NCAA Tournament: Ranking all 68 teams in the Big Dance
It’s happened before…
62. Abilene Christian Wildcats (27-6, 14-4 Slnd) – No. 15 seed
Abilene Christian boasts a very strong record, on the whole, but they played one of the easiest schedules in the entire nation. With that said, though, they can still be quite dangerous due to their proficiency from beyond the arc (38.3% – 19th nationally) and ability to create turnovers on the defensive end (23.4% – 8th). These two factors make them capable of getting out to an early lead and maybe they can fend off runs by hitting trifectas or coming away with steals.
61. Bradley Braves (20-14, 9-9 MVC) – No. 15 seed
Bradley was not the best team in the MVC during the regular season but they definitely earned the automatic bid by winning three games in three days. Additionally, each of their conference tournament games was decided by three or fewer points. The Braves are relatively weak on the offensive end of the floor but they can definitely do some damage from beyond the arc. On the defensive end of the floor, they really slow down their opponents and block their fair share of shots as well.
60. Colgate Raiders (24-10, 13-5 Pat) – No. 15 seed
Colgate is entering the NCAA Tournament on an 11-game winning streak and that should not be overlooked. They are definitely playing their best basketball of the season at this point in time and their offense has climbed into the top-75 of the country be adjusted efficiency metrics. What makes the Raiders so dangerous, though, is that they shoot 39.1% from beyond the arc while attempting trifectas at a very high rate. If they catch fire, their first-round opponent (Tennessee) could be in trouble for a little while.
59. Montana Grizzlies (26-8, 16-4 BSky) – No. 15 seed
Another team that can really let it fly from beyond the arc, Montana shoots 38.1% from three and also finishes quite well inside the arc. On the whole, the Grizzlies are ranked in the top-10 nationally in effective field goal percentage and their offense could be potentially dangerous in the Big Dance. On the other end of the floor, Montana does a nice job defensively rebounding and limiting ball movement although they give up free throw attempts and relatively high shooting percentages.
58. Northern Kentucky Norse (26-8, 13-5 Horz) – No. 15 seed
Northern Kentucky really moves the ball well. One of the more fundamentally sound teams in the nation, the Norse actively seek out their best shot possible on each possession and they rarely turn the ball over. For reference, they rank fifth in the nation in assists per field goal made and 116th in turnover rate. They also rebound the ball quite well on both ends although they allow opponents to shoot a high rate from 3-point range. Senior forward Drew McDonald is the star of the team.
57. Yale Bulldogs (22-7, 10-4 Ivy) – No. 15 seed
One of the more efficient mid-major offenses in the country, Yale scores well both inside and beyond the arc. They also play a fast pace that can be hard to contain To put it simply, they should not have any problems scoring in the NCAA Tournament. On the downside, though, their defense is not all that great and could be torn apart. The Bulldogs kept their opponents’ shooting percentages relatively low but their efficiency measures as adjusted for opponent rank near the middle of the entire nation on the defensive end.