I just read somewhere that this year’s tournament contained more upsets than any other year. However, the regional games weren’t as entertaining as the first two rounds, for the most part. Every game UCLA has played in this tournament has been an extremely entertaining game. The game of the year might be the Alabama-UCLA Sweet Sixteen game. Congratulations to all four teams on making the Final Four: Gonzaga, UCLA, Houston, and Baylor. Baylor breaks its 71-year drought of not making the Final Four, UCLA pulls a VCU, and Gonzaga destroyed anyone in its path. So who was the best in each region? Here are my All-Region Teams:
Bold = Most Outstanding Player
West Region:
G – Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga (NCAAT: 12.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 43.6% FG, 92.3% FT)
He hasn’t shot well from beyond the arc, but Gonzaga runs through their star guard. Suggs was two assists away from a triple-double in the Elite Eight game against USC, where he had 18 points and 10 rebounds.
F – Corey Kispert, Gonzaga (NCAAT: 17.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 48% FG, 50% 3PT, 75% FT)
Corey Kispert has been one of my favorite players all season and he continues to show off in the NCAA Tournament. He’s a big catch-and-shoot player for the Zags.
F – Isaiah Mobley, USC (NCAAT: 16 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 61% FG, 88.9% FT, 54.5% 3PT)
All eyes turn to his younger brother, but Isaiah Mobley has been a great player in this tournament. He has been the best scorer on the Trojans and had 19 points in the Elite Eight game against Gonzaga.
F – Evan Mobley, USC (NCAAT: 13.5 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 4 APG, 2 BPG, 52.6% FG, 68.4% FT)
The projected top-5 pick showed that he deserves to be a top-5 pick. The connection between him and his brother is special, with the backdoor cuts for an easy layup. The Mobley brothers were the stars of the game when they blew out Kansas and Oregon in back-to-back tournament games.
F – Drew Timme, Gonzaga (NCAAT: 21.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, 61.5% FG, 84% FT)
Drew Timme is without a doubt the most outstanding player in the West Region. He makes scoring look easy, walking into the paint like he owns it. The mustached star might not be an NBA-type player, but he just ran all over the top interior defensive team.
East Region:
G – Johnny Juzang, UCLA (NCAAT: 21.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.8 APG, 47.7% FG, 35.3% 3PT, 85.7% FT)
UCLA is going back to the Final Four for the first time since 2008 and they have Johnny Juzang to thank. Along with Jaime Jaquez Jr., Juzang was one of the biggest stars in the tournament leading up to where we are now. However, he didn’t receive as much recognition as some other stars. He’s by far the most outstanding player. He didn’t rack up many assists, but that doesn’t take away his ability to score.
G – Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA (NCAAT: 14.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1 BPG, 47.4% FG, 46.7% 3PT)
Jaime Jaquez was all the talk on Inside March Madness after UCLA knocked off #2 Alabama, where he had 17 points and was clutch down the stretch. He may not have been as good of a scorer as Johnny Juzang is, but without Jaquez, UCLA might not have seen a game outside of the First Four, where he had 27. He wasn’t special in the Elite Eight win over #1 Michigan, so that’s why he didn’t win Most Outstanding Player.
G – John Petty Jr., Alabama (NCAAT: 15.3 PPG, 6 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1 SPG, 34.9% FG)
Petty might be the worst player on this All-Region team, but with his defense, Alabama might have gotten blown out by UCLA. The only problem I have with him is his inconsistent shooting. He can go up to 46.7% from the field and as low as 23.1%. He also went 1-5 from the free-throw line against Iona.
G – Anthony Polite, Florida State (NCAAT: 14.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3 APG, 2.7 SPG, 64% FG, 41.7% 3PT, 100% FT)
Anthony Polite was the star for Florida State in the NCAA Tournament, not Scottie Barnes. Scottie Barnes doesn’t even START on Leonard Hamilton’s team, which is surprising because he’s projected to be a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Polite was unstoppable against Colorado, with 22 points, shooting 66.7% from the field and 57.1% from three.
C – Hunter Dickinson, Michigan (NCAAT: 13.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.8 BPG, 58.8% FG, 65% FT)
The Big Ten Freshman of the Year was the most consistent player on Michigan during the tournament, while other players such as Franz Wagner and Mike Smith had one great game and was quiet the rest of the tournament. Mike Smith has that speed, but Dickinson gets the last spot.
South Region:
G – Davion Mitchell, Baylor (NCAAT: 13.5 PPG, 4.8 APG, 2.3 RPG, 2 SPG, 57.1% FG, 33.3% 3PT)
Jay Bilas called Davion Mitchell “the most indispensable player in the tourney.” He’s right. If Baylor wants a national championship, Mitchell has to play a large part in making that a reality. He got into foul trouble early, which brought his averages down a bit, but he made a big splash in the second half against Arkansas. I’ve been calling him a mix of 1999 NCAA Tournament Ricky Moore and Khalid El-Amin, with Moore’s defense (which was the best in that year’s tournament), El-Amin’s energy and foul trouble, but Mitchell’s the better shooter.
