Busting Brackets
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March Madness: Three biggest surprises to get bids to the 2018 NCAA Tournament

By Brad Cavallaro

SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts to a play against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at the Carrier Dome on February 3, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts to a play against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at the Carrier Dome on February 3, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 19: Bobby Hurley, head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils, during the game against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on January 19, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 19: Bobby Hurley, head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils, during the game against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on January 19, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Arizona State Sun Devils

Arizona State had an even crazier roller-coaster season than Oklahoma had, which is as improbable as it sounds. The Sun Devils reached the top three of the AP Poll after beating two future number one seeds (Kansas and Xavier) away from home.

This is the sole reason that the Sun Devils have clung to a spot in the NCAA Tournament field. When you add wins over Kansas State, San Diego State, USC, and UCLA you can see how important quality wins away from home are and why ASU received a bid.

Arizona State did everything they possibly could to lose their bid. Their RPI fell to 66 and they racked up losses to teams outside the tournament field. Although, their only truly bad loss was at Oregon State.

You cannot argue that the Sun Devils are the same team now that they were in December. They have some excellent senior guards in Tra Holder, Shannon Evans, and Kodi Justice, but finished the season with one win in their last six games.

Normally a team with this much offensive firepower would be considered a sleeper in a single elimination format, but Arizona State has played so poorly that I doubt they make it past Syracuse in the opening round. Their main issue is on the defensive end where they rank 124th in defensive efficiency (per KenPom).

However, as strange as this sounds, I am okay with their inclusion. November and December HAS to matter. If those games are deemed less important and have fewer stakes then why should anyone watch them? Why not wait until conference play, when the games matter, to follow college hoops?

Next: 3 teams to avoid picking in your brackets

For the sake of keeping college basketball relevant, teams need to schedule tough games in the non-conference and those wins need to be heavily rewarded, or else there is no incentive to challenge yourself. Playing a Saint Mary’s schedule should keep you from the NCAA Tournament because it actively hurts the sport, in a time where it is desperately in need of viewers and interest.

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