Transcription
♪ ADAM: WELCOME BACK.
ADAM: LET'S GET RIGHT BACK IN THE REVEAL OF THE TOURNAMENT BRACKETS. Our attention now is on the upper right quadrant. The Duke Blue Devils are the second overall number one seed. They have the top spot in the East. The first team in ACC history to lead the conference in scoring offense and defense. We saw the entire team step up with Cooper Flagg out. He is expected back for the tournament. They will be watching a matchup between American and Mount Saint Mary's. Another matchup features Mississippi State, led by Hubbard and company, the highest-scoring Bulldogs team since 1991. There you go. They will face Baylor, the 2021 National Champions.
More Friday action; this takes us to Seattle. Oregon is the five seed, always dangerous. They had 12 conference wins. They will face Liberty. You better crack 70 points against the Flames; the Conference USA champions are 25-0 when you don't. The four seed is Arizona. They made it all the way to the Big 12 title game in their first season in the conference. Way to go. They will face Akron, 28 wins, a school record, erasing an 18-point deficit in the MAAC title game.
>> They know how to win. A tough team to match up with in the tournament.
ADAM: We go to the bottom half. The BYU Cougars; these guys have looked amazing at times. Kevin Young took over; he won 17 games by double figures, nine straight before falling to Houston in the Big 12 semi-finals. Their opponent is VCU, led by the conference player of the year. He had 18 points today and the clincher.
CLARK: Stingy defense versus high-octane offense. The Rams can turn your water off, and BYU can score with the best of them.
ADAM: Speaking of offense, Wisconsin, the highest-scoring Wisconsin team since the 1970s. Time to clap again. I know they just fell to Michigan in the Big Ten Championship game. He is a start to watch this March. They will face the Montana Grizzlies, Big Sky Championship winners.
We shipped to Cleveland for Friday action now. A dangerous Saint Mary's; they won the West Coast Conference by three games, top five scoring defense, number one rebound margin in the country. They will face Vanderbilt, 11-win increase.
>> There is a bubble team as a 10 seed, not only in the bracket but not being in the First Four. That shows the respect for the SEC.
>> There you go.
The two seed in the East, the regionals will be in Newark, the number one scoring team in the country, Alabama. They cracked 90 18 times. These guys can put it up. They went to their first Final Four last year. The 15 seed will be Robert Morris, their first appearance in 10 years, champions of the Horizon League.
CLARK: Good call, for serve.
ADAM: As we go back to the top of the bracket, is there a matchup that stands out?
CLARK: Liberty is one of the best offensive teams. Defensively, they only allow 63 points per game. Oregon typically always plays better in the tournament, mixing up defenses in the firepower they have. That is a heck of a matchup. Do not dismiss or discount the Flames.
JAY: Let's look at the bottom, Arizona-Akron. Arizona went on a long winning streak this year. They are a really good team. They are starting to come on. I think Tommy Lloyd likes where they are. Let's move it down a little bit. VCU and BYU. I was going to pick BYU early to go deep because they are a very mature team, until I saw the matchup with VCU. Getting by this one will be tough because these are great teams.
SETH: You like points. This is the reason for you. Duke, Arizona, BYU, Alabama. I think BYU has enough to get to the Elite Eight. That is what I am calling.
JAY: They have to get past the VCU.
CLARK: You like offense.
SETH: I don't like Alabama right now.
ADAM: The wait is over for half of the field. Two regions still to go. Will it be joy or heartbreak for the teams still awaiting their fate? As we go to break, another look at the reactions of the blissful teams that have secured a spot in the Big Dance. We will reveal the M