G – Jared Butler, Baylor (NCAAT: 13 PPG, 4.8 APG, 3.3 RPG, 2 SPG, 34.6% FG)
Jared Butler put his foot on the brakes a bit coming into the Big Dance. Although he wasn’t the star we’ve seen all season, he made his teammates around him better, such as Davion Mitchell, MaCio Teague, and Matthew Mayer. He is, without a doubt, on this team.
G – Max Abmas, Oral Roberts (NCAAT: 26.7 PPG, 4.7 APG, 3 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 42.1% FG, 40% 3PT, 84.6% FT)
Along with Corey Kispert, Max Abmas was one of my favorite players in the tournament. He reminded me of when Stephen Curry took Davidson on an incredible run before losing in the Elite Eight. Abmas is legit, and you can see why he averages more points per game than anyone else in college basketball. He can shoot like Mitch Ballock can shoot in Omaha. He’s that good. You have no idea how much I wanted to see him play against Baylor.
F – Kevin Obanor, Oral Roberts (NCAAT: 23.3 PPG, 11 RPG, 0.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 50% FG, 43.5% 3PT, 84.2% FT)
As I said when I was talking about Max Abmas, Oral Roberts took the nation by storm. It was already a shock that 15-seeded Oral Roberts upset #2 Ohio State, but they also beat #7 Florida in the next round. They were America’s team, and everyone wanted to see them go all the way. However, that dream got a reality check when they barely lost to #3 Arkansas. Obanor wasn’t anything like Abmas, but he looked like an NBA prospect in this tournament.
F – Jalen Tate, Arkansas (NCAAT: 15 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 41.3% FG, 40% 3PT, 86.4% FT)
I predicted Arkansas to lose to Colgate due to the offensive efficiency and tempo, and boy was I wrong. The Razorbacks made it to the Elite Eight, and leading the way was Jalen Tate. Tate showed off his shooting, putting up 22 points against Oral Roberts in a close Sweet Sixteen game.
Midwest Region:
Quentin Grimes, Houston (NCAAT: 18 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 39.7% FG, 43.6% 3PT, 75% FT)
The Co-American Player of the Year was one heck of a player in this tournament. Grimes notably put up 22 points and 9 rebounds against #10 Rutgers in the second round, which was the closest game the Cougars got to losing in this tournament. I do not doubt that Rutgers would be in the Final Four had Grimes not led the way in the second round.
G – Buddy Boeheim Syracuse (NCAAT: 22.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, 48.9% FG, 43.8% 3PT, 75% FT)
The most talked about player in this tournament wasn’t Luka Garza, Ayo Dosunmu, or Corey Kispert. Through the Sweet Sixteen, that player was Buddy Boeheim. Don’t be fooled by the fact that he’s Jim Boeheim’s son, he can really play at times this season. Coming into Syracuse’s first-round game against San Diego State, Boeheim dropped 31 points against Virginia in the ACC Tournament and hadn’t scored under 15 points in the last four games. He put on a show against San Diego State and West Virginia before having a dud game against Houston. He’s a junior, so I think Syracuse’s future is looking bright next season.
G – DeJon Jarreau, Houston (NCAAT: 9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1 BPG, 37.1% FG)
If Jarreau wasn’t hurt in his first minute of the game against Cleveland State, his averages during the tournament would have gone up. As you could see in the second-round game against Rutgers, Jarreau struggled with shooting pains in his hip. He kept telling Coach Kelvin Sampson to put him back in the game, and he helped Houston edge the Scarlet Knights. His toughness and importance to the team show that he deserves to be on this all-region team.
G – Ethan Thompson, Oregon State (NCAAT: 18 PPG, 7 RPG, 4 APG, 39.6% FG, 88.2% FT)
Oregon State was projected to finish last in the Pac-12. They proved everyone wrong and fought their way into the Big Dance by winning the conference tournament. Everyone thought that it was over for the Beavers, as they matched up with #5 Tennessee. They beat everyone in their path, including Oklahoma State and Loyola Chicago, until they ended up getting handled by Houston. Ethan Thompson was one of the main reasons why Oregon State got to the Elite Eight.
C – Cameron Krutwig, Loyola Chicago (NCAAT: 14.3 PPG, 9 RPG, 3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 52.8% FG, 83.3% FT)
Loyola Chicago had some more magic in them, leftover from 2018. The Ramblers, led by center Cameron Krutwig and head coach Porter Moser, took advantage of Georgia Tech star Moses Wright out with COVID-19, made beating #1 Illinois look easy (thanks for busting my bracket), but unfortunately ended their season against #12 Oregon State. Everyone talks about Sister Jean and Porter Moser, but Krutwig deserves much more credit than he’s getting for these wins.
Calhoun's Corner 
Wow ❤️
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