March Madness: 5 Reasons No. 14 Kent State Can Upset No. 3 UCLA

UCLA Has To Overlooking Kent

You can’t help but wonder if the Bruins might already be looking past the Golden Flashes.

Come on. Most of know how the tournament works. The 14th seed doesn’t beat No. 3. In fact, its happened just 21 times since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams during the 1984-1985 season.

Perhaps the the fruit of the NBA Draft is hanging low enough for some UCLA players to start sniffing it too soon. Two players, Ball, and 6-10, 225-pound freshman forward T.J. Leaf will will be drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft this June with the former probably being a top two pick.

Around the time the brackets were being announced, all anyone could talk about concerning UCLA was the $1 billion shoe deal UCLA guard Lonzo Ball’s dad was trying to secure for him, and his two brothers.

There’s no denying UCLA’s talent. The squad averages 90 points per game. Six players own double-figure scoring averages. But it’d be easy to overlook Kent, especially considering other storied programs Kentucky and UNC are also in the south region. The road to the Final Four won’t be an easy one for the Bruins.

Additionally, the Flashes are hot. They won the MAC the hard way, without the benefit of a first-round bye. The program went on to win four games in five days and knocked off the conference’s top three seeds in the process.

Entering the MAC tournament, the Flashes had won five of six. Counting the postseason, Senderhoff’s group has won nine of its last 10.

Can Kent stop Ball? He’s the best player on the floor and what makes Steve Alford’s offense click.

Guard play is so important during the NCAA tournament. Perhaps the older Flashes team full of ju-co transfers can keep Ball from his averages of 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game.