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

By Lukas Harkins

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)
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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CHAPEL HILL, NC – JANUARY 27: Freeman
CHAPEL HILL, NC – JANUARY 27: Freeman /

44. NC State Wolfpack

No. 9 seed in the Midwest Region, 21-11 (11-7 ACC)

NC State enters the tournament in a bit of a rough start. That have dropped two of their last three games to sub-par opponents in Boston College and Georgia Tech. Thankfully, there was a semi-quality win sandwiched between them in the form of a home victory over Louisville. This is not the ideal way to trend heading into the Big Dance but the Wolfpack should be in good shape. Allerick Freeman (15.4 points), Omer Yurtseven (13.8 points, 6.9 rebounds), and Torin Dorn (13.8 points, 6.1 rebounds) are difficult covers for just about any team in the country. NC State has consistently played up to the level of their opponents this season. Their first-round matchup is against the senior-laden Seton Hall Pirates.

43. Loyola-Chicago Ramblers

No. 11 seed in the South Region, 28-5 (15-3 MVC)

Loyola-Chicago will be one of the most common first-round upset picks this year. The Ramblers have already shown the ability to knock off good teams this season and they have one of the best overall records in the land. They have the ability to slow down any game and play at their pace. On the season, the team is giving up just 62.2 points per game (5th in the country). Loyola-Chicago is coming into the tournament on a 10-game winning streak and there is no reason to believe that they cannot keep that up. Even though do not attempt a ton of 3-pointers, they rank in the top-20 nationally in percentage from deep (39.8%). They will be a tough out for the Miami Hurricanes in the first round.

42. Florida State Seminoles

No. 9 seed in the West Region, 20-11 (9-9 ACC)

Florida State has one of the most well-rounded offenses in the country. They consistently score around 80 points per game despite not having a single scorer putting up over 15 points per game. In order to make this work, there are nine Florida State players averaging between 6-14 points per game. This incredible balance and depth make them very difficult to match up with for 40 minutes. Their bench Is excellent and can often times be the difference-maker in games. However, their lack of an elite go-to scorer makes them vulnerable in March for late-game situations. If FSU makes it past Missouri, their first-round matchup, though, they will likely get an NCAA Tournament rematch with Xavier.

41. Kansas State Wildcats

No. 9 seed in the South Region, 22-11 (10-8 Big 12)

Behind the two-headed monster of Dean Wade (16.5 points) and Barry Brown (16.0 points), Kansas State has a chance to beat anyone. These two have the ability to erupt at any moment and have takeover gene. Kansas State consistently moved up seed lines to end the season and belong in an 8/9 game. Under Bruce Weber, the program is trending back in the right direction and an NCAA Tournament win would be a great step. They have a difficult first round matchup against Creighton, a high-powered offense with a few defensive stoppers, before a potential meeting with Virginia, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.

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