Cole Stefan
Senior Columnist
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Michigan State women’s basketball
The Ohio State Buckeyes, Iowa Hawkeyes and Indiana Hoosiers are the big three in the Big Ten Conference this season. The Spartans, who finished fourth in the conference standings, can spoil each of their plans to conquer the Big Ten Tournament title. Michigan State went 12-6 in conference play and ended the regular season on a five-game winning streak. Half of those defeats came on the road against the Big Ten’s top three teams by just three points apiece. Michigan State has the offense to spar with just about anyone; their 84.5 points per game were second in the Big Ten to only Iowa. Five Spartans, two of whom have started one combined contest, average double figures. With their scoring prowess and disciplined style of play, do not be surprised if Michigan State makes it to the Big Ten championship game. Stealing the automatic bid would be a major step in the right direction for the Spartans’ organization.
Sean Ahern
Staff Writer
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Memphis men’s basketball
The 11th week of the AP Poll saw the Memphis Tigers rise to the 10th spot for their wins over solid teams of the likes of Clemson and Texas A&M. It looked as though the defending American Athletic Conference Champions would be in contention for the regular season title, but shortly after they would suffer poor losses to Tulane on the road and Rice at home. Their defense leaves much to be desired as they rank middle of the pack in adjusted defensive efficiency in the AAC, but they still have an offense full of experienced players like David Jones and Jahvon Quinerly. It seems as though people have written off this squad for dropping a few games. The Tigers are quietly 22-8 and currently on a four game win streak with an important matchup at Florida Atlantic this Saturday. Don’t be surprised to see Penny Hardaway steal the automatic bid like they did to Houston last season.
CJ Dexter
Campus Corresponent
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UMass men’s basketball
As the Minutemen close in on their first 20-win season since 2013-2014, the madness of champ week is right around the corner with the Atlantic-10 conference tournament set to tip off on March 12. Massachusetts, sitting at fifth in the conference, boasts wins over No. 24 South Florida, West Virginia, VCU and an impressive road win over first-place Richmond. Head coach Frank Martin is no stranger to success in March, leading 7-seeded South Carolina on a magical run to the final four back in 2017. The conference’s top offense is led by the forward tandem of Josh Cohen (15.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 54.5% FG), Matt Cross (15.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 55.6% FG) and junior guard Rahsool Diggins, who’s scored at least 10 points in 15 of his last 18 games. The Minutemen have shown they have the star power to beat the best teams in this conference and are certainly a team to keep an eye on in this tournament.
Chris Charbonneau
Campus Correspondent
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christopher.charbonneau@uconn.edu
Washington State men’s basketball
The Washington State Cougars have emerged as one of the biggest sleeper teams in the 2024 NCAA March Madness tournament. The Cougars have flown under the radar all season long. They are ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll with a 23-7 overall record and an impressive Pac-12 conference record of 14-5. They tied their program record for most conference wins in a season. They were picked to finish 10th in the preseason poll for their conference and sit in second place behind Arizona. The Cougars are set to face off against the Washington Huskies on Thursday at 6 p.m. If Arizona loses to either UCLA or USC, the Cougars can win the regular season Pac-12 Championship because they have beaten Arizona twice in each of their meetings. Led by Myles Rice, Isaac Jones, Jaylen Wells, Rueben Chinyelu and Andrej Jakimovski keep an eye out for the Cougars to disrupt your bracket.