Glory & Distress: Post Tournament Analysis of Top 4 Men’s Basketball Teams Heading into March Madness

With the end of the regular season, teams prepped up for the conference tournaments. Their fans were keen to know their fate since it was a trailer of the elimination for the upcoming March Madness. Among them the top four placed teams were the Houston Cougars, the University of Connecticut Huskies, the Purdue Boilermakers, and the North Carolina Tar Heels.

They were expected to rake in good numbers and contribute both offensively and defensively, winning their respective conference titles. But except for Huskies, the remaining three failed to stand tall on their regular season claims. This worried fans since they had expected their teams to give a glimpse of their brilliance heading into March Madness.

Houston Cougars

Houston Cougars gained an entry into the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament and were a force to reckon with, at least in the first two games. They played the quarterfinals against the TCU and then the finals against the Texas Tech. While they defeated the TCU by a 60-45 margin, the Cougars decimated the Texas Tech by an 82-59 margin. Scoring averagely in both games, they concentrated on their defense in the first one which was a somewhat low-scoring match. In their next one they shattered 82 points in comparison to the Texas Tech’s 59. This was assurance enough that the team was ready for upcoming battles.

But against Iowa State, the game saw a 360-degree turnaround in the finals. Iowa State dropped 69 points while containing Cougars to 41. This was a humiliating defeat in their otherwise glorious path. In the first half, Cougars could only pot 23 points whereas in the second they had to make peace with 18. 

Only one of their players could reach the double figures which was Jamal Shead. Cougars lacked prominent stars and that clearly showed on that day. Going forward, they would try to make up for the lack of prominent players and beat their opponents with their tactics rather than completely relying on a few players.

Connecticut Huskies

The Dan Hurley team was the only one to emerge victorious out of the top 4 teams. They won the Big East title defeating the Xavier, followed by St. John’s and then Marquette. A lot of people might also try to bring up that Marquette was the only team that looked like a contender to Hurley’s plans and in reality, they too faltered against the mighty Huskies.

Huskies won the quarterfinals against Xavier by an 87-60 margin and that set the tone for the games to follow. Huskies displayed a relatively higher ceiling than their opponents and managed their defense and offense with equal astuteness. The next game was a high-scoring one and a nail-biter. Huskies trampled their opponents by a 95-90 margin. It was a game of offensive display and Huskies ultimately edged past their opponents.

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The third game again saw Huskies have a fine balance between their offense and defense. They smashed 73 points in response to Marquette’s 57. Thus, they ended up as the winners of the Big 12 and giving their fans one of the best gifts this season. Going forward, Hurley will need to think on the go and balance from coast to coast just like he has been doing all this time.

Purdue Boilermakers

Boilermakers had ticked the star quotient box with their leading man Zach Edey. Edey had been helpful in taking Boilermakers to the Maui Invitational. But here Purdue had to face defeat. They fell flat when it mattered the most. Gaining an entry into the quarterfinals they defeated Michigan State by a narrow margin of 67-62. Edey was the standout player of the game with 29 points. He helped his team over the finish line with his exploits.

Apparently, that wasn’t enough for Boilermakers in the next game. During the next match, they clashed with Wisconsin, a team that they had defeated before. Boilermakers had upended Wisconsin by a 78-70 margin in the regular season. Previously too they had emerged victorious in one clash by a 75-69 margin this season.

However, Wisconsin looked better prepared while battling for the third time. They took the road less taken. Since they knew that controlling Edey would be a heavy task they contained the remaining players on the court and with it, they trumped Boilermakers by a narrow margin of 76-75. Edey was once again the standout player with 28 points but all in vain since Wisconsin ultimately had the last laugh in the game. Now that Purdue knows how they were defeated, they can reflect on the situation and make sure not to make such errors going ahead in the tournament.

North Carolina Tar Heels

Tar Heels made it to the Finals of the Atlantic Coast Conference but couldn’t win the final match. They started their tourney battling Florida State. They defeated their opponents by a heavy margin of 92-67. The game went in favor of Tar Heels. In their next one they again plundered their opponents by a 72-65 margin. Tar Heels after their first two wins were expected to sweep the ACC conference title. But destiny had other plans.

The team clashed with NC State and were defeated by an 84-76 margin. This was a major roadblock in their plans. The Wolfpack lagged behind by a solitary point in the first half and came back stronger to dramatically shatter Tar Heels’ hopes. They scored a decent 45 as opposed to Tar Heels’ 36. This had the NC State leaving their opponents behind by a respectable margin.

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For Tar Heels, the road ahead depends on their ability to perform under pressure and in clutch moments. The team boasts a star power and all their players are capable enough to play spoilsport to their competitor’s dream. The only thing Tar Heels have to make sure of is to stick together under pressure with each member contributing individually as well as in a group.