What a buildup it's been over the past four days. Now, the best sporting event in the world, the NCAA Tournament, is set.
If you've attempted make your picks already, well, I can't fault you. But! Get in here and hunker down. We've got 68 teams to go through and give you a first look at who ranks where.
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Behold, my annual Selection Sunday reveal of all 68 teams in the men's field. Each team capsule contains information and perspective on why these teams got here and who they are. These rankings are like a power-rank of the field. It's not based off where teams are seeded or the résumés that got them here. I'm going off team quality, talent, depth, coaching and where teams fall in multiple metrics.
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And how they've played in the past few weeks. Who's hot, who's not?
Here's the 2024 men's NCAA Tournament, ranked from No. 1-68.
Norlander's 1-68 rankings of NCAA Tournament teams
| 1 |  |
| A locomotive screaming down the tracks. The 31-3 reigning national champions enter this NCAA Tournament as the strongest team with the best chance to repeat of any squad since Florida in 2007. Dan Hurley's Huskies are led by All-American guard Tristen Newton (15.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 6.0 apg), who holds the school record for triple-doubles. In the middle is 7-foot-2 "Cling Kong," Donvan Clingan, a menace of a defender and the type of player you can't simulate in practice. The Huskies boast the nation's most efficient offense (126.6 points per 100 possessions, via KenPom.com) and overwhelm teams in a variety of ways. Sophomore Alex Karaban (39.5%) and senior Cam Spencer (44.4%) are both outstanding 3-point shooters. The Huskies have been beaten by Kansas, Seton Hall and Creighton, but all of those were road games, and there are no more road games left this season. UConn will try to become the fourth No. 1 overall seed to win the national title, joining 2007 Florida, 2012 Kentucky and 2013 Louisville. | |
| 2 |  |
| The Cougars enter the tournament coming off the most vexing defeat of maybe any team in the sport. Kelvin Sampson's group was defeated 69-41 by Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game. Will this 30-4 team have the memory of a goldfish? Playing Houston is a nightmare. The Coogs play a relentless style and have managed to be a top-two team this season despite suffering multiple significant injuries. Everything starts with Jamal Shead, one of the five best players in college basketball. Shead is a stupid-good defender and natural-born leader who wills this team. Also be on the lookout for LJ Cryer, a 15.3 ppg player who is Houston's most reliable bucket. The Cougars are absolutely good enough to win it all, it's just a matter of having their offense reach the level of their defense. | |
| 3 |  |
| Everyone wants to see how Purdue will lose. Guess what: This is still a great team. Matt Painter's Boilermakers have 29 wins to go with four losses and have the best player in college basketball, 7-4 Zach Edey, putting up 24.4 points per game alongside 11.7 rebounds. Point guard Braden Smith and shooting guard Fletcher Loyer are sophomores with more composure and better playmaking capability than last year. The key addition is grad transfer Lance Jones, who brings physicality and athleticism to a team that lacked it last year. Also, Mason Gillis is one of the 10 most accurate 3-point shooters in the nation (48.1%). Purdue isn't running from anything and it knows the deal. In order for it to shed its infamous March reputation, it will need to minimally win four games over the next two weeks. | |
| 4 |  |
| After the top three, the debate really begins. I lean Iowa State because it rates as the No. 1 defense in college basketball. There's not a lot of star power here, but coach T.J. Otzelberger hasn't much cared about that. The Cyclones win through dogged, rugged play and are maniacs at turning teams over. One in every four possessions, they force a giveaway. The Cyclones are guided by 6-1 guard Tamin Lipsey (12.3 points, 4.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds), who ranks among the most undervalued players in the sport at this point. Perhaps the March stage will finally allow him to receive his due. Iowa State has been to the past two NCAA Tournaments under Otzelberger, but this year brings legitimate hopes and expectations of something that hasn't happened for the school since 1944: a Final Four. | |
| 5 |  |
