March Madness: Ranking the 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament field

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 10: The Villanova Wildcats celebrate with the championship trophy after their overtime win over the Providence Friars during the championship game of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 10, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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LAWRENCE, KS – NOVEMBER 21: Mike Davis head coach of the Texas Southern Tigers reacts to a foul call against his team during a game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on November 21, 2017 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

68. North Carolina Central Eagles

No. 16 seed in the West Region, 18-15 (9-7 MEAC)

Coached by former star LeVelle Moton, the Eagles ran the table in the MEAC. Despite being the No. 6 in the conference tournament, the team won four games, including one over the conference favorite, to take the automatic bid for the conference. The overall season record is not impressive and it seems unlikely that this is a Cinderella team this year. Yet, why not have some hope. Junior big man Raasean Davis is a difficult matchup because of his size (6’8″, 270 lbs). He averaged 15.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game during the regular season.

67. Texas Southern Tigers

No. 16 seed in the West Region, 15-19 (12-6 SWAC)

Despite going just 3-13 in a daunting non-conference schedule, Texas Southern played well in the SWAC. They held a 12-6 record heading into the conference tournament and ran away with back-to-back double-digit victories to snag the automatic bid. Even though the competition has not been the best in the land, the Tigers’ seven-game winning streak should not be ignored. Mike Davis’ team is led by senior guard Donte Clark (18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds) and 5’7″ sophomore Demontrae Jefferson (23.4 points).

66. LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds

No. 16 in the East Region, 18-16 (10-8 NEC)

Led by a pair of juniors in Joel Hernandez (20.9 points) and Raiquan Clark (17.4 points, 7.1 rebounds), the Blackbirds were an underdog in the NEC Tournament. Yet, they churned through the bracket and snagged wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Wagner along the way. This victory over Wagner is their only win in either Quadrant 1 or 2. The team has gone on winning streaks of three, four, and five at different points this season.

65. Radford Highlanders

No. 16 in the East Region, 22-12 (12-6 Big South)

While their adjusted defensive efficiency ranks near the middle of the nation (170th), Radford’s slow pace allows them to pose mismatches. If they can control the speed of the game, they have the ability to hang with good teams for longer than most would expect. The Highlanders ranked 14th in the nation in points allowed per game (64.4). Ed Polite Jr. is the leading scorer for the team, averaging 13.5 points in addition to his 7.7 rebounds per game.

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