The dust has settled on Selection Sunday. North Carolina was very generously given a spot in the NCAA Tournament field. West Virginia was unfairly left out, and the SEC earned fourteen bids - a new record for any conference - ever. So now it's time for the yearly right of passage, to fill out your bracket. Maybe you are a diehard college hoops fan and you want to study some statistical tendencies, or maybe you are a casual observer who only watches hoops during March Madness (Welcome! but also - shame on you!).
Fear not, we have you covered either way. We'll give you a highlight or two about every single team in the tournament, to help you win your office pool. And if not, well at least you'll learn some stats and I promise to list each school's mascot in case that is the deciding factor in making your picks. Let's dig in, shall we?
Note: All efficiency ratings per: https://kenpom.com/
SOUTH REGION
(1) Auburn (28-5): Well deserving #1 overall seed, the Tigers have actually lost 3 of the last 4 games. Historically great regular season, but the defense has shown cracks of late. Johni Broome will battle Duke's Cooper Flagg for National Player of the Year.
(16) Alabama State (19-15): The Hornets are undersized but play with tempo & athleticism. They take care of the basketball but are one of the worst teams in the country in 2pt field goal percentage (344th nationally)
(8) Louisville (27-7): Cardinals rebirth has been completed after last year's 8-24 season. Solid on both sides of the ball, and have only lost twice since December 14th. Cards may play with a chip on their shoulder after many thought a better seed was inevitable.
(9) Creighton (24-10): Blue Jays are experienced and goodness can they shoot. 2nd best scoring team in the country. They have a bend but don't break strategy on defense, built behind defensive savant big man Ryan Kalkbrenner.
(5) Michigan (25-9): Wolverines, winners of the Big Ten tournament - win with defense (14th in the nation). When they get shots they can really score, but their Achilles heel has been an uncommonly high amount of turnovers (328th ranked). If they limit turnovers they are Final Four good.
(12) UC San Diego (30-4): Well, well, well - I see what you did committee. Michigan ranks nearly last in Div. 1 in turnovers, and the Tritons are 2nd in the country in forcing turnovers. Guard Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones is simply must-watch TV - averaging 20 points per game. He'll be the best guard on the floor for either team. Game on.
(4) Texas A&M (22-10): If you like teams that try REALLY REALLY hard, and hustle....then the Aggies are for you. They can't shoot, like at all, but they are the nation's best rebounding team. Basically, they throw the ball at the rim so they can put it back in at a closer distance. It seems to work.
(13) Yale (22-7): Bulldogs shoot and make lots of 3s. Really skilled offensively, and disciplined on the defensive side. Don't dismiss the brilliant Ivy League Champs (Princeton made a Sweet 16 two years ago).
(6) Ole Miss (22-11): Rebels are the traditional Chris Beard team - they never turn the ball over, they create turnovers and they hand their hat on the defensive side of the ball. Battled tested in the rugged SEC.
(11) North Carolina (22-13): Should the Tar Heels have made the tournament? No. But, here we are, and even though they have struggled mightily vs. top teams (1-13 Quad 1) they are still very talented, especially on the offensive side of the ball. RJ Davis can score in bunches and the Tar Heels showed their high ceiling Tuesday night in the First Four, in a dominant win over San Diego State.
(3) Iowa State (24-9): The last few years the Cyclones have been elite on defense but just could never score the ball well enough to truly be a national title contender. This year, they can. Top 20 offense, Top 10 defense, and no true glaring weaknesses. This might finally be the year for a Final Four run for a starving fanbase.
(14) Lipscomb (25-9): Beware, the Bison are sneaky good. They control tempo with a slow pace, and they are a Top 20 shooting team. They scheduled tough in the non-conference, including games with Arkansas & Kentucky so they won't be scared.
(7) Marquette (23-10): Shaka Smart's Golden Eagles create havoc on the floor, lots of turnovers and lots of athleticism. They began the year 18-3 and were on the 2-seed-ish path until they struggled down the stretch. A fresh start in the tournament (and away from Big East foes) might just be what the doctor ordered.
