Five teams you shouldn’t count on to go deep

Villanova

The loss of senior point guard Collin Gillespie, co- Big East player of the year alongside teammate Jeremiah Robinson- Earl and Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili, makes the preseason No. 3 Wildcats ( 16- 6) hard to gauge at their seeding line because their season- long identity has changed right in the thick of March Madness. That was clear in an upset loss to Georgetown in the the Big East tournament. Coach Jay Wright has enough ammunition to keep this team at a contending level, but ’ Nova could be ripe for an upset based on the timing of Gillespie’s season- ending MCL injury.

Missouri

The Tigers ( 16- 9) were among the top 16 teams named on the NCAA selection committee’s top- four seeds reveal in February. Then they lost five of their last seven games to close out the regular season. The culprit was defense, which coughed up an average of 78 points per game in those losses. Coach Cuonzo Martin has a talented backcourt behind Dru Smith and Xavier Pinson but Missouri doesn’t shoot well from beyond the arc as a whole.

Oklahoma

The Sooners ( 15- 10) vaulted into the top 25 midway through the season thanks to a strong showing in the Big 12 that included wins over Kansas, Texas and West Virginia. But they finished the regular season on a low point, losing four consecutive games. Then they barely edged last- place Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament. Austin Reeves ( 17.7 points, 4.7 assists) is the go- to scorer, but when he’s shooting poorly OU struggles to find offensive rhythm, especially from 3- point range. Allowing second- chance points is also a weakness.

UCLA

Coach Mick Cronin has done a heck of a job, despite losing second- leading scorer Chris Smith to injury for the season after eight games. Cronin got the Bruins ( 17- 9) out to an 8- 0 start in the Pac- 12. But UCLA has struggled with consistency and lost its last four games. One key statistic that makes this team susceptible against an up- tempo opponent: The Bruins rank 335th in KenPom’s adjusted tempo, which tracks possessions per 40 minutes.

Wisconsin

The Badgers, ranked No. 7 in the preseason Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll, have lost six of their past eight games, struggling to generate offense and shoot the ball at a high rate. Coach Greg Gard’s team ranks 218th nationally in points per game and 267th in field goal percentage. Senior forward Micah Potter ( 12.8 points) has been coming off the bench to add an offensive boost, but the starters struggle to produce outside of veteran guard D’Mitrik Trice.