His is the NCAA Tournament’s biggest name. John Wall is the best player on arguably the nation’s best team, and he will be try to be the first freshman to lead a team to a national title since Carmelo Anthony did it for Syracuse in 2003.
Wall is bound for the NBA whenever his season ends — he basically said as much earlier this season — and why not? He is the best player on the court nearly every time out. He has made the big shots and the big plays seemingly every time Kentucky needed them.
His legend got started fast. In his first game, Wall hit a 15-foot jumper to lift a lethargic Kentucky team over Miami (Ohio). And it grew from there. He impacts the game on both sides of the court. Wall, a 6-foot-4 guard, averages 16.9 points, 6.4 assists and 1.8 steals. He turns the ball over a bit much — 14 games with five or more turnovers — but the good outweighs the bad. By far.
Along the way, he has become a cult hero for Wildcats Nation. The “John Wall Dance” has become a sensation on YouTube with Kentucky fans all over, from children to adults to adults playing puppeteer with their infants, doing the moves.
But his best move? UK’s title dance.
Favorite: Kentucky
One of the youngest teams in the tournament, Kentucky may also be the most talented — certainly the most talented in the East Regional. It starts with guard John Wall, but freshmen DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe help form a deadly trio. And 6-foot-9 junior Patrick Patterson has found new life under coach John Calipari, particularly late in the season. Kentucky is making its 50th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and is a No. 1 seed for the 10th time in school history.
Sleeper: Cornell
The Big Red has been the ultimate rise-to-the-occasion team. Cornell owns wins over Alabama, St. John’s and Saint Joseph’s as well as a five-point loss at Kansas (Cornell led by one with 49 seconds to play). The Ivy League champions are led by senior forward Ryan Wittman (Randy’s son), a long-range sharpshooter who averages 17.5 points. Jeff Foote is a 7-footer who averages nearly a double-double for the Big Red.
Upset alert: Washington over Marquette
Washington doesn’t have a ton of scoring depth, but it has two hard-to-handle players in forward Quincy Pondexter and guard Isaiah Thomas — who combine to average 36.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Marquette struggled late in the season, going 2-2 with a blowout loss to Georgetown in the Big East Tournament.
Bracket breakdown
There aren’t many speed bumps in Kentucky’s way to march straight through this regional to the Final Four. West Virginia, a rough-and-tumble team that won the Big East Tournament, provides the stiffest competition and has one of the regional’s best players in forward Da’Sean Butler. Cornell can be an unexpected challenger, as can Mountain West Conference regular-season champion New Mexico, in an East Regional that is filled with inconsistent teams.
