NCAA Tournament: Ranking all 68 teams in the Big Dance

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 19: The Cameron Crazies taunt Ty Jerome #11 of the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half of their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 19, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 72-70. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 16: Paschall #4 of the Villanova Wildcats cuts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Preseason darlings

24. Maryland Terrapins (22-10, 13-7 B10) – No. 6 seed

When Maryland is playing well, they are very hard to beat. The issue, though, is that their tremendous amount of youth has also led to inconsistencies throughout this season. The Terps have basically alternated wins and losses ever since starting 7-1 in Big Ten play and that makes them one of the shakier teams on the No. 6 line. With that said, though, their frontcourt of Jalen Smith and Bruno Fernando will be difficult for anyone to match up with.

23. Villanova Wildcats (25-9, 13-5 BE) – No. 6 seed

Villanova largely disappointed this year but it is hard to argue with the fact that they won both the Big East regular-season and tournament titles. Head coach Jay Wright is simply one of the best in the business and his team is led by two elite seniors this year. On the whole, these Wildcats are not the same as the past three seasons but Phil Booth and Eric Paschall could take this team on a sizable run. Villanova is not one of the teams that I would bet against in the NCAA Tournament because of their senior leadership and coaching acumen.

22. Mississippi State Bulldogs (23-10, 10-8 SEC) – No. 5 seed

Mississippi State has flown under-the-radar throughout most of this season despite having high expectations heading into the year. The Bulldogs are one of the more experienced units in the country and have won their fair share of quality games as well. They are quite deserving of landing a No. 5 seed but I also think that they lack the “pop” needed to make a super deep run in the Big Dance. Mississippi State features a highly-efficient offense and also blocks their fair amount of shots on the other end of the floor.

21. Nevada Wolf Pack (29-4, 15-3 MWC) – No. 7 seed

Nevada entered this season as a top-10 team in the country and finished the year with only four losses. On the whole, it is hard to say that it has really been a disappointing year to this point but that is probably the truth. With that said, though, the most important games are still coming up. With plenty of experience and a well-balanced roster, the Wolf Pack definitely have what it takes to make a deep run. With that said, though, they have only beaten two NCAA Tournament teams all year.

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