College Coaches Dish Out NCAA Tournament Takes

By Houston Wilson

Locker Room Access is launching a new series called Coach Speak, where we dive into the minds of current coaches to get their unique perspectives on the game. In this edition, we spoke with coaches whose teams didn’t make the NCAA Tournament, asking them two key questions: Which team would you least want to face in the tournament, and which team is most likely to make an early exit? Their insights offer a behind-the-scenes look at the strategies and matchups that could shape this year’s bracket.

Who Would You NOT want to play in the Big Dance? 

"Florida. They might be the best team in the country right now" -ACC Coach 1

"Houston. They give relentless effort on the defensive end. Their defense allows them to win games even if they don’t shoot it well. And saying that, they shoot it well from deep. And they have a closer in the frontcourt (Roberts) and a closer in the backcourt (Uzan)." -ACC Coach 2

"St. John’s. They are so good defensively and on the glass that they can beat anybody even if shots are not falling, which has been the case all season." - ACC Coach 3

"Florida. They are so hot right now." -Atlantic 10 Coach 1

"Liberty. Liberty has those 2 guards who are both as tough as any backcourt combo in the country, they both drill shots and pester the ball. I saw them early in the year and they were the most connected team I’ve watched all year."- Atlantic 10 Coach 2

"Houston. Defense travels regardless of venue and they are so physically and mentally tough. Will grind you and make you play in the half-court." - ACC Coach 4

"Duke. One of the few teams who are ranked in the top 5 in both offensive and defensive efficiency in Kenpom. Maybe the most complete team with no real weaknesses other than youth." - ACC Coach 5

"Houston. They are so strong defensively and have the ability to rebound. They have toughness alongside improved shooting." - Big East Coach 1

"Michigan State. They have depth, toughness, defensive ability, and Coach Izzo’s March success. They can win in a shoot-out and in a slugfest. They’ve won conference games in the 90s and the 50s. Equipped to beat teams with various styles." - Big East Coach 2

"St. Johns. I would not want to play them at all." -Big Ten Coach 1

"Auburn. They have a lot of depth and they are a really old team." - Big Ten Coach 2

"Alabama, just because of their ability to get hot. They return a decent amount of guys from last year's run and they have experience. Obviously Grant Nelson's health is a huge factor." - MAAC Coach

"The easy answer to the first question is Florida. They are playing so well. However, I’m going to surprise some people here I think, and also go with St. John’s. I think they can win in different ways and they have the best coach in college basketball." -Patriot League Coach

"Florida. Nobody is playing better than them right now." -SEC Coach

"Colorado State. They are playing really well." -Southern Conference Coach

"Florida. They are the most complete team in the country." -Sun Belt Coach

"St. John’s. Their defense is elite, their effort is suffocating and they can't bet against Pitino." -WCC Coach 

Not surprisingly after their impressive run to to the SEC title, Florida was the most common response.  Five of the 17 coaches understandably would not like to deal with the Gators.  Rick Pitino's St. John's team came in next with four, followed by Houston at three.  Liberty, Duke, Michigan State, Auburn, Alabama, and Colorado State each received a mention.  

Who Makes an Earlier than Expected Exit? 

"Iowa State.  Too many injuries to deal with" -ACC Coach 1

"Iowa State. With Gilbert being out and Lipsey’s groin injury, it does open the door for Iowa State to be out of sync. They are one of the best teams in the country, but it's tough to win when your best players are not available or are not fully healthy." -ACC Coach 2

"Texas A&M. Yale is a very tough matchup. They have a bunch of older veteran guys and they run good stuff. All of that could be a problem for A&M in round one." -ACC Coach 3

"Duke. All depending on Cooper Flagg." -Atlantic 10 Coach 1

"Oregon. I don’t see them getting by Liberty!" -Atlantic 10 Coach 2

"Iowa State. Injuries have plagued them all season. Just depends on who is healthy and how do they move forward without Keshon Gilbert." -ACC Coach 4

"Arizona. Rely heavily on 3-point shooting and finished near the bottom in 3-point percentage in the Big 12. In some of these venues with new basketballs, shooting is rough, especially in the first few rounds. Can they find other ways to score? They also don’t have much depth." -ACC Coach 5

"St. Johns. Lack of shooting and they have little room for error." -Big East Coach 1

"St. John’s because of their shooting. I think their toughness and rebounding and defensive ability are all very real but if they run into a poor shooting night against a good well-coached team, it could be an early exit. If they make shots, however, they could go all the way." -Big East Coach 2

"I think Memphis will get knocked off in the first round. They have a lot of question marks in my opinion." -Big Ten Coach 1

"Kentucky. They are kind of soft and injured." -Big Ten Coach 2

"Auburn. They could possibly have Louisville in the second round in Lexington and I think that Louisville is criminally under-seeded. Louisville is going to have a lot of fans at that game where it could essentially be a home game for them." -MAAC Coach

"I think Duke gets knocked off by Mississippi State in the second round." -Patriot League Coach

"Michigan State. I could see them getting bounced early." -SEC Coach 

"Kentucky gets beat early is my prediction. They have too many injuries." -Southern Conference Coach

"Michigan. They have teams in their bracket that they don’t match up well with." -Sun Belt Coach

"Duke. Question mark surrounding the health of Cooper Flagg. They have been kind of playing in closer games recently and the ACC was not great this year so that might hurt them in the tournament." -WCC Coach

Voting was more evenly split on which teams could make an early exit.  Duke and Iowa State, both dealing with injury concerns, led the way with three picks each.  Kentucky garnered a pair of mentions. And two coaches from the Big East said St. John's will head home early.  Wouldn't Rick Pitino like to learn their identities. 

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