The Script: Potential first round match ups for Mean Green

OPINION

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By Eric Johnson / Senior Staff Writer –

Junior guard Josh White’s free throw with less than three seconds left sealed UNT’s second Sun Belt Conference Tournament title in the last four years.

The three-point victory earned the Mean Green its third-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament and a school-record 24 wins.

Now all UNT can do is sit and wait for Selection Sunday to see what its draw will be for the biggest tournament in all of collegiate athletics.

ESPN bracketolgist Joe Lunardi currently has the Mean Green penciled in as a No. 15 seed challenging the Purdue Boilermakers in the first round, but there is a strong possibility UNT could jump up to a No. 14 seed.

There are about a dozen potential first-round opponents for UNT, but I will focus on the two best and three worst possible matchups.

Best-case scenario: No. 6 Purdue or No. 8 New Mexico

The Boilermakers lost their best player when forward Robbie Hummel went down with a knee injury toward the end of February. Any time that a team loses their go-to-guy at the end of the season, that is a team that you want to see in an elimination atmosphere.

The question will be can UNT’s junior forward George Odufawa keep 6-foot-10-inch, 220 pound center JaJuan Johnson from dominating in the paint.

The Lobos struggle against teams that are able to spread the floor and get everyone involved in the offense. The Mean Green has four or five guys who can light up the scoreboard, but the key to UNT’s game is balance. A different guy steps up every game for the Mean Green.

If the players can continue to be unselfish, UNT should exploit New Mexico’s weakness.

Worst-case scenario: One of the Big East teams

There are three Big East teams that could see UNT in the first round, and whether it is the No. 10 Villanova Wildcats, the No. 16 Pittsburgh Panthers or the No. 7 West Virginia Mountaineers, it would be best for the Mean Green to draw a different opponent.

The Big East has consistently been the top conference in college basketball for the last three years, and it is no different this season.

Villanova sets the nets on fire with its explosive scoring, Pittsburgh plays a smothering defense and West Virginia plays as balanced a game as you will find in college basketball.

Wildcats guard Scottie Reynolds is lightning quick, and the Mean Green will need to find a way to keep up with him. Reynolds can slash his way to the basket and open up the floor for his teammates to score.

Pittsburgh has allowed a stingy 61 points per game, and with 6-foot-10-inch, 260-pound center Gary McGhee pulling down every rebound and rejecting all attempts at entering the paint, UNT could struggle to put up points.

The three forwards in West Virginia’s lineup average 6-foot-8-inches, and the trio accounts for more than 50 percent of the Mountaineers scoring and rebounds. UNT forwards Eric Tramiel and Odufawa could be shut down against three of the top forwards in the Big East.

With the right draw, the Mean Green has the potential to make a run at the Sweet 16. The picture will clear up early Sunday evening, when UNT learns its fate.