(10) New Mexico (26-7): We can't have only one Pitino coaching in this tournament......Richard's team is back again, this time with Mountain West Player of the Year - Donovan Dent. Dent is absolutely lethal from three point range at 42%. Lobos's regular season resume suggested an 8 or 9 seed - so Marquette got a tough opening draw.
(2) Michigan State (27-6): January, February, Izzo....... The Spartans are less talented than in recent years, but the sum of the parts & fantastic chemistry has created Izzo's best TEAM in recent memory. Oh, and dazzling ultra-talented Jase Richardon (yes, he's the son of former Spartan star Jason Richardson) has the chance to become a star over the next few weeks.
(15) Bryant (23-11): Speaking of sons, the Bulldogs are coached by Phill Martelli Jr. Bryant loves to play at a fast tempo (7th nationally) and while they are undersized, they've dominated their American East Conference, having only lost twice since the calendar flipped to 2025.
WEST REGION
(1) Florida (30-4): Up until about a week ago, there was a major debate on who would be the final #1 seed. Enter the Gators. The best offense in the country and winners of 12 of their last 13 games......in the best basketball conference....ever.
(16) Norfolk State (24-10): In 2012, the Spartans were a 15-seed, and upset Missouri. Will history repeat? Likely not, but Norfolk does have a recipe to hang around the Gators. They play at a slow tempo, draw a lot of fouls, and shoot it well from the free-throw line.
(8) UConn (23-10): This version of the Huskies are not the defensive-minded monsters of the back-to-back Nation Champions. In fact, they rank 94th in the country defensively. But the good news is they can score and they will have a chip on their shoulder being an 8-seed. Danny Hurley gets to play the underdog card if they advance past round 1.
(9) Oklahoma (20-13): Head Coach Porter Moser once led his Loyola-Chicago team to a Final Four as an 11-seed. So anything is possible. Sooners started the season a perfect 13-0 in the non-conference season, but then had to grind their way through a tough SEC. An escape from the SEC conference sure sounds appealing for the Sooners.
(5) Memphis (29-5): The Tigers have a sparkling record, and some fantastic wins, but have the knack for playing very close games. Lead guard PJ Haggerty is fantastic, and so is his running mate Tyrese Hunter - who the Tigers hope to get back from injury in round 1. They are going to need him......
(12) Colorado State (25-9): The Rams started the season slowly, but have been one of the hottest teams in the country over the past month, including winning the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Head coach Niko Medved is underrated, and guard Nique Clifford (a future NBA player) is truly one of the best players in the entire tournament. Do yourself a favor and watch this one on Friday afternoon.
(4) Maryland (25-8): Fear the Turtle. The Terrapins truly have no major weaknesses. They are supremely talented and have a nice blend of experience & youth with a freshman, soon-to-be NBA player, big man Derik Queen.
(13) Grand Canyon (26-7): Antelopes (yes, you read that correctly) head coach Bryce Drew once hit a game-winning 3-point shot to lead his 13-seeded Valpo team over Ole Miss in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. He's leading a 13 seed again, this time from the sidelines. Lopes are making their fourth appearance in the last five seasons. Experienced and solid defensively.
(6) Missouri (22-11): Tigers were 0-18 in SEC games last season, and returned 4 of 5 starters to become one of the feel-good stories of the season. Who says kids don't stick it out these days? A determined and experienced group that can really score the ball (5th best offense in the country)
(11) Drake (30-3): Bulldogs play at the slowest tempo in the entire country. Literally 364th out of 364 teams. They play at a turtle's pace, they limit possessions in the game, and they make an 8-point lead feel like 20. Cinderella might be from Des Moines this year........
(3) Texas Tech (25-8): In all of the games throughout the entire season, the Red Raiders own the most impressive win, an 82-81 OT win AT Houston. It remains the only blemish from a Houston team going back to NOVEMBER 30TH(!). If you can accomplish that, you are Final Four good. Big 12 Player of the Year, JT Toppin leads an experienced and gritty team.
