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Jay Wright credits NIL, transfer portal for Elite Eight with ‘most talent’
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Jay Wright has pushed back on the notion that this year’s NCAA Tournament isn’t quite the same due to a lower number of upsets than usual.
The Elite Eight is largely chalk at this point: all four No. 1 seeds — Duke, Auburn, Florida, and Houston — remain, as well as all but one No. 2 seed (St. John’s was upset by tenth-seeded Arkansas in the second round).
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, according to Wright.
“This is the most talented because of NIL and the transfer portal. The best players are at the best schools, and they’re competing against each other; the best teams have made it through. We’ve got a big-time Elite Eight,” he said.
All eight teams in the Elite Eight are in the top 9 of the current KenPom ratings. Gonzaga at No. 8, was bounced by Houston in the second round.
Texas Tech, a 3 seed, is the lowest remaining seed and sits at No. 9 in the KenPom rankings. With the Red Raiders matched up against Florida, that might be the closest we get to a Cinderella possibly making it to the Final Four.
And while Arkansas, who lost to Texas Tech in the Sweet 16, was a 10 seed, it’s in the SEC, so it likely wouldn’t fit a traditional Cinderella archetype as a member of the Power 4 despite a surprising run.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
