ESPN’s Seth Greenberg’s Thoughts on March Madness

ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg gives his thoughts on the current state of March Madness, the disappointment of SEC teams, a potential sleeper team and officiating.

SEC’s Misfortune

Auburn and Kentucky were both defeated in dramatic upsets in the first round to 13th-seeded Yale and 14th-seeded Oakland, respectively. Both SEC teams were top-four seeds and lost by less than five points.

Oakland’s Jack Gohlke became a national sensation after draining 10 3s to help dispatch traditional basketball powerhouse Kentucky.

Florida and South Carolina were also upset by double-digit seeds in the first round. Out of the eight SEC teams that played in the NCAA Tournament, only two remain standing: Tennessee and Alabama. Greenburg called the performance by the SEC disappointing. In the case of Florida, he believed the Gators were improving as the season went on. Unfortunately, the Gators still became a victim of one of March Madness’s classic upsets.

Sleeper Team

The Sweet Sixteen is already quite deep in the NCAA Tournament, so it is hard to say if there are any “sleeper teams.” Greenberg’s only potential sleeper pick was Clemson, which is not  a big name in basketball. Its deepest run in the NCAA Tournament came in 1980, when it made the Elite Eight.

After defeating third-seeded Baylor, the Tigers have a chance to make the Elite Eight again by beating Arizona on Thursday. Greenberg notes outstanding players PJ Hall, Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin. After losing to Boston College in the ACC tournament, Clemson has bounced back.

Officiating Inconsistencies

Every year, fans always complain about the officiating. For Greenberg, the biggest thing is the inconsistency. Sometimes they call a foul on every minimal contact, while sometimes the crew swallows their whistles. Sometimes in the second half, they would start calling more fouls.

Greenberg said he believes officiating crews need a set team to work on chemistry. Each team would work together every time throughout the season, and these teams would then be rated. This would make the officiating selection process for the tournament easier and more efficient.

The NCAA Tournament continues Thursday in the Sweet 16. UConn remains the favorite to win it all. But as we’ve seen every year, anything can happen in March Madness.