No. 7 Rhode Island vs. No. 10 Oklahoma
Another tournament wild card, Oklahoma was surprisingly slid into the big dance as a 10-seed and will face off against a disciplined, defensive-minded team in Rhode Island. On paper, Oklahoma is overmatched, as they played poorly down the stretch and many pundits thought they did not deserve to even get into the tourney.
But this season would not be complete without a finishing flourish from the biggest star in the NCAA right now: Trae Young.
Sure, he’s not routinely shredding defenses with 30-foot three-pointers or slicing and dicing his way to immense 40-point offensive explosions like he was earlier in the season, but maybe he has one more signature moment left in him by going on a minor run in the NCAA Tournament.
As the leader in both points (27.4 per game) and assists (8.7 per game) in the entire country, Young is a one-man wrecking crew. If he gets hot, this tournament could turn into his crowning collegiate achievement and vault him into the upper echelon of 2018 draft picks.
Though currently tied to Dennis Schröder at the point guard position, drafting Young in the first round would signal a sea change for the Hawks’ organization, foreshadowing wholesale roster changes in the coming seasons.