Busting Brackets
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2017 NCAA Tournament: Ranking the entire field of 68

By Lukas Harkins

Mar 9, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Kris Jenkins (2) and guard Jalen Brunson (1) celebrate after Villanova Wildcats guard Donte DiVincenzo (10) scored against St. John's Red Storm during second half of Big East Conference Tournament Quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden. Villanova Wildcats defeated St. John's Red Storm 108-67.Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Kris Jenkins (2) and guard Jalen Brunson (1) celebrate after Villanova Wildcats guard Donte DiVincenzo (10) scored against St. John's Red Storm during second half of Big East Conference Tournament Quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden. Villanova Wildcats defeated St. John's Red Storm 108-67.Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 6, 2017; Albany , NY, USA; The Iona Gaels hold up the MAAC trophy after their game against the Siena Saints at Times Union Center. Iona won 87-86 Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2017; Albany , NY, USA; The Iona Gaels hold up the MAAC trophy after their game against the Siena Saints at Times Union Center. Iona won 87-86 Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /

Teams ranked 60 to 57

60. Troy Trojans

Record: 22-14 (10-8 Sun Belt)

Seed: 15 in the East

After upsetting Texas-Arlington, Troy got their first win over the RPI top-50. Despite going 5-10 on the road, the Trojans made up for it by going 6-0 on a neutral site. Although it was a loss, Troy played USC on the road close (lost by five) in the middle of December. Sure, getting Duke is nearly an impossible match-up, but the Blue Devils have been upset before.

If they are going to pull it off, though, Troy will need to consistently get the free throw line like they have all season. They shoot the 11th most foul shots in the country and will need to get to the line and knock them down when they get those opportunities.

59. Northern Kentucky Norse

Record: 24-10 (12-6 Horizon League)

Seed: 15 in the South

In what was a ridiculous Horizon League Tournament, which saw UW-Milwaukee make the final, the Norse were the ones who got the automatic bid. After only recently joining Division I, their appearance is the first in program history.

To pull off a major upset (the Norse play Kentucky in the first round), Northern Kentucky will need to shoot the three (and make the three) early and often. Their ability to splash from deep is the strongest part of Northern Kentucky’s team, but playing UK is an extremely tough challenge.

58. Iona Gaels

Record: 22-12 (12-8 MAAC)

Seed: 14 in the Midwest

In one of the most exciting tournament finals of this season, Iona came out of the MAAC tournament as the automatic bid. It took overtime and a ton of back-and-forth action to beat Siena, but it happened, and the Gaels received a 14 seed on Selection Sunday.

At almost 40 percent from three, Iona is one of the elite shooting teams in the country. There are six shooters on the roster who make more than 35 percent of their threes, and that doesn’t include leading scorer Jordan Washington. Oregon is without Chris Boucher for their second straight game in the first round, and with the way Iona can bury threes, they could be a 14 over three upset.

57. Kent State Golden Flashes

Record: 22-13 (10-7 MAC)

Seed: 14 in the South

Akron was the only team that Kent State played in the RPI top-100, and they went 2-1. However, their first round opponent is UCLA, who boasts an offense that the Golden Flashes have never seen the likes of. Kent State is fairly average across the board statistically, but their major strength comes in rebounding.

Kent State out-rebounds teams by 6.1 per game, and they will need to dominate the glass to pull off the upset. Jimmy Hall is a double-double guy on the season, but there is a lot of firepower from the Bruins that Kent State likely cannot hang with.

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