- South Florida men’s basketball is on an unbelievable heater– but also still on the bubblePosted 2 months ago
- Kobe Bufkin is balling out for Atlanta Hawks’ G League team. When will he be called up to NBA?Posted 3 months ago
- Former Knicks guards Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett may yet prove Raptors won the OG Anunoby tradePosted 4 months ago
- Rebounding savant Oscar Tshiebwe finally gets NBA chance he’s deserved for yearsPosted 4 months ago
- Is Tyrese Maxey vs. Tyrese Haliburton the next great NBA guard rivalry?Posted 5 months ago
- The Detroit Pistons are going to be a problem in a few yearsPosted 6 months ago
- March Madness hero, ex-Fairleigh Dickinson guard Demetre Roberts joins Austin Spurs’ G League training camp rosterPosted 6 months ago
- Cam Thomas is balling out once again. Will he finally stay in the Nets’ lineup?Posted 6 months ago
- Former NBA lottery pick Elfrid Payton lights up Raptors as emergency replacement for Australia’s Cairns TaipansPosted 6 months ago
- How does Damian Lillard compare to Jrue Holiday on defense?Posted 7 months ago
NCAA Tournament Predictions: East Region: 5. UNLV vs. 12. California
- Updated: March 18, 2013
Forward Anthony Bennett (Dave Cleveland/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
5. UNLV (25-9, 10-6 Mountain West)- The Runnin’ Rebels have some serious talent in freshman big man Anthony Bennett. The 6-8 forward led UNLV in scoring at 16.8 points per game and will be one of the first players selected in the NBA Draft come June. He is a bruising, powerful post player with a terrific shooting touch and incredible athleticism. Bennett has exploded at times this season, but he’s also disappeared in games too (see: five points in a loss to lowly Fresno State). Still, he is someone to be feared in this bracket.
While Bennett is the best pro prospect, point guard Anthony Marshall may actually be UNLV’s best player. He averages 10.5 points, 4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. As he’s gone, so have the Rebels gone this season. They’ve also got some talented players who haven’t shown up this year in forwards Khem Birch (7.2 ppg) and reigning Mountain West Player of the Year Mike Moser (7.2 ppg), whose fall from go-to guy to bench player and bit contributor has been very surprising.
KEY STATS:
6th Rebounds Per Game (40.1)
9th Assists Per Game (16.2)
137th Field Goal Percentage (.439)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Guard Allen Crabbe (Getty Images)
12 California (20-11, 12-6 Pac-12)- The Golden Bears snuck into the field despite losing to 10th-place Utah in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament. Cal has been up-and-down all year long, and looked like a long-shot for an NCAA bid after losing five of seven in late December and struggling through January. But the Bears turned it on in February, reeling off 7 straight wins, including a season sweep of Oregon and a win at Arizona. Cal has a pair of terrific guards in juniors Allen Crabbe (18.7 ppg, 6 rpg) and Justin Hobbs (15.5 ppg, 4.8 apg). With apologies to UCLA and Arizona, they just might be the best backcourt duo in the Pac-12.
Cal was annihilated in the First Four game last season with South Florida. They want to make a little bit more of a lasting impression this time. Don’t count on it, though. The Golden Bears have already lost to UNLV this season and are coming off two dreadful losses to Stanford and Utah–the two biggest games of the season.
KEY STATS:
167th Points Per Game (67.5)
102nd Field Goal Percentage (.446)
PREDICTION: UNLV
Pingback: Predictions for the NCAA Tournament Bracket