The All-March Madness Second Weekend RTRS Corner Three

Zo and Mike are back to talk about their favorite dudes and teams from the second-most-wonderful weekend of the sports calendar.

Zo’s Five Favorite Sweet Sixteen Teams

5. Marquette

It hasn’t looked pretty, at all, but boy they have gotten it done. The latter rounds is when things tend to revert back to strength vs strength so I expect they’ll more than hold their own this weekend especially with MY GUY Tyler Kolek back running things. 

4. NC State

On the highway to hell against the aforementioned golden eagles and on an absolute tear right now. Hard to not love what DJ Burns is doing and how he’s doing it. 

3. Arizona

They will have their hands full against a very game Clemson squad but they’ve looked flat out dominant thus far and exactly like the team everyone picked them to be before the season.

2. North Carolina

Michigan State first half snooze aside, the heels look older and more experienced than the rest of the field, save one other team. Alabama likes to run & gun so it will definitely not be a walk in the park but Hubert Davis’ guys are rolling.

1. UConn

My God, absolute titans. I don’t expect them to stumble any time soon. The scary thing is they’re probably just starting to play their best ball.

What If… The Sixers Stay Where They Are on Draft Night?

A lot to sort out between now and then, but Daryl Morey and Co. might be staring at a top 18 pick come June (16th to be exact). Let’s assume for exercise sake that they stay there and decide to make the pick. Who should be on their radar? Funny you should ask!

1. Stephon Castle (UConn)

Really hit-or-miss all season but nothing undeniable in terms of archetype. 6’6, strong and gets to the hole. Would take some coaching up from Nick Nurse for sure but at this stage of the draft you’re picking for promise and he’s got it. 

2. Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois)

The irony of this is that his NBA comp is none other than the very handsome Kelly Oubre. Shannon has a lightning first step and turns the corner like a Kawasaki motorcycle. He’d be a ton of fun in a Maxey fast break or Embiid half court slash scenario. He’s even improved his shooting which is still funny to say about a Sixers related prospect. 

Don't Lose Sight of How Great Tyrese Maxey Has Been

3. Jared McCain (Duke)

Extremely hardcore catch-and-shoot guy, classified as a freshman but already 20 years old. He certainly isn’t my favorite because of some athletic limitations but he’s got good enough handle that I wouldn’t be too upset about it. 

4. Isaiah Collier (USC)

Built like a strong safety but actually a point guard. I feel bad because he missed most of this year with an injury but the kid can really hoop. He’s more than athletic enough and definitely gets to the rim with purpose. I have my questions about his shot but would absolutely be intrigued if he’s there for this pick. 

MIKE’S GUYS, MARCH MADNESS SECOND WEEKEND EDITION

DALTON KNECHT, WING, TENNESSEE - Fun story of a JuCo kid transferring to a D1 school then a power conference school for his last year of eligibility and then turning into maybe the best player in the country. Knecht is almost 23, but he's 6'6 with an NBA body and a pure stroke, and he led the SEC in points per 40. He had big games against big teams, hitting from inside and out, and he has (a theme of my faves!) a knack at getting to the line. And he plays in Rick Barnes' defense, so he can play enough defense to hang.

I see a lot of Cam Johnson in him -- a similarly old prospect who blossomed with a late transfer -- except with more in-between game. If the Sixers hold onto their first rounder in the mid-teens, they should take Dalton Knecht and let him be an instant contributor to this team on a rookie deal. You're trying to win a title, Nurse isn't gonna develop a 19-year-old anyway. Get a grown up who can do it all.

Score This Authentic 96-97 Iverson Jersey

TREY ALEXANDER, G, CREIGHTON - Playing against those Tennessee Volunteers will be Trey Alexander and his Blue Jays. Last year as a sophomore, Trey seemed like mostly a movement shooter who could play off a more floor general lead guard. But Ryan Nembhard (Pacers guard Andrew's little brother) transferred to Gonzaga and Trey got to assume the point guard role. And he was great, improving as a passer and drastically improving as a shot-maker in the midrange and around the rim, which was a real weakness coming into the year.

He's thin, but not small, and manages to stay on balance out of P&R and pivoting into little post-ups. I think he could become an Immanuel Quickley type secondary guard, flexible enough to play on-ball or off, score in isolation or keep the offense rolling. Would really like him in the early second. 

OSO IGHODARO, C, MARQUETTE - I obviously like being right, but I also hate it, because then I'm just mad at people for not seeing what was plainly obvious the whole time. There was no reason Trayce Jackson-Davis fell to fifty-fucking-seven in last year's draft, and he's obviously going to be very helpful to Golden State for a long time. Do we think Tarik Biberovic is going to be as good for Memphis, who picked him one spot before TJD? No we do not.

Ighodaro has a lot of similarities to TJD, as an undersized 5 who can switch and protect the rim, can rim run or short roll, and make any pass on the court. Oso isn't as thick as TJD so he's more prone to getting pushed around inside, but he's probably the better defender on the perimeter. And playing for a better Marquette team than TJD's Indiana squads were, Oso has already been doing the role he'll have in the NBA, whereas Jackson-Davis's numbers were more gaudy having had to do everything for them.

Watch Oso run DHO's and slip screens and you'll see how valuable he can be coming off the bench to work with Maxey to throw a different offensive look at teams when Joel sits. It's an NBA-style Marquette team, but his size concerns will be on full display going up against the fucking dude DJ Burns and his cinderella NC State team. 

God I love March.