| The Vols walk in wobbly due to a two-game losing skid, but because they have the second best player in the country, they have a shot to shake their March Madness reputation. Rick Barnes' teams have underachieved vs. seed expectation almost every year since he's been coaching UT. This time can be different because of Dalton Knecht. The transfer from Northern Colorado has been a revelation this season, averaging 21.1 points and shooting 40% from beyond the arc. If Knecht is feeling it, he's as watchable and entertaining as anyone in the game. Pair his offense with the defense of Zakai Ziegler and Jonas Aidoo, and you've got a team capable of boxing with anyone. | |
| 6 |  |
| A year after UNC failed to make the tournament following being the preseason No. 1, Hubert Davis has brought the Tar Heels back to their comfort zone. Which is to say: consistently back in the top 10 of the sport. Two names still here you'll recognize. The first is Armando Bacot (14.1 ppg, 10.2 rpg), who played a huge role on UNC's team that made the 2022 national championship game. The other is RJ Davis, a lock First Team All-American who puts up 21.2 points per night and has a knack for how to make the right play in a big spot. UNC also has Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram, who is capable of taking over games in stretches. No program has more Final Fours than UNC's 21. Does it make it 22 in '24? | |
| 7 |  |
| The Golden Eagles clear as a top-eight team so long as Tyler Kolek is healthy and playing at full strength. After suffering an oblique injury a few weeks ago, Kolek has sat out the past six games, but the plan is for him to be a go for MU's first NCAA Tournament matchup. Kolek is a stellar floor general: 15.0 points, 7.6 assists. Kam Jones doesn't lack for confidence, either. Marquette's leading scorer (16.8 ppg) will absolutely be heard from in this tournament. This is a big chance for Marquette, which is a No. 2 seed for the second straight year. Last time, it failed to make the Sweet 16. This time, it should be different. | |
| 8 |  |
| The metrics have loved Auburn most of the season, despite the fact that Bruce Pearl's team lacked a long line of high-level wins. No matter. Does taking the SEC Tournament do enough for you? This is a 27-7 team that's fourth at KenPom and hits the sweet spot of ranking in the top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency. Johni Broome is a beast of a big man. This isn't an Auburn team living and dying with the 3-point whims of its guards like some teams in the past. In fact, Auburn has the toughest interior defense of any team in the field. | |
| 9 |  |
| No longer a Final Four dark horse. Illinois has rated as a top-15 team since the end of December and is in the top-10 conversation now. Brad Underwood's group is built around star wing Terrence Shannon Jr., who is one of the best scorers in the country. (He's also been cleared to play while awaiting potential further legal action in May, stemming from a rape allegation that became public in December.) The Fighting Illini have a strong trio between Shannon, Marcus Domask and Coleman Hawkins. The school hasn't made the Final Four since 2005. If the defense doesn't lapse, it has a very good shot. But the defense can't lapse. | |
| 10 |  |
| There's not a team capable of winning the national title with wilder swings and stranger results than the 25-8 Arizona Wildcats. Former North Carolina player Caleb Love adapted his game splendidly in the desert and turned that into a Pac-12 Player of the Year season. Love averages 18.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists. If Arizona is to win three or more games in this tournament it will need sophomore point guard Kylan Boswell to return to his early season form. Boswell in the high-ball-screen game has potential, especially with power center Oumar Ballo's ability to find freedom from 10 feet and in around the hoop. Arizona's been a letdown the past two seasons in the NCAAs under Tommy Lloyd. Need to avoid that this time in order to prevent a reputation from developing. | |
| 11 |  |
| The Bluejays were a play away from making the Final Four last season. They brought back Ryan Kalkbrenner, Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander all came back and they put up 53.1 of Creighton's 80.5 points per game. There aren't three better triumvirates in college basketball than those guys. Creighton isn't super deep but it does have a top-notch starting five, good size, shooting and more. This is still too high to consider Creighton a Final Four sleeper, but I'll tell you what: It's a national championship dark horse. | |
| 12 |  |
