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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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 16: Wooten #14 of the Oregon Ducks celebrates. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 16: Wooten #14 of the Oregon Ducks celebrates. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Dancing on the fringe

48. Temple Owls (23-9, 13-5 AAC) – No. 11 seed

Temple barely squeaked into the NCAA Tournament but they are not a team that I think is really a major threat for a deep run. They hold just two wins over fellow NCAA Tournament teams are not all that battle-tested. Statistically, they are not ranked in the top-80 of adjusted offensive or defensive efficiency but they do a nice job winning the turnover battle in most games. Shizz Alston Jr. and Quinton Rose make up the dangerous upperclassmen backcourt of the Owls.

47. Ohio State Buckeyes (19-14, 8-12 B10) – No. 11 seed

Ohio State is a much better team with Kaleb Wesson on the court. That much was pretty evident while he was suspended down the stretch of the regular season and he will be playing in the NCAA Tournament. Considering this, it is important to think about this team as if they did not drop each of their last three regular-season games. With that said, though, they were not all that successful even with him on the court in conference play. The Buckeyes are just 7-13 since 2019 started and are not a safe team to bet on.

48. Saint Mary’s Gaels (22-11, 11-5 WCC) – No. 11 seed

Saint Mary’s needed to win the WCC Tournament in order to make the NCAA Tournament and they found a way to do so by defeating Gonzaga in a monster defensive performance. On the whole, this Gaels’ team is more talented than most give them credit for but it is important to mention that they are not all that battle-tested. That win over Gonzaga is their only victory over a tournament team. Predictive metrics, though, love the Gaels as one of the best offensive teams in the nation despite the fact that they are dead-last in the country in assists per made field goal. Defensively, they do a great job limiting ball movement and 3-point attempts. Jordan Ford is the player to watch for SMC.

45. Arizona State Sun Devils (22-10, 12-6 P12) – No. 11 seed

One of the more “hit or miss” teams in the field, Arizona State is very consistent. They posted a relatively strong season on the whole but only received an at-large bid due to their strong collection of top-tier wins. They also included multiple Q3/4 losses on their resume and have shown the ability to play either really well or very poorly. The Sun Devils play at a fast pace, get to the free throw line a lot (but struggle there), and rebound well. Thankfully, their core is quite young and is led by a star in freshman Luguentz Dort.

44. Oregon Ducks (23-12, 10-8 P12) – No. 12 seed

Oregon really turned it on down the stretch. After sitting at 15-12 (6-8) earlier in the year, Dana Altman’s squad hit a new gear to push themselves into the NCAA Tournament. Given the status of the Pac-12 this year, the Ducks’ only shot to reach the Big Dance was to win the conference tournament and they did just that. Oregon is entering the NCAA Tournament on an eight-game winning streak and as one of the hotter teams in the field. Payton Pritchard is the kind of floor general that can cause a lot of opponents problems. The Ducks are also an excellent defensive team on the whole with their ability to shut down the perimeter and the paint.

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