(14) UNC Wilmington (27-7): The Seahawks are sneaky good on both sides of the ball, and won a very underrated Coastal Athletic Association Tournament. 5th-year senior Donovan Newby is a dynamic point guard with boatloads of experience. Guards win in March, so they won't be an easy out.
(7) Kansas (21-12): The Jayhawks entered the season with great expectations, including the #1 team, according to several publications. While the season hasn't been a complete failure, it's been below the historically great standard that Bill Self has set. The good news for KU fans, they finally get a fresh start. Somehow a team with such high early-season expectations might very well become a surprise Sweet 16 team. Life is funny.
(10) Arkansas (20-13): Coach Calipari's team was left for dead as he made a homecoming trip to Kentucky on February 1st. Little did anyone know that an upset win in Lexington would lead to a late-season charge and a trip to the big dance. The Razorbacks are athletic but can struggle mightily offensively at times. DJ Wagner has All-American talent when he is right. What a fun matchup between two Hall Of Fame coaches.
(2) St. John's (30-4): Rick Pitino is truly one of the great all-time basketball minds. In an era of transfers and fans questioning the commitment to programs - the St. John's players have bought in and play at an absolute maximum effort level. They boast the best defense in all of the land.....and likely the best coach too.
(15) Omaha (22-12): Welcome to the Big Dance, Mavericks! Omaha has a simple winning recipe. Score. A very solid offensive team, and a shield-your-eyes type defensive team. So that just might play and keep the game close vs. a St. John's team that often struggles to score.
EAST REGION
(1) Duke (31-3): Statistical metrics point to Duke (not Auburn) as the best team in the land. Speaking of the best, they have the best player in the country as well. Freshman Cooper Flagg (19 points, 8 rebounds & 4 assists per game). The only hangup for the Blue Devils currently, and it's a BIG one - Flagg injured his ankle in the ACC Tournament last week. Will he play? When will he play? Most think he will be back if/when Duke advances to the second round.
Duke plays the winner of Wednesday night's First Four game:
(16) American (22-12): America! Eagles! and they hail from the Patriot Conference. It's perfect. Except Duke awaits.......but first! The Eagles play at a snail's pace, but they jack up lots of 3s.
(16) Mount St. Mary's (22-12): The good news for the Mountaineers, they are subtly very good defensively, the bad news - is they have no regard for taking care of the ball on offense. They turn the ball over one out of every five possessions.
(8) Mississippi State (21-12): Bulldogs are good at everything EXCEPT the following: making 3s, and guarding 3s. They are kinda like a Honda Civic. Incredibly reliable, solid - but not fancy.
(9) Baylor (19-14): A slightly disappointing regular season for a very talented but inconsistent roster. If the Bulldogs are a Honda Civic, the Bears are a Lamborghini. Maybe not great gas mileage but if they get going, watch out. Oh and by the way, I see what you did selection committee - Baylor's point guard Jeremy Roach was a four-year starter for Duke......
(5) Oregon (24-9): Ducks are athletic and have the propensity for winning close games late. Oh, and here's a fun nugget - head coach Dana Altman is 8-0(!) in first-round games as Oregon's head coach.
(12) Liberty (28-6): Flames are dangerous. Both in life and regarding a very good Liberty team. Flames are 5th in the nation in 3-point shooting and 2nd nationally in overall 2-point shooting. A very entertaining team to watch. This one is gonna be fun.
(4) Arizona (22-12): The Wildcats senior star guard At times, he's brilliant & dominant; at other times, he's inefficient and baffling.is a roller coaster of emotion. At times he's brilliant & dominant, at other times he's inefficient and baffling. Either way, he must watch TV. Cats hammer teams on the boards with their size & length.
(13) Akron (28-6): The Zips (it's basically a kangaroo) are appropriately named. Akron plays at a frenetic and borderline chaotic pace. They are coached by John Groce, who has already taken a MAC team to the Sweet 16 in his career before..... (Ohio University in 2012).
(6) BYU (24-9): The Cougars play a beautiful style of basketball. They share the ball, limit turnovers, and shoot it well too. They aren't overly athletic, so at times, they can struggle in a track meet-type game. But when they are hitting their perimeter shots, they are just about unbeatable: re: a 91-57 drubbing of Kansas earlier this year.
