The NCAA basketball season is a long and winding road. This season began way back in early November and a lot has happened in the four months since then. Players have shined, some coaches have been fired, memorable moments happen on a weekly basis around the nation. It’s impossible for every team to have a good season, and that’s especially true as we reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
The Tournament’s opening weekend was nothing short of dramatic, with impressive performances by some teams and amazing upset wins by others. We had a few last-second shots and lifetime memories made for players, coaches, and fans alike. The college basketball season boils down to what happens in the NCAA Tournament, but it’s a journey to get here.
These players and coaches work for years to get to this point and it all has to come together right for these programs to be successful. We’re talking about long before the Tournament even begins; these players need to find the right situations and the same is true for the coaches. Obviously, it’s important to see things play out during the season, with the play of teams like Purdue and Marquette this season showing that preseason expectations don’t mean everything.
However, we’re going to be doing exactly that by looking back at the preseason expectations. Specifically, we’ll be looking at the preseason Top 25 rankings and examining how the seasons went or have gone for each of these teams. Some teams have fallen short of the mark while others are living up to those preseason expectations. We’ll be looking into all of that and more ahead, with just nine of these teams still alive in the NCAA Tournament for the Sweet Sixteen and a few not even in the Tournament field.