Busting Brackets
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NCAA Tournament: Ranking all 68 teams in the Big Dance

By Lukas Harkins

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)
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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SACRAMENTO, CA – MARCH 17: The Iona Gaels mascot performs. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA – MARCH 17: The Iona Gaels mascot performs. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Who wants to be the next UMBC?

68. NC Central Eagles (18-15, 10-6 MEAC) – No. 16 seed

Led by head coach LeVelle Moton, NC Central is back in the NCAA Tournament. They may not have won the MEAC regular-season title but ran through the conference tournament to snag the automatic bid. They are led on the year by a quartet of seniors that includes 6-foot-8 Raasean Davis, who averages 14.6 points per game. The Eagles, though, are among the worst teams in the country when it comes to turning the ball over.

67. Prairie View A&M Panthers (22-12, 17-1 SWAC) – No. 16 seed

Prairie View A&M has only lost one game since 2019 started. I think that pretty much explains how hot this team is. With that said, though, they play in one of the worst leagues in the country and it would be a mistake to overlook the fact that they started the year just 1-11. The Panthers get to the free throw line at an astronomical rate (44.2% – 3rd nationally) and also do a great job forcing turnovers on the defensive end (24.7% – 2nd). They likely won’t cause a No. 1 seed problems but who knows?

66. Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (20-13, 12-6 NE) – No. 16 seed

Fairleigh Dickinson is entering the NCAA Tournament on a bit of a roll. After starting Northeast Conference play at just 1-4, the Knights have won 14 of their last 16 games to reach this point. They are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation (40.5% – 5th) and can really catch fire from beyond the arc. For the year, they have been led by senior guard Darnell Edge, who averaged 16.4 points on 46.9% shooting from distance.

65. Iona Gaels (17-15, 12-6 MAAC) – No. 16 seed

Tim Cluess is a master when it comes to winning the MAAC Tournament. As the leader of the Gaels, his team has now won the automatic bid in four consecutive seasons as they seriously run the postseason in the conference. With regards to this season, Iona did not have any “resume-defining” wins but they have won their last 10 games. They are led on the year by E.J. Crawford, a 6-foot-6 junior who is averaging 17.9 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting .509/.391/.818 from the field.

64. North Dakota State Bison (18-15, 9-7 Sum) – No. 16 seed

North Dakota State is one of the more battle-tested No. 16 seeds due to their non-conference matchups with teams such as New Mexico State, Gonzaga, and Iowa State. They did, though, lost all three of those games and they will likely not be a threat to advance in the Big Dance. With that said, though, they take care of the ball offensively, make free throws at a high rate, and attempt a ton of 3-pointers. If they are able to knock down their looks from distance, the Bison may hang around longer than most would expect.

63. Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs (23-11, 10-6 BSo) – No. 16 seed

Arguably the best offensive team on the No. 16 line, Gardner-Webb has the ability to fill it up. Despite the fact that they are abysmal on the offensive glass, the Runnin’ Bulldogs score the ball extremely well and also get to the free throw line at a high rate. They definitely struggle on the defensive end of the floor but don’t let their opponents shoot a ton of free throws. Senior David Efianayi (18.3 ppg) is the player to watch but freshman Jose Perez (15.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg) has a bright future.

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