(11) VCU (28-6): Computers love Ram(s). No seriously, VCU has been a metric darling all year. They rank first in the country in field goal defense. Which will come in very handy against a hot-shooting BYU team. Another dandy of a match of strength vs. strength. Buckle up this one will be close.
(3) Wisconsin (26-9): This ain't your father's slow, plodding, methodical Badgers. This year's version is an offensive juggernaut, headlined by one of the best wing players in the country, John Tonje. Badgers are also the best free-throw shooting team in the country. When they have leads late, it's game over.
(14) Montana (25-9): How cool is this? The Grizzlies' best player's name is Money Williams. He's been fantastic in March and is incredibly good at slashing to the rim and drawing fouls. His athleticism will create some problems for the Badgers. Their 250th-ranked defense will be under siege.
(7) Saint Mary's (28-5): Playing against the Gaels is an absolute grind. They slow the tempo, they play incredible defense (8th nationally) and they rebound the ball offensively - reset the shot clock and make you guard another 20 seconds. It's a frustrating style to play against, but lovely for the historically successful Gaels.
(10) Vanderbilt (20-12): The Commodores have made it back to the promise land under first-year head coach Mark Byington. If that name is familiar from March, he led a 12/5 upset in last season's NCAA Tournament when his James Madison team upset Wisconsin. Dores are led by ultra-aggressive Michigan State guard transfer AJ Hoggard who is NCAA Tournament battle-tested.
(2) Alabama (25-8): Last year Alabama made a Final Four with the 2nd best offense in the country & the 111th best defense in the country. They simply outscored the competition. This year the Crimson Tide ranked 4th nationally in offense (impressive again) & 32nd best defensively in the country. What a dangerous team.
(15) Robert Morris (26-8): The Colonials started the season 6-5, before winning twenty of their last twenty-three. They are scrappy, tough, and aggressive, especially on the offensive boards. Don't sleep on the Colonials, after all, it was just last year that Oakland (who also hails from the Horizon League) upset Kentucky as a 14-seed.
MIDWEST REGION
(1) Houston (30-4): On November 30th, Houston fell to San Diego State and their record dropped to 4-3. Since that day, 26-1. That includes a 22-1 Big 12 record. That's hard to do on Xbox, let alone in real life, let alone making trips to Kansas & Texas Tech. What makes Houston so dangerous? Yes, they again have their incredibly tough defense, but they also are the 4th best 3-point shooting team in the country.
(16) SIU Edwardsville (22-11): Welcome to the big dance for the first time SIUE! You can never have enough cougars at the dance. SIUE is at its best when the scores stay in the 60s, anything higher, and their offense likely won't be able to keep up. They did play at Illinois & Indiana in the non-conference - but a cage match with Houston is a completely different animal.
(8) Gonzaga (25-8): Did you know the Zags have the second longest streak of NCAA Tournament appearances at 26 (only Michigan State with 27 has a longer streak) Also, the Bulldogs have made 9 straight Sweet 16s. I mean those are crazy good numbers. While their roster isn't as talented as in recent years, they still have a dynamic Top 10 offense and one of the best coaches in the history of the sport in Mark Few.
(9) Georgia (20-12): Bulldogs vs. Bulldogs! Georgia is the equivalent of The Little Engine That Could. All season it seemed that they would run out of gas and come up short of the NCAA Tournament, but a four-game winning streak to close the regular season that included a sparkling win over Florida sealed a bid. Head coach Mike White (who previously coached at Florida) is 4-0 lifetime in the first round of the Tournament. Insert joke about a dog fight.......
(5) Clemson (27-6): The Tigers were one of only three teams to beat mighty Duke this year. They are balanced, and experienced (friendly reminder they made an Elite 8 run last year) and they have one of the great stories & hardest workers in college basketball - in forward Ian Schieffelin. He's a relentless competitor. He's basically the energizer bunny, but much bigger & stronger. Their metrics would suggest another deep run.
