Top four have faced roller coaster year
No. 1 Baylor
Overview: The Bears ran off 18 consecutive wins to start the season before a couple of late bumps in the road against Kansas and then Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament. Still, they captured one of the toughest conferences. It’s a veteran group that leads the nation in shooting from three with Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell doing much of the damage. One drawback of their dominance is a lack of experience in tight games.
No. 2 Ohio State
Overview: After a blazing start to the season that saw them rise to No. 4 in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll, Ohio State stumbled toward the end of the regular season with four consecutive losses to finish fifth in the Big Ten. However, they still are one of the best teams in the country with 12 quad one and two wins. The duo of Duane Washington Jr. and E.J. Liddell creates problems for defenses, and if the Buckeyes are ahead late, it’ll be difficult to catch up to them; they are one of the best free-throw shooting teams, led by the nation’s best free-throw shooter CJ Walker at 95.7%.
No. 3 Arkansas
Overview: The Razorbacks won 12 straight Southeastern Conference games from the middle of January until losing to LSU in the SEC semifinals on Saturday. Arkansas’ six losses is the least for the program in a single season since the national championship squad in 1994. Each of Arkansas’ six losses came to teams also appearing in the NCAA Tournament.
No. 4 Purdue
Overview: They have one of the most underrated freshmen in the country in Jaden Ivey, but big man Trevion Williams’ dominance in the paint is why he was an all-conference team member. Defense is their specialty, but don’t count them out if they fall behind in a game; four of their wins came after trailing by at least 11 points.
No. 5 Villanova
Overview: Though the Wildcats spent much of the season ranked in the top 10, they limp into the tournament on a two-game losing streak after losing veteran floor leader Collin Gillespie (14.0 ppg, 4.6 apg) to a season-ending knee injury. Already somewhat undersized, they’ll now be even more reliant on 3-point accuracy and generating points in transition.
No. 6 Texas Tech
Overview: The Red Raiders look very different from the last NCAA Tournament when they reached the championship game. Kyler Edwards is the only significant player left from that run.
No. 7 Florida
Overview: The Gators were picked to finish fourth in the conference – although that was with junior Keyontae Johnson, the SEC’s preseason player of the year. After Johnson’s shocking collapse in UF’s fourth game of the season, Florida managed to regroup and go 11-8 down the stretch in his absence. Sophomore point guard Tre Mann and junior forward Colin Castleton helped lead the Gators to fifth in the conference, resulting in All-SEC recognition, but UF is limping into the tournament, having lost three of its last four games.
No. 8 North Carolina
Overview: Despite coming up a bit short in the ACC semifinals, the Tar Heels were showing signs of becoming the team fans were hoping to see. They’ll present one of the deepest frontcourts in the field. Carolina is at its best when running the court and crashing the boards relentlessly.
No. 9 Wisconsin
Overview: A rocky finish to the regular season resulted in Wisconsin finishing sixth in the Big Ten standings, but this still is a solid squad led by a starting unit with four seniors. The experience is a major reason why they lead the nation in fewest turnovers with 8.9 turnovers per game. The defense is one of the best in the country, allowing 64 points per game.
No. 10 Virginia Tech
Overview: The Hokies do play solid half-court defense, and they have a variety of options on the offensive end.
No. 11 Utah State
Overview: The Aggies’ success is centered on big man Neemias Queta, who earned conference defensive-player-ofthe-year honors after averaging a double-double during league play.
No. 12 Winthrop
Overview: Winthrop is a sum of its parts. The Eagles enter the NCAA Tournament one of the deepest teams in the field with 11 players averaging 10 or more minutes per game. They excel on the boards ranking 10th nationally in rebounding (40.6) and eighth in offensive rebounding (13.5). They do this the same way they score 79.5 points per game.
No. 13 North Texas
Overview: North Texas can stretch the floor on offense behind four starters with 3-point range. The ability to shoot from deep combines with one of Conference USA’s top scoring defenses to make the Mean Green a potentially pesky opponent in the opening round.
No. 14 Colgate
Overview: Led by conference player of the year Jordan Burns, they rank in the top 25 nationally in multiple categories, including second in points per game (86.4) and first in defensive rebounds per game (30.5). They also ended the season with a 13-game winning streak.
No. 15 Oral Roberts
Overview: Led by conference player of the year and the nation’s top scorer Max Abmas, the Golden Eagles can put up points as they’re in the top 15 in points per game and lead the nation with 11.3 3-pointers per game. They know how to convert from the freethrow line as well; their 82.3% freethrow percentage is second best in the country.
No. 16 Hartford
Overview: The Hawks play at one of the slowest paces of any team. This led to Hartford allowing 63.9 points. The Hawks offer a well-rounded offense with four scoring in double figures.