This is the Guard Bracket.
It is littered with them, from No. 1 Houston duo Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead and second-seeded Texas’ Marcus Carr and Sir’Jabari Rice to No. 3 Xavier’s Colby Jones and Souley Boum, No. 4 Indiana’s Jalen Hood-Schifino and fifth-seeded Miami’s Isaiah Wong, Nigel Pack and Jordan Miller.
Penn State, the 10th seed, has an answer to all of the names above in do-it-all senior Jalen Pickett.
You need guards to win in March, and several of the teams here have difference-makers at the position.
It’s difficult to make a run without them.
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Bracket Buster: No. 7 Texas A&M
A seventh seed for the second-best team in the SEC?
For a top-40 team in both offensive and defensive efficiency?
A team that has 12 Quad 1 and 2 wins?
The selection committee whiffed here badly.
No doubt coach Buzz Williams will use this as ammunition, particularly after Texas A&M was an NCAA Tournament snub last year.
First-Round Upset Watch
No. 12 Drake over No. 5 Miami
Drake can match Miami’s star power with versatile wing Tucker DeVries, a skilled sophomore who scores at all three levels.
The Hurricanes may be even more susceptible to the upset if key forward Norchad Omier is unable to go after suffering an ankle injury in the ACC Tournament.
Best First-Round Matchup:
No. 8 Iowa vs. No. 9 Auburn
Iowa relies on its shotmaking.
Auburn wins with defense.
Something has to give in this fascinating first-round matchup of power conference foes.
Unsung Player: G Jalen Pickett, Penn State
The Nittany Lions’ leader in scoring, rebounding, assists, minutes and steals, the 6-foot-4 guard does everything but sweep the floors in Happy Valley.
He spearheaded Penn State’s first tournament berth in 12 years, leading it to the Big Ten Tournament final, and will give the Nittany Lions a shot to knock off favored Texas A&M in the first round.
Player to watch: F Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
There are few big men better than the 6-foot-9 forward.
He has improved each season, and made the smart decision to return for his senior season.
He has further blossomed under former Knicks coach Mike Woodson’s tutelage, posting career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots.
The Post’s pick: Texas
The Longhorns didn’t just survive the gauntlet that is the Big 12, they did so in impressive fashion.
Texas won the Big 12 Tournament, annihilating Kansas in the title game.
It is a team that can absolutely cut down the nets in Houston, and will have to get past Houston to advance to its first Final Four since 2003.
Carr’s second year in Austin was much better than his first, and he will put an exclamation point on it by getting the better of the Houston guards, Sasser and Shead, in the regional final in Kansas City.
