Potential Frauds in College Hoops

Whenever a highly ranked team gets upset in March Madness, it is usually a big shock, but 90% of the time, teams lose due to them not being complete, whether that is due to a lack of team chemistry, a bad offense or defense, or not having a deep bench. Every year, incomplete high-ranked teams fall to mid-majors. Here are some that could be prone to crumbling in the big dance.  

Kansas

Throughout the year, Kansas has been by far the most confusing team in college basketball due to its star player, Darryn Peterson. Right now, Darryn is the projected 1st overall pick in the NBA draft, but it seems as though he is not committed to college basketball. Darryn almost never plays a full game and has been seen trying to sub himself out of the game for no reason at all. A few weeks ago, Darryn was announced to be out with an illness just an hour before the game. During the game, a fan recorded messages of someone on the coaching staff texting about Darryn's abrupt decision in the game. The coach said that he was very frustrated with Darryn's behavior. That night, the Kansas Jayhawks beat the best team in the country, without Darryn. Once he returned, Kansas only won two out of their next four games, including a bad loss to Cincinnati. This is leading people to think that Kansas is better without Darryn Peterson; they have a point because Peterson has almost no chemistry with the rest of the team due to his missing games frequently. On top of this, Kansas doesn't have a deep bench, and the rest of their starters are nothing special. Kansas is currently projected to be a 3 seed in this year's tournament and may be a victim of a Cinderella story team.

Vanderbilt 

At the beginning of the year, Vandy looked unstoppable. They were one of the last remaining undefeated teams and won the Maui Tournament, but since then, Vanderbilt has fallen off drastically. It seems like Vanderbilt just isn’t consistent enough to compete in March. Vanderbilt has a lot of very good wins, but it seems like each win is paired with a bad loss. If one thing goes wrong in March, Vanderbilt may not make it to the second weekend. Right now, Vanderbilt is projected to be a 5 seed and play Belmont, which is not a favorable match-up for them. Vandy is also very cold right now with back-to-back losses, and historically, cold teams in February have never done well in March.

BYU

Similar to Kansas, BYU has a top-ranked player on their team in AJ Dybansta, who is projected to go 2nd overall in the NBA draft. However, unlike Darryn Peterson, AJ wants to play basketball and wants to win. The problem is, the BYU squad is mediocre against ranked opponents, with a 6-6 record, and BYU has been slipping down the rankings slowly throughout the year. They started off ranked 8th and are now ranked 19th. This is due to a few losses against teams that aren't competing for March Madness. Additionally, BYU's 2nd best player, Richie Saunders, is out with an ACL tear. BYU just got a big win over a very good Iowa State team, and if they continue to be hot, they will most likely be successful in March. BYU is currently a 6 seed, meaning they could play some good competition in the first round. All that needs to happen is for AJ to have a bad game, and BYU is toast in the tournament.