| Scott Drew has his team back in the NCAAs for the fifth straight tournament. There is no question about Baylor's offense this year. They've got a future lottery pick in freshman Ja'Kobe Walter, a terrific talent who could be due for a huge moment. But the guy who's going to determine how far BU goes is RayJ Dennis, a combo guard putting up 13.3 points and 6.8 assists per game. Walter and Dennis are two of six players averaging double digits — a rare team in college basketball that can claim that. Baylor's not reliable at all defensively, but it's a tough matchup for most in the field because of how smooth it moves on offense. | |
| 13 |  |
| Speaking of offense, here's the most entertaining team in the sport. Kentucky has been a rollercoaster this season. This could be a team that gets upset in the first round or a group that catches fire all the way to the national title game. Nobody knows. What's guaranteed is must-see TV every time UK takes the floor. Its high scorer is Antonio Reeves (20.0 ppg), and he's tremendous. Freshman Reed Sheppard is probably the best first-year player in the country, and not far behind another newbie, Rob Dillingham, who makes the outrageous seem ordinary. Kentucky hasn't had a team this good on offense since Rick Pitino was coaching there. The defense is another story. It needs to show up big to give UK a shot at Phoenix. | |
| 14 |  |
| The Blue Devils were picked off early in the ACC Tournament, and before that, took a home loss to North Carolina. Jon Scheyer's team is a blend of high-level freshmen talent (Jared McCain is a stud), an All-American sophomore (Kyle Filipowski, as you likely already know) and veteran leadership (Jeremy Roach, will we get a big moment from him?). I like Duke's chances to step up and play with almost anyone … but this team also seems liable to get caught up in a close game against inferior talent. Intensity and late-game toughness linger as the two big concerns. | |
| 15 |  |
| The Gaels are in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year for the first time in program history. And they come flying into this bracket with a 23-2 record in their past 25 games. Randy Bennett has a machine in Moraga, California. SMC gets a balanced attack with its five starters putting up between 10.1 and 13.9 points per game. Mitchell Saxen is the hoss in the middle, a powerhouse big who can handle almost any center in this sport outside of Zach Edey. On the outside, point guard Aidan Mahaney leads the team in scoring and is growing into a top-15 floor general in college hoops. | |
| 16 |  |
| Last year's national runner-up lost some key pieces, but Brian Dutcher didn't have that hold him back. Jaedon LeDee (21.1 ppg) emerged from his role player status a season ago to being an All-American this season. The Aztecs rank the highest for me out of the six teams in the Mountain West in this tournament — a conference record in its 25th year of existence. Top-10 defense, hard to push around, and oh yeah, Lamont Butler? The guy who hit the buzzer-beater to beat FAU last April? He's back as well. | |
| 17 |  |
| The Crimson Tide are an enigma. Love to play a game to 100 … but they can lose a game to 100, too. Nate Oats' crew is guided by fifth-year point guard Mark Sears (21.1 ppg), who has built himself a Third Team All-American résumé this season. Like Baylor and Kentucky, Alabama's glaring issue is defense. Has been all season long and will be the thing that gets the Tide booted from the tournament eventually. The question is, will they regroup and try to do what last year's No. 1 seed couldn't? By that I mean: Win at least three tournament games. | |
| 18 |  |
| The Cougars are a joy to watch. They take 50.7% of their shots from beyond the arc. It's a 3-ball party every time out, and a lot of guys get in on the fun. Six Cougars have taken between 88 and 217 3-point attempts this season. Mark Pope embraces an offensive style that is built around acute passing, quick-release jump shots and screen-screen-screen-again dogmas. If I've got to narrow this team down to one player who's must-see, it's 6-11 junior Aly Khalifa. He's probably the best-passing big in the sport — and just one of the best passers overall. | |
| 19 |  |
| For the 25th straight year, Gonzaga is dancing. The Zags did not have an at-large résumé worthy of inclusion by mid-February, but a win at Kentucky Feb. 10 changed everything. It's not a loaded Zags team, but it's another one that's pretty dang good. This program has made eight Sweet 16s in a row. If it wants to push that to nine, Ryan Nembhard (transferred from Creighton) will need to have a couple of his best games in a Zags uni — if not in his college career. | |
| 20 |  |
| Not a typical