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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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 13: Ponds #2 of the St. John’s Red Storm celebrates. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 13: Ponds #2 of the St. John’s Red Storm celebrates. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Who knows?

43. Murray State Racers (27-4, 16-2 OVC) – No. 12 seed

Murray State is entering the Big Dance as one of the hottest teams in the field. The Racers have won 11 consecutive games and they are led by an absolute stud in Ja Morant. By now, I am sure that you have heard Morant’s name and have already booked out your schedule to watch him play. He is that special and his supporting cast is strong enough to potentially make the Racers a Cinderella candidate this year.

42. Iowa Hawkeyes (22-11, 10-10 B10) – No. 10 seed

Iowa is not exactly entering the NCAA Tournament on a hot streak. Over the past few weeks of the season, the Hawkeyes dropped five of their last six games as they finally lost their “late-game mojo”. With that said, though, they have the kind of explosive offense that could catch fire and rattle off several wins in the Big Dance. Four different players average in double-figures for the Hawkeyes while Tyler Cook leads the way and Jordan Bohannon owns the clutch gene on the roster.

41. Oklahoma Sooners (19-13, 7-11 B12) – No. 9 seed

Despite posting a conference record that was well under .500, the Sooners still made the NCAA Tournament this season and by a significant margin. Head coach Lon Kruger‘s team rode an elite non-conference schedule and strong defensive play to make the Big Dance and they could be a tough out. This team is extremely battle-tested and they rarely make mistakes on the defensive end of the floor. The only way to really beat the Sooners is by hitting tough shots. On the offensive end, Christian James is OU’s star.

40. Saint John’s Red Storm (21-12, 8-10 BE) – No. 11 seed

St. John’s definitely underachieved this year compared to the amount of talent on its roster. They have lost a ton of head-scratching games but they also have some excellent wins. When on their game, the Red Storm look every bit of a top-25 team. The issue, though, is that does not happen all that often. Shamorie Ponds, though, is the kind of player who could catch fire and carry his team to the second weekend, especially when you consider a strong core of players around him. Their lack of depth could be concerning considering they play in the First Four, though.

39. Belmont Bruins (26-5, 16-2 OVC) – No. 11 seed

Belmont sneaked into the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid and everyone should be excited. They were one of the better mid-major teams all season long and I am glad that the committee did not simply overlook the 14-game winning streak that they had heading into the OVC final. One of the more efficient offenses in the country, the Bruins are very dangerous on that end of the floor and also play a frenetic pace. On the defensive end of the floor, they do a nice job limiting ball movement and preventing open looks from three. They are led by a superstar forward in Dylan Windler. Remember the name.

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