We have found ourselves at the end of the 9/10 House
Basketball regular season, meaning one thing: the playoffs are here. So sit
back, and enjoy the in-depth analysis of Monday’s first round games.
Top Seeds (teams
that receive a bye):
1. Stanford (10-1)
2. Missouri (10-1)
3. Georgetown (8-3)
4. UConn (6-5)
Monday’s Games:
#5 Duke (5-5) vs. #12 Kansas (1-10) [7:00pm @ DHS]
Regular Season Result: Duke 46 Kansas 25
Duke Offense: #3 in
Regular Season
Duke Defense: #11 in Regular Season
Kansas Offense: #12 in Regular Season
Kansas Defense: #3 in Regular Season
Without question, this game is Duke’s to win. They are
coming off of a big win against North Carolina to end the season and grabbed
the #5 seed, an accomplishment that also gives them an advantage in the fact
that they play the last seed. Sophomore Aidan Coyle is playing like a beast as
of late, and I can’t see a way in which Kansas stops the powerful give-and-go option
that Coyle presents. The overall energy of Coyle is also something hard to
stop, as a combination of size, strength, and energy is deadly against
defenses. Sophomore Jack Murray and his speed will also be a lot for this
Kansas team to handle, as the fast break is Duke’s main source for quick
points. The only way I see Kansas winning is playing wicked defense and keeping
it a low-scoring game. Freshman Charlie Wright will probably match up against
Coyle, and the advantage Wright holds is speed. If he can move around with
Coyle, they can stand a chance. Other then that, it’s all Duke.
#6 North Carolina (5-6) vs. #11 Georgia Tech (3-8) [8:00pm @
DHS North Gym]
Regular Season Result: North Carolina 52 Georgia Tech 42
North Carolina Offense: #10 in Regular Season
North Carolina Defense: #5 in Regular Season
Georgia Tech Offense: #5 in Regular Season
Georgia Tech Defense: #9 in Regular Season
North Carolina is coming off of a loss to Duke to end the
season, while Georgia Tech is coming off of a strong win against Kansas. However, UNC looks to get sophomore scoring
threat Jack Kniffin back to add more support against this struggling Georgia
Tech defense. In the regular season meeting, Georgia Tech struggled to play
close defense, allowing easy shots out of freshman Kyle Fisher and sophomore
Andrew Crane. The ruthless aggression out of the freshman block machine they
call Emmet Sheehan was also a huge key to success for this Tarheel team against
the Yellow Jackets. The boards were also in North Carolina’s favor, but the three-point
game of Georgia Tech almost allowed for a comeback late. Overall, Georgia Tech
needs better shot selection, along with a lot fewer turnovers. The lack of size
down low doesn’t allow for much to happen in the paint, making this team rely
mostly on the outside shot of freshman Ben Bidell. These two teams should
deliver a close battle in the beginning, but North Carolina has the size and
speed to hopefully pull this one off.
#7 Kentucky (5-6) vs. #10 Washington (4-7) [9:00pm @ DHS
North Gym]
Regular Season Result: Kentucky 34 Washington 31
Kentucky Offense: #11 in Regular Season
Kentucky Defense: #1 in Regular Season
Washington Offense: #7 in Regular Season
Washington Defense: #8 in Regular Season
These two teams literally just met in the regular season
finale in which Kentucky won a thriller. Sophomore star Jamie Schofield of
Washington went down in the final minutes, allowing for the Wildcats to attack
and grab a huge win heading into the playoff, as well as setting up a much-anticipated
rematch. When sophomore Bobby Trifone of Kentucky was asked what he thought of
the rematch, he stopped, looked at me, and walked away. It is safe to say the
intimidation factor is on the side of Kentucky. The #1 defense in the league
has been phenomenal all season long, as they have only allowed a total of two
games where 40 points or more have been scored on them. With that being said,
however, they are facing one of the most dangerous players in House Basketball.
If Schofield is able to stay healthy all game, Kentucky maybe in trouble. However,
as we saw last week, the aggressive Wildcat defense proved near fatal to Washington,
as the usually high-scoring offense was held to 31 points, whereas their season
average reaches 37 a game. It will be another close one, but the Huskies will
look for revenge. Look for this one to head into overtime and be decided by
only a couple points.
#8 Miami (4-6) vs. #9 Syracuse (4-7) [6:00pm @ DHS North
Gym]
Regular Season Result: Miami 54 Syracuse 48
Miami Offense: #8 in Regular Season
Miami Defense: #10 in Regular Season
Syracuse Offense: #9 in Regular Season
Syracuse Defense: #12 in Regular Season
We once again had an early playoff matchup in the regular
season finale, but this time between two very evenly matched teams. Well, at
least that’s what the records showed. Miami was able to contain sophomore big
man Dolan Gregorich for most of the game, but the real advantage the Hurricanes
had all game was the size up at the point. Sophomore star Connor Mulliken had
too much size against Syracuse’s smaller set of guards, which allowed for easy
baskets. This trend will probably continue, and watch for jump shots to be the
key component for Miami’s scoring. Syracuse will have to once again rely on the
deep shot of sophomore Chris Drake, which will be a challenge against the sheer
height of Miami’s aforementioned guards. Gregorich is going to also need to
have a monster game to give Syracuse a chance at redemption against Miami.
However, I think Miami will take another game against Syracuse, as they have
been hot as of late. Syracuse needs to use the size and strength of Gregorich
against Miami to allow for open shots to give them a chance at pulling this one
off.
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