(12) McNeese (27-6): Does the name Will Wade sound familiar? Yes, the former LSU coach. He's back. In fact, his Cowboys are 57-10 over the last two years. They are sneaky talented and already gave Alabama all the Tide wanted in a close game back in November. They won't be intimidated. It's a Thursday afternoon tip time, so this might be what begins all of the Madness.
(4) Purdue (22-11): Two truths and a lie. Purdue has the reigning Big 10 player of the year in generationally good passing point guard Braden Smith (truth!). Purdue is yet again a fantastic offensive team - ranked in the Top 10 nationally (truth!) Purdue is yet again a Top 20 defensive team (lie!). The Boilermakers are offensively focused this year, and they really miss Zach Edey's presence inside on the defensive side of the ball. They have really struggled in the second half of the season against perimeter shooting teams........
(13) High Point (29-5): You know the part about Purdue struggling against teams that shoot it well.......umm......well...... the Panthers are a fantastic (Top 25 nationally good) offense. This game has all the makings of a high-scoring shootout. Buckle up, this one will be closer than you might think.
(6) Illinois (21-12): Ok, I have to be honest about something.....the Illini are a bit like a lottery ticket. They are enticing, and you just might not only win but win BIG. But then oftentimes you are left wanting more, wondering why you didn't win. You get the picture. The results thus far this season are both awesome (at times) and confounding (five minutes later). The roster is Final Four good if they play at their incredibly high ceiling.
Illinois plays the winner of Wednesday night's First Four game:
(11) Texas (19-15): The Longhorns battled their way into the NCAA Tournament with key wins over Vandy & rival Texas A&M in the SEC Tourney. Freshman guard (and soon-to-be NBA lottery pick) Tre Johnson is an absolute walking bucket. Goodness, can he score the ball.
(11) Xavier (22-11): Like North Carolina, Xavier struggled against top-tier teams (1-9 Quad 1) this year but was just about spotless against everyone else (20-2 vs. Quads 2-4). Sean Miller is back in his second stint as Musketeers' head coach and has a track record of first-round tournament wins.
(3) Kentucky (22-11): Mark Pope's first season has been a resounding success for the Wildcat faithful. What's crazy is the Cats had the exact same 3-seed last year, but it all felt so very different in John Calipari's last season. UK's offense is Final Four good, but it's been their defense that has been their Achilles heel. SDSU transfer Lamont Butler anchors their defense but has been sidelined by injuries of late. They will need him back if the Cats want to make a Final Four run to San Antonio.
(14) Troy (23-10): The Trojans are a well-coached, defensive-minded team that has already faced off against Arkansas, Oregon & Houston this season (with admittedly poor results). But NCAA Tournament game pressure is real and if Kentucky is shorthanded, Troy might just be able to hang around.
(7) UCLA (22-10): Mick Cronin's teams have a trademark of playing hard and being disciplined. Check & Check. Cronin's Bruins wear down their opponents with relentless pressure. Keep an eye on sophomore guard Eric Dailey, Jr. He shoots 40% from 3-point land and when he gets hot - it's like old-school NBA Jam video game net-on-fire hot.
(10) Utah State (26-7): Defensive-minded UCLA will have their hands full vs. the offensively focused Aggies. Head coach Jerrod Calhoun has done a masterful job in his first year. As you watch this one late on Thursday night, don't give up on it too early. USU tends to trail at halftime and make adjustments in the second half that lead to come-from-behind victories.
(2) Tennessee (27-7): The Volunteers have won their first-round tournament game in six of the last seven years. Tennessee, as they have for the last decade, under Rick Barnes is exceptional on the defensive end (3rd nationally). Senior point guard Zakai Zeigler will be quite hungry for an elusive Final Four appearance. His freshmen year - a 2nd round loss. His sophomore year - a Sweet 16 loss. His junior year - an Elite 8 loss. Will his trend continue again with a trip to the Final Four?
(15) Wofford (19-15): The Terriers, champions of the vastly underrated Southern Conference are a dangerous matchup for the Vols. Wofford is a top-30 rebounding team on both sides of the ball. If they can hang around, closing the deal might be tough because of their consistent struggles at the free throw line this year (66% - 332nd nationally).