Rayno: Before any game tips off, Des Moines has won the NCAA tournament

Blockbuster eight-team field in Iowa is perfect start to the Madness

By COLLEGE BASKETBALL INSIDER Amelia Rayno

March 17, 2016 at 1:14PM
Kansas forward Carlton Bragg Jr., right, meets the fans as he takes the court during the Jayhawks' practice session on Wednesday, March 16, 2016, at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Kansas begins play in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday against Austin Peay. (Bo Rader/Wichita Eagle/TNS)
Kansas forward Carlton Bragg Jr., right, meets the fans as he takes the court during the Jayhawks' practice session on Wednesday, March 16, 2016, at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Kansas begins play in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday against Austin Peay. (Bo Rader/Wichita Eagle/TNS) (Brian Stensaas — TNS - TNS/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Des Moines – Call the oddsmakers. No matter what happens this weekend in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, Des Moines already has won.

Two of the most intriguing Cinderellas innocently wandered into the same town as four blue bloods, giving Des Moines the best eight-team field of any first-weekend site. Sure, some brackets might get damaged between Thursday morning and Saturday night, but who cares? This is going to be some phenomenal basketball.

City officials, while likely scrambling to bolster security and rummage up extra hotel rooms, have got to be fist-pumping over this all-star lineup. First-time host just trying to get the house clean? Well, get ready for Oprah Winfrey and Kanye West and the Kardashian clan, because now they're showing up at your door.

First of all, Des Moines gets the No. 1 overall seed in Kansas, a popular pick to win it all. But the draw hardly drops off from there. Also playing on Thursday will be fourth-seeded Kentucky, fifth-seeded Indiana and ninth-seeded Connecticut. Are you kidding? That's four of the more storied, prideful programs in the sport, four of the best traveling, most passionate and somewhat irrational fan bases, and four of the most well-known coaches in the game. Those are four teams that are capable of kicking up some dirt and making a big run.

In the meantime, can everyone fit into Wells Fargo Arena? Will our heads all explode from too much drama in one building?

The exuberant gut reaction to the field being unveiled on Selection Sunday didn't lie. According to the Des Moines Register, the city's eight teams have combined for 206 tournament appearances, 46 Final Fours and 20 national championships, all more than any other first- and-second-round site.

As Associated Press writer Luke Meredith tweeted: "Des Moines on a Thursday will be, for the first time, where everyone in America wishes they were."

Really good, or epic?

Kansas might not boast a superstar-laden roster, but this veteran team has become beautiful to watch. Featuring a pair of future NBA pros in senior Perry Ellis and explosive junior Wayne Seldon, the Jayhawks are one of only two teams in the field who have both a top-10 offense and a top-10 defense, according to analyst Ken Pomeroy's efficiency ratings.

UConn — which, in case you forgot, won the whole thing in its past NCAA tournament appearance two years ago — will have to go through eighth-seeded Colorado, which shoots 39.2 percent from three-point range, 14th best nationally.

Kentucky, with the nation's most efficient offense and eye-popping point guard Tyler Ulis, is playing its best basketball of the season. Big Ten regular-season champion Indiana, meanwhile, should be fired up after falling to Michigan in a wild, buzzer-beating finish in the league tournament. The Hoosiers can shoot opponents out of the gym. The Wildcats have the talent to bury teams when they're on.

Oh, and these two teams happen to make up one of the most colorful rivalries in college basketball; they've refused to play each other for the past four years. What better way to settle that tiff than the basketball gods aligning the pair in the second round? There might not be enough whiskey in Iowa to handle the fallout, winners and losers.

But before you get too excited about Wildcats-Hoosiers, know that all of that could be destroyed by two of the most threatening double-digit seeds in the field. Indiana gets 12th-seeded Chattanooga, a team that beat Illinois, Georgia and Dayton away from home with feisty defenders who can grab steals and block shots at the rim. Kentucky, meanwhile, gets 13th-seeded Stony Brook and legitimate star Jameel Warney, a 6-8 senior forward who plays much bigger than that. He can go off for 30-plus any night.

Those games alone should be two of the best of the weekend. Unless they get better on Saturday, which is entirely possible. Speaking for myself and the rest of the basketball world, it can't come soon enough.


Kentucky's Tyler Ulis (3) shoots from half-court during practice for a first-round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday, March 16, 2016. Kentucky will play Stony Brook on Thursday. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Kentucky’s standout guard, Tyler Ulis, launched a shot from half-court during practice Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The Wildcats are looking at a potential matchup with Indiana on Saturday. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Kansas head coach Bill Self high-fives fans on his way to the court for a Jayhawks' practice session in 2016.
Bill Self, coach of top-seeded Kansas, high-fived fans on his way to the court for the Jayhawks’ practice session on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Dec 28, 2014: Stony Brook's #20 Jameel Warney shoots a free throw against Washington. Stony Brook defeated Washington 62-57 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, WA. (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
Jameel Warney averages 19.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game for Stony Brook. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Indiana guard Yogi Ferrell (11) warms up with teammates during practice ahead of a first round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Wednesday, March 16, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa. Indiana will play Chattanooga on Thursday. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Senior guard Yogi Ferrell is playing in his final NCAA tournament for Indiana. The Hoosiers open with Chattanooga. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

COLLEGE BASKETBALL INSIDER Amelia Rayno

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