March Madness is upon us and everyone across the country is filling out their brackets, trying to find that big upset — No. 14 seed UC Santa Barbara and No. 13 Furman are good places to start. So why not take a quick look at the Jets roster and see which players have their schools represented in this year’s NCAA Tournament? We’ll start with two key members in the middle of the defense from the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed.
No. 1 Alabama
- DT Quinnen Williams
- LB C.J. Mosley
Two of the key contributors on defense, especially up the middle, both went to school at Alabama, which is a No. 1 seed for the first time in school history and is the overall top seed in the tournament. The SEC regular-season and tournament champions open their tournament run against No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
No. 2 Arizona
- S Will Parks
Parks, a solid reserve safety for the Jets in 2022, is the lone representative for the Wildcats, who earned another high seed in the tournament after being a No. 1 seed in 2022. Arizona faces No. 15 Princeton in the first round.
No. 9 Auburn
- DE Carl Lawson
- LB Jamien Sherwood
- TE C.J. Uzomah
The trio of Lawson, Sherwood and Uzomah are ready to party with Bruce Pearl, who has been known to go crazy in the student section in the past. The Tigers will meet No. 8 Iowa.
No. 3 Baylor
- WR Denzel Mims
Two years ago, Denzel Mims got to see his alma mater celebrate their first men’s basketball championship when Baylor throttled Gonzaga in the championship game. Will he get to celebrate again in 2023? Their first step is against No. 14 UC Santa Barbara.
No. 5 Duke
- CB Michael Carter II
- LS Thomas Hennessy
- OG Laken Tomlinson
It’s still so weird seeing Duke being coached by someone other than Mike Krzyzewski, but Jon Scheyer is off to a great start in Durham, N.C. and Carter, Hennessy and Tomlinson have to be thrilled with Duke’s chances in this tournament. However, it’s not an easy start to the tournament as they face No. 12 Oral Roberts, who still have Max Abmas and are even better than the 2021 team that went to the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed.
Note: Duke is this writer’s pick to win it all, so take that for what it’s worth.
No. 9 Illinois
- S Tony Adams
- CB Justin Hardee
Adams and Hardee had some magic in 2022. Especially Hardee, who was named to the Pro Bowl last season. Perhaps they can give some of their luck to head coach Brad Underwood and Illinois, who draw No. 8 Arkansas first and then a likely matchup with Kansas if they advance.
No. 3 Kansas State
- CB D.J. Reed
D.J. Reed was quiet for a while in his career and then exploded onto the scene with the Jets last season. That’s a similar story to Kansas State’s basketball team this season. The Wildcats were picked to finish last in the Big 12. They finished third in the league and earned a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance. They open with No. 14 Montana State.
No. 6 Kentucky
- CB Brandin Echols
Echols could have a battle with fellow cornerback D.J. Reed as Kentucky could face Kansas State in the second round of the tournament. Of course, that’s if the Wildcats get past their old friend Bryce Hopkins and No. 11 Providence first.
No. 6 Iowa State
- RB Breece Hall
While D.J. Reed and Brandin Echols could see their schools face each other, Breece Hall’s school will do battle with Jordan Whitehead’s school, No. 11 Pittsburgh.
No. 8 Maryland
- RB Ty Johnson
Ty Johnson was quiet most of the season, then suddenly became the main guy at the end of the season. He’ll have his moments and sneak up on you, similar to Maryland’s season, which was up and down, so it’s fitting that they ended up as a No. 8 seed. Johnson’s boys draw No. 9 West Virginia in the first round.
No. 11 Mississippi State
- DL Marquiss Spencer
At least Spencer can say his school made the Field of 68, but it wasn’t a long stay. Mississippi State lost in the First Four to Pittsburgh, so Jordan Whitehead at least gets the last laugh on Spencer.
No. 11 North Carolina State
- RB Zonovan Knight
Knight went from being undrafted to being a key piece down the stretch of the season after Breece Hall went down with a knee injury. He had to be relieved but excited when NC State was announced for the tournament after falling to the bubble late. They got in and will face No. 6 Creighton in the first round.
No. 11 Pittsburgh
- S Jordan Whitehead
Jordan Whitehead’s alma mater also had to sweat a bit to see if they would dance. They got in among the last four in and then took care of business, with a little bit of luck, in the First Four against Mississippi State. Pittsburgh now has a date with No. 6 Iowa State, the alma mater of Breece Hall.
No. 10 USC
- OL Alijah Vera-Tucker
Vera-Tucker was a force while he was a Trojan and now he’s hoping this year’s Trojans on the hardwood can spring the upset of the great Tom Izzo and No. 7 Michigan State.
No. 7 Texas A&M
- DE Micheal Clemons
- P Braden Mann
Two current players will be repping the Aggies in the dance — Cedric Ogbuehi is a free agent, but he would also be on this list. A&M will face No. 10 Penn State and could see their old friends Texas in the second round.
No. 4 Virginia
- CB Bryce Hall
Hall is hoping his school has better luck than he did this season, as he only played in five games in 2022. As mentioned at the top, Virginia is certainly on upset alert against No. 13 Furman.
