A Cure for the Wintertime Blues
College basketball helps ease the pain of the winter season
By Jake Riem
Chieftain Staff
There is nothing like some college
basketball to ease the pain of the dreaded
winter season. Let’s take a look at the top
teams and players to watch during the
2018-19 season.
to hand it to them, they are the best team
in the state of Michigan. Not saying that
the Spartans aren’t doing well, it is just
hard to deny and disrespect the way the
Wolverines can dominate games. Keep an
eye on how they handle the Big 10 play in
midseason.
Michigan State can be a top team if
ACC
this conference. They can really play and
they proved to us last year in the tourna-
ment that they can win when it counts. I
would pin them as the only team to really
give Kansas a run for their money in the
Big 12.
Other teams, like Iowa State, Texas and
Kansas State, can turn into bracket-bust-
ers in March.
This is always a
top conference in
SEC
college basket-
Kentucky is
ball and prob-
showing that it
ably the most
can be a dominant
well-rounded. A
team, but it has a
couple of teams,
couple of teams at
like Florida State,
their heels and this
Virginia Tech,
could be the year
and North Car-
that they fi nally
olina, will most
start letting their
likely stay in the
grasp of the SEC
Top 25 every
slip.
week. But the
Auburn and
two standouts
Tennessee are itch-
would have to
ing to snatch the
be Virginia and
throne from the
the all-powerful
Wildcats. This is
Duke.
a very underrated
Virginia once
division in college
again has a very
basketball, and
Freshman sensation Zion Williamson leads Duke in its hunt for another National Championship
dominant team
regular division
that isn’t limited
play is going to be
they can play consistently every night
to just shooting. A tough defense makes
a treat to watch.
them an easy 2-seed when March swings and rally behind their leaders, like Matt
Even teams like Arkansas and LSU can
McQuaid, Cassius Winston, and Josh
around.
hold their own. Give SEC basketball a
Langford. The same goes for Wisconsin,
The team with all the talk is Duke.
chance!
if they can continue to fi nd other ways to
While it may be undeniable that Duke’s
win, rather than relying heavily on their
talent is off-the-charts and they have the
Pac-12
best coach alive, basketball fans shouldn’t shooting.
It’s a tough year for the Pac-12, to say
A sleeper for this conference? The Ne-
expect the same kind of dominance Ken-
the least. At the time of this writing, only
braska Cornhuskers. They play physical
tucky had during their 2014-15 season,
one Pac-12 team is in the Top 25 (Arizona
defense, and James Palmer, Jr., is an
when the ‘Cats didn’t lose until the Final
State). This historically great basketball
exciting talent. It’s good to see Big Red
Four.
conference won’t open many eyes this
contributing to the Big 10.
Still, Duke is a clear favorite to win this
year.
division and the Big Dance in a couple of
Traditional contenders like UCLA and
months.
Big 12
Arizona are playing decent basketball,
Maybe not what you would be expect-
but they should be giving more to their
Big 10
ing from the Big 12, but they’re looking
conference. However, a team to watch, in
Coach John Beilein and his Michigan
at a pretty lackluster season, based on
my opinion, are the Buffaloes of Colora-
Wolverines are taking care of business so talent. Of course, the Jayhawks of Kansas do. I have a good feeling about them this
far this season. They are a clear standout
are a Top 5 team but, other than that,
year, and I think they will make a strong
in the Big 10 and are really pushing for
there’s not too much here.
second-half push into the tourney as a
the top spot on the analysts’ charts. I have
Texas Tech may be the team to watch in solid 7- or 8-seed.
B R OTHE R R I C E H IG H S C H OO L C H I E F TA I N
P AGE 6
D E C E M B E R 2018