2017 NCAA Tournament: Ranking the entire field of 68

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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Nov 11, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Florida Gulf Coast Eagles forward Kevin Mickle (10) and guard Christian Terrell (11) boxes out Florida Gators guard Kasey Hill (0) in the second half at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Florida Gators 80-59. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /

Teams ranked 56 to 53

56. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

Record: 26-7 (12-2 Atlantic Sun)

Seed: 14 in the West

Florida Gulf Coast will be a popular upset pick because of what they have done in the past and they get in-state opponent Florida State in the first round. The Eagles played Florida, Baylor, and Michigan State in the non-conference, and played the first two teams within 10 points.

On the season, FGCU is 10-4 away from home, while their opponent FSU is 7-8. Obviously, the strength of opponents is much different, but maybe the Eagles can show some more of the magic they did in the past.

55. New Mexico State Aggies

Record: 28-5 (11-3 WAC)

Seed: 14 in the East

Although just a 14 seed, New Mexico State does hold a respectable RPI of 59. They boast a very impressive record, even if they didn’t play a single team in the RPI top-50. Winning as a 14 is not an easy task, and they drew Baylor as their three.

The Aggies are a solid team from the free throw line, but commit lots of turnovers. In order to knock off the Bears, New Mexico State needs to play better than normal across the board, as their struggles from three and taking care of the ball are major liabilities.

54. Winthrop Eagles

Record: 26-6 (15-3 Big South)

Seed: 13 in the South

Winthrop plays at a fast pace and is one of the shortest teams in the entire country. They are led by 5’7″ guard Keon Johnson, who averages 22.5 points per game. He is joined by Xavier Cooks (16.3 points per game) to make a lethal duo. Butler is a very tough first round opponent, but on top of their outstanding wins, they have shown the ability to lose games to underdogs.

In the history of Butler, however, they are 8-0 against teams who are seeded below them. The Eagles are a very good defensive team who allows teams to shoot just 40.5 percent from the field, but they will need to have a great game to defeat the Bulldogs.

53. East Tennessee State Buccaneers

Record: 27-7 (17-4 Southern)

Seed: 13 in the East

In the first round, East Tennessee State is matched up with the Florida Gators. In their two games against the RPI top-50, the Buccaneers went 0-2 but were pretty close throughout. They lost to UNC-Wilmington by nine and Dayton by 14.

East Tennessee State scores close to 80 points per contest, which is hard to defend, but their first-round opponent Florida has the 2nd best scoring defense in the country. It is going to take a lot to upset the Gators, who do not have a single loss outside of the top-50.

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