An Attendee's Hot Take on URI in the Midwest Region
These are my immediate and initial thoughts to all 16 teams that find themselves in the Midwest region of the 2017 NCAA tournament:
1. Kansas: What can I say here? #RockChalkJayhawk. I am a die-hard Kansas Jayhawks fan and it will hurt me if URI must face Kansas in what would be the Elite 8, but it will have to be #GoRhody > #RockChalkJayhawk for me. Given all the legal issues with Josh Jackson and the season-ending injury to Udoka Azubuike, coupled with URI's strong guard play, the Rams match up well with the #1 seed.
2. Louisville: I hate Rick Pitino (for his previously published recruiting strategies that included strippers) but I will say that he has a team that is capable of being a Final Four team. The Cardinals would pose some issues against URI so I hope that they get eliminated sooner rather than later.
3. Oregon: Wow, thanks selection committee. The committee put another team in the Midwest region that I root for when I am not rooting the Rhody Rams on. Dillon Brooks is an absolute monster and Dana Altman coaches his team as well as anyone in the country. With that said, the Ducks are extremely vulnerable without shot-blocker Chris Boucher. The Rhode Island Rams could upset Oregon on a good day.
4. Purdue: This is the exact kind of team that URI does not want to encounter in the NCAA tournament, even in comparison to some of the #1 seeds. Guard-wise, URI can keep up with any team in the field of 68 but the Boilermakers have a NPOY candidate in Caleb Swanigan and a gigantic specimen in 7'2 center, Isaac Haas. I would advise rooting for Purdue to get upset by Vermont.
5. Iowa State: The Cyclones like to push tempo and have a deadly trio of Monte Morris, Deonte Burton, and Nazareth Mitrou-Long. This team's offensive capabilities are what have some of the college basketball community picking Iowa State to be a dark horse candidate for the Elite 8 or even the Final 4. When it comes to playing a "high" seed, URI ideally would want to match up with the Cyclones. The Rhode Island Rams are one of the teams in this region that can shut down what Iowa State likes to do on the offensive end.
6. Creighton: (I will be publishing my in-depth game preview of Friday's matchup between the Bluejays and the Rhode Island Rams in the near future.) For now, I will say that Creighton was one of the teams that I wanted to get called before they called Rhode Island, as highlighted in my previous article, "Selection Sunday 2017: Potential Opponents for Rhode Island". The Bluejays strike absolutely zero fear in my heart.
7. Michigan: John Beilein is coaching one of the hottest teams in the country right now. His Wolverines can hit the 3 ball and rarely ever turn the ball over. A URI-Michigan game would be highly-contested and if they meet in the Sweet 16, it could very well come down to the final few possessions.
8. Miami (Fl.): As mentioned in "Selection Sunday 2017: Potential Opponents for Rhode Island", "Jim Larranaga coaches his Hurricanes very well and they run a fluid offense, that is led by Davon Reed and Ja’Quan Newton. Due to the way that the ‘Canes like to push the tempo and run up-and-down the court, I think Rhody matches up well with Miami (Fl.)." As a team that beat Duke and UNC on their home floor, the 'Canes cannot be taken lightly.
9. Michigan State: The Spartans certainly challenged themselves throughout the season with their aggressive scheduling but they were underwhelming in my opinion. They finished with a pedestrian 19-14 overall record, going 10-8 in the Big 10. This team, coached by the infamous Tom Izzo, has not played well away from home. However, what makes the Spartans dangerous is the range of talent that they do have on their team. Even after Eron Harris had his grotesque season-ending injury, they still are led by future NBA-lottery pick Miles Bridges and interior force, Nick Ward. The Spartans could either lay an egg in the first round or make a run out of nowhere and end up in the Elite 8 (against URI, right?).
10. Oklahoma State: When you have Jawun Evans on your team, you have a chance to win. The Cowboys have traveled well and are another dangerous double-digit seed but I tend to think they a hit-or-miss team. If they get by Michigan in the first round and keep scoring at the 85.5 PPG clip that they averaged in conference play (1st in the Big 12), then look out and hope that they miss. On the opposite end of that, the Cowboys are a pretty average defensive team. URI would match up well with Oklahoma State.
11. Rhode Island: @LoveRI401 on Twitter. This Rams team can be this year's pseudo-Cinderella team. Midwest region, look out!
12. Nevada: The Wolfpack have a very intriguing matchup against Iowa State, who are fresh off winning the Big 12 championship. Coming off of a high like that, Nevada could catch Iowa State sleeping and they have the talent with a player like Cameron Oliver on their team. I watched the Wolfpack for the entirety of the MW championship game and they battled and gutted out their victory over Colorado State.
13. Vermont: This Catamount team out of the America East conference could begin the chaos in this conference by upsetting Purdue, which is a possibility. Vermont went 16-0 in their conference and finished at an impressive 29-5. They are on a short list of teams that could be this year's Cinderella.
14. Iona: The MAAC conference champions will not beat Oregon.
15. Jacksonville State: I hope they can upset Louisville in the first round but I think that is extremely unlikely. The Belmont Bruins, who should have won the OVC championship, would have been capable of upsetting the Cardinals.
16. NCCU/UC Davis: A #16 seed has never beaten a #1 seed in March Madness and that won't start against Kansas.
In 1998, URI made a miracle run to the elite 8 with Antonio Reynolds-Dean on the Rhody Rams team. Now, in 2017, with Reynolds-Dean on the URI coaching staff, this could be the year that URI makes another run through March.
