Carolina, and they’re hoping for a little deja vu to be on the winning end of things.
This game is going to be decided by two players: Mark Sears and RJ Davis. These young men are two of the best guards in the country and are facing off for a chance at the Elite 8. I think North Carolina has a slight edge going in, but this is certainly a winnable game for Alabama if the pace of the game shifts in the direction of how the Crimson Tide likes to play.