Commonalities of the 2023 Final 8
March Madness on NCAA mens basketball
New teams and unknown quantities made up the final 8 bracket. But what are the commonalities in those final 8 programs. It is hard not to believe that this will be the trend for some time across college basketball - new teams, unranked or lower ranked taking down what is considered powerhouse teams. Here are some of the commonalities
Strong Defense: All of the Final 8 teams in the 2023 NCAA Tournament had strong defensive play. They were able to limit their opponents' scoring opportunities and force turnovers.
Balanced Scoring: The Final 8 teams also had balanced scoring, with multiple players contributing on offense. This made them difficult to defend and allowed them to overcome any individual scoring droughts.
Team Chemistry: While some of the teams may have had relatively inexperienced coaches, they all had strong team chemistry. The players were able to execute their game plan effectively and work together towards a common goal.
Resilience: Many of the Final 8 teams faced adversity during the tournament, such as being behind in games or facing tough opponents. However, they were able to bounce back and win games, demonstrating resilience and mental toughness.
Confidence: Finally, all of the Final 8 teams played with confidence and belief in themselves. They had earned their spot in the tournament and were not intimidated by any opponents or situations. This confidence allowed them to perform at their best and make it to the Final 8.
We will have to wait until the final four until we can run the statistics on the final 8 games but one aspect that is not captured above and this is not a statistic, more of a gut feeling, there was the absence of ‘hero ball’ or the propensity for a player to take shots for personal gain instead of team success. This can infect a team at any moment and can ruin playoff runs. With so much at stake in many of these collegiate players lives the absence of her ball is certainly something to watch for as a trend that we at Edge Flow Analytics applaud.