How many college basketball players can say they are responsible for a trend? Phil Ford gave us the four corners; Patrick Ewing the T-shirt under the jersey; Michael Jordan the dunk from the foul line.
Every time a player pinches the front of his jersey high across the chest and pulls out a school name he pays homage to Dee Brown. The Illinois senior is the best lead guard in the NCAA Tournament and at this time of the year, those players are more valuable than the final script of “The Sopranos.”
“He shouldn’t be called a great guard or a great shooter,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said of Brown after the Spartans knocked Illinois out of the Big Ten Tournament. “He should just be called a winner.”
Brown and James Augustine have won 113 games in their Illinois careers and give the Illini three advantages other teams don’t have – a great lead guard, a legitimate big man, and Final Four experience. Brown and Augustine were starters on last season’s team that lost to North Carolina in the championship game.
In what figures to be a shocking, wide-open NCAA Tournament, the Fighting Illini are the surprise winners.
“Dee Brown to them is what Mateen Cleaves was to us,” Izzo said. “Certain guys just have a way to win.
They’ve got other good players, but he’s the catalyst. Sometimes that’s the difference-maker.”
Of course, difference-makers abound, including the NCAA selection committee, which put Villanova in Philadelphia, Duke in Greensboro, Texas in Dallas, Florida in Jacksonville, Ohio State in Dayton, and UCLA in San Diego. Be very careful picking against any of those, although if Georgetown is hitting 3s, the Buckeyes could be in for a shock. These Hoyas treat every possession like a father holding an infant for the first time. The Hoyas’ unique style makes them extremely difficult to prepare for in less than two days.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The first round is filled with so many potential upsets, now would be a good time to stock up on antacids. Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl, the former UW-Milwaukee coach knows not to take any team lightly but will his players take Winthrop seriously? They should. The Eagles make their fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. They beat Marquette, upsetting the Golden Eagles in their own tourney for the first time ever. Down goes the No. 2 seed in the Washington Region.
Indiana coach Mike Davis made his name in 2002 when he took the Hoosiers to the title game. But Bob Knight’s successor, who has already announced his resignation, won’t get out of the first round.
Former Michigan coach Steve Fisher has a terrific forward in Marcus Slaughter, and San Diego State could be a sleeper in the Oakland Region. Bucknell became one of last year’s darlings by upsetting Kansas, but Bill Self’s Jayhawks have won 15 of 16.
Before you fill your pool, remember this: A No. 16 has never beaten a No. 1. But four No. 1s have never made a Final Four in a given season.
Look for that special player. We found ours.
“We’ve all seen him beat teams by himself,” said Michigan coach Tommy Amaker of Brown.
“You’ve got to be disciplined, you’ve got to be tough, and you’ve got to be a little lucky and hope he misses some shots.”