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By Adam Stanco
BasketballWriter@cs.com
7 Secrets to NCAA Tournament
Success: NBA Talent
Winning six straight NCAA
Tournament games is a daunting task, requiring chemistry, passion, luck, and
a team bursting with talent.
Serious talent.
At least four future NBA
players worth of talent, to be exact. They were not always from the same
graduating class, but from 1994 through 2005, nine of the eleven national
champs claimed no fewer than four future NBA players. And that’s not all.
More than four pros donned the rosters of six of those title teams (a number
that could grow to eight within two years).
The 2003 Syracuse team
bucked the trend, but even they sent Carmelo Anthony to the Denver Nuggets
and Hakim Warrick to the Memphis Grizzlies. Jeremy McNeil played for Roanoke
in the NBDL, Gerry McNamara might get drafted, and Josh Pace, Billy Edelin,
or Craig Forth could still show up on an NBA team.
UConn’s 2004 squad featured
a former NBA Rookie of the Year, Emeka Okafor, Chicago Bull Ben Gordon, and
Toronto Raptor’s rookie Charlie Villanueva. Marcus Williams, Josh Boone, and
Rashad Anderson are still in school, but all three will most likely be
wearing NBA uniforms within the next two years.
Last year’s National
Champion, UNC, has already sent Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, Sean May,
and Marvin Williams to the League. And it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Jawad
Williams and David Noel joined them there.
Professional talent is
obviously not the only factor in winning a title, for no team can dance
through the big dance without determination, precise passing, grit, and
persistence. But cutting the net and raising the trophy is impossible
without a plethora of players worthy of NBA contracts.
Depth gives talented teams
a distinct advantage over almost anyone they play. Options. With so much
talent spread throughout the starters, opponents do not have the luxury of
double-teaming the elite.
There are 65 teams who
could potentially win a game in this year’s NCAA Tournament, yet only a
select few are stacked enough to win it all.
Secrets For NCAA Tournament
Success:
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Talent
- NBA potential is no joke.
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Post Defense
- The bigger, the better.
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Sharp Shooting
- Simple math: three is better than two.
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Experience
- Who has nerves of steel?
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Star Power
- Winning is the All-American way.
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Guard Play
- Little guys point the way.
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X-Factor
- Fear of the unknown.
The March Manifesto is the secret
to filling out your NCAA Tournament bracket.
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