2023 March Madness 1st round bracket breakdown: East Region
No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 Florida Atlantic
Games between No. 8 and No. 9 seeds never seem to disappoint, and Memphis taking on Florida Atlantic on Friday night could quietly be one of the best matchups of the tournament. The No. 9 seed Owls are in the NCAA Tournament for the second time ever, and the first time since 2002. However, this season has been unlike any other in Boca Raton. The Conference USA regular season and tournament champions went an impressive 31-3, earning a ranking in the AP poll for the first time ever. Florida Atlantic has a relatively deep rotation, but the biggest names to know are leading scorer Johnell Davis, guard Alijah Martin and 7-foot-1 Russian center Vladislav Goldin.
Meanwhile, Memphis will come into the NCAA Tournament playing arguably as good of basketball as anyone. The 26-8 Tigers are coming off an American Athletic Conference (AAC) championship game in which they dominated No. 1 Houston after beating Tulane by 40 points the day before. The win avenged two regular-season losses to the Cougars, while the Tigers also suffered a close three-point loss to the tournament鈥檚 top overall seed, Alabama. Penny Hardaway鈥檚 squad has a lot of talent, but the names to keep an eye on are senior forward DeAndre Williams, who averages 17.1 points and eight rebounds, electric guard Kendric Davis, who had two 30-point efforts in the AAC Tournament, and guard Alex Lomax, who is one of the best defenders in the country. If the elite play of its stars continues, Memphis could make a surprise run to the second weekend of the Big Dance.聽
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