The Sweet 16 gets underway on Thursday night as college basketball takes center stage for a couple more weeks ahead of the NBA playoffs. Boston fans don’t have much to cheer for unless they have a New England allegiance to UConn, and after the Celtics’ incredible victory over the Thunder, it may seem tough to get overly excited about March Madness.
But if you’re a neutral Celtics fan looking for some rooting interest, you can certainly cheer along with one of your favorite players.Â
Entering the NCAA Tournament, the Celtics had eight players with an alma mater in the field of 68, but five of those schools have already been eliminated: Amari Williams’ Kentucky Wildcats, Max Shulga’s VCU Rams, Sam Hauser’s Virginia Cavaliers, John Tonje’s Wisconsin Badgers, and Neemias Queta’s Utah State Aggies.
But that means there are still three players on the current roster with their school still alive and fighting for collegiate supremacy.
Jayson Tatum’s Duke Blue Devils
Duke is the most obvious school left and the biggest favorite, the college attended by Jayson Tatum for one year. Duke is certainly not who I will be rooting for, but they have the best chance to win, so if you want to support Tatum and have a chance at happiness, go ahead and support the Blue Devils, who are set to take on the St. John's Red Storm on Friday night for a trip to the Elite 8.
Duke is a number one seed, and one of the biggest favorites to win it all remaining, along with Michigan and Arizona.
Jordan Walsh’s Arkansas Razorbacks
If you want an underdog with a real shot and perhaps the most exciting player in the tourney, you should support Jordan Walsh’s Arkansas Razorbacks. Like Tatum, Walsh only spent one season in college, and his school has changed a lot.
They’re now coached by John Calipari and led by Darius Acuff Jr., one of the best guards in the country, and a sure bet to be a top 10 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. The Hogs are a four seed, but the way Acuff is playing, they’re live dogs against Arizona on Thursday night and beyond.
Luka Garza’s Iowa Hawkeyes
If longshots and Cinderellas are more your thing, the team to back is Luka Garza’s Iowa Hawkeyes. Unlike Tatum and Walsh, Garza played four years of college ball, becoming an all-time legend at Iowa as a unanimous first-team All-American as a junior and senior, and winning National Player of the Year in 2021. He left Iowa as the school’s all-time leading scorer and has already had his number 55 retired in the rafters.
But the Hawkeyes are just a nine seed, the second-lowest left in the field, and maybe the longest shot left to actually cut down the nets. But they’re fresh off beating the defending champs and the one seed, Florida. They have a winnable game on Friday night against their conference rival, Nebraska, and from there, anything is possible.