March Madness 2019: Buy or Sell Texas Tech, LSU, Purdue and Houston?
By TJ Miller
The NCAA Tournament is all about seeding. So let’s take a look at the 3 seeds in 2019 with buy or sell.
The numbers tell an interesting tale regarding the fate of 3 seeds in March Madness. After scrapping together just 14 NCAA tournament wins from 2014 – 2016, 3 seeds have shown well in the last two tournaments tallying 19 wins. Last year Michigan snuck all the way into the NCAA Tournament Championship, and 2017 saw Oregon climb its way to the Final Four. The last 3 seed to win it all Connecticut back in 2011.
It may not seem like it but 3 seeds have performed comparably to 2 seeds in recent years and arguably even better. Perhaps this has been due to less pressure or maybe it’s just a coincidence. Either way, 3 seeds should be taken seriously as Final Four contenders. And we’ve seen in past years that once there, it’s anyone’s game.
The 2019 NCAA Tournament features four teams that each won at least a share of their respective regular season titles. Houston impressively won the AAC fairly easily with a 16-2 record. LSU finished atop the SEC on strength of 16 wins as well. And Texas Tech and Purdue both shared in Big 12 and Big Ten titles, capping off solid conference campaigns.
League success is great, but the NCAA Tournament is a new ballgame. Plenty of teams with great seasons have seen things quickly come to a crashing halt in March. Which is why I’m looking at these teams in the context of their region. Sell means I see that particular team as doing no more than expected. In other words Sweet Sixteen at the very most. Buy means I’m more confident in the team to not only reach the 2nd weekend of the NCAA Tourney, but perhaps even the Final Four. Let’s get started!