NCAA Basketball: 10 teams primed to lose early in 2023 NCAA Tournament

Virginia

In a season where the ACC has fallen wildly short of expectations, Virginia continues to be a relative strength of the league. The Cavaliers have sat at or near the top of the league standings for most of the season and have been the top-ranked ACC team for much of the year as well. They got nice wins over Baylor and Illinois back in November and have mostly taken care of business in the weeks and months since, relying on a talented rotation of players.

Point guard Kihei Clark is in his fifth and final season and is the lone link from their title-winning team in 2019. Former Indiana guard Armaan Franklin is the Cavaliers’ leading scorer this season while Jayden Gardner has been key in the frontcourt. Aside from these three seniors, Ohio transfer Ben Vander Plas has been a solid addition to Tony Bennett’s lineup while guards like Reece Beekman and Kadin Shedrick play roles as well.

Defense has always been the key to Bennett’s system, but offensive failings continue to make this team fallible in the postseason. Just a few days ago, the Cavaliers somehow put up just 48 points in a terrible loss at Boston College. Few have forgotten the UMBC loss from 2018, and the Cavaliers were upset in the opening round the last time they danced as well. If the offense doesn’t show up, their defense this year won’t be enough to stop a talented mid-major squad from shooting their way to victory.

It’s possible that none of these teams are upset in this year’s NCAA Tournament, but they’re all certainly teams that we could see losing early. Which of these ten do you think will get taken out far earlier than we expect in the Big Dance?