Bracketology 2023: 5 conferences with teams that can bust your bracket
![Florida Atlantic Owls guard Alijah Martin (15) does the Gator Chomp after in the second half after defeating the Gators. The Florida Gators menÕs basketball team hosted the Florida Atlantic Owls at Billy Donovan Court at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, FL on Monday, November 14, 2022. Florida Atlantic defeated Florida 76-74. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]Gai Ufbasketballfau](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F93c246987712840be555b192871cc8313e82565e9149eb9239d56032b35c1134.jpg "Florida Atlantic Owls guard Alijah Martin (15) does the Gator Chomp after in the second half after defeating the Gators. The Florida Gators menÕs basketball team hosted the Florida Atlantic Owls at Billy Donovan Court at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, FL on Monday, November 14, 2022. Florida Atlantic defeated Florida 76-74. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]Gai Ufbasketballfau")
MAC – Toledo Rockets and Kent State Golden Flashes
No matter who comes out victorious in Saturday’s Mid-American final, either the top-seeded Toledo Rockets or No. 2 Kent State Golden Flashes are capable of surprising people in the NCAA Tournament. The two teams enter tomorrow’s final with identical 27-6 records. The Rockets have now won 17 in a row since losing on Jan. 10 to, you guessed it Kent State. Their opponents have won nine of 10 since they were defeated by Akron, the team they dispatched in the semifinals to reach the title game.
Toledo is one of the best offensive teams in the country that few people talk about. Tod Kowalczyk’s team averages over 85 points per game and has two players averaging 16 or more points per game, RayJ Dennis and JT Shumate. They are 8th in offensive efficiency, 4th in the country in effective field goal percentage, and the No. 2 team in the country in three-point percentage. Like a lot of successful teams at the mid-major level, Toledo is extremely good at valuing the basketball. They are 7th best in turnover percentage and are thieves on the defensive end with nearly seven steals per game.
Kent State on the other hand is more defensive-minded. They are 37th in defensive efficiency and are a top-55 team on the defensive end when it comes to effective field goal percentage, three-point defense, two-point defense, turnover percentage, steal percentage, and block percentage. For Rob Senderoff’s defense, 70 is the magic number. Only six times this season have they allowed 70 or more, and four of those are losses.
Next. Evaluating remaining bubble teams. dark
It’s the defense that has made them a menace all year long and because of that three of their losses early in the season were to Charleston, Houston, and Gonzaga by a combined 14 points. No matter who wins the MAC, coaches will not want to see their name pop up as an opponent.