How hard would it be to dribble-drive to the right side baseline, crossover to the lane and pull up to drain a fourteen-foot jumper in clear pumps? Easy. As long as it's before midnight.
The quest to win six consecutive games in the grandest tournament on the planet begins on March 19 and will end with the Final Four in Atlanta on April 8.
Some teams will have an inside track on the 2013 NCAA tournament. Here's the inside track on some of those teams:
Michigan Wolverines
Sophomore point guard Trey Burke is said to be one of the nation's best. His seven assists per game is the result of having talented players like junior guard Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Glenn Robinson, III as teammates. The Wolverines are explosive, although they lack size, this group is the best since the Fab Five of the nineties. Michigan will be a No. 1 seed in the big dance.
Indiana Hoosiers
Briefly, the Hoosiers are officially back. They can defend in transition, run the floor and they have size and some depth. Seven-foot sophomore Cody Zeller is a problem, averaging 16.6 points per game. Junior guard Victor Oladipo is easily the solution. Indiana will be hard to defeat in any tournament.
Duke Blue Devils
Some say senior forward Mason Plumlee is campaigning for Player of the Year, posting 17.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Who can argue otherwise? Meanwhile, senior guard Seth Curry is shooting nearly 42 percent from three-point range as he takes aim from the logo and beyond (16.9 ppg). Duke's 'X' factor is head coach Mike Krzyzewski, as it is every season. Good luck to the rest of the field.
Miami Hurricanes
Head coach Jim Larranaga has put together the best unit in the program's history, climbing atop the ACC and the nation. Sophomore Shane Larkin shoots three-pointers at the rate of 43.7 while senior guard Durand Scott leads the 'Canes, scoring 14 points per contest. Need size? How about 6' 10", 292 pound senior Reggie Johnson? We shall see, apparently.
This year's NCAA tournament should bring excitement, disappointment and intrigue. Most of all, there will be upsets. Hopefully, no one's horses will turn into mice at the stroke of midnight. Unfortunately for many teams, this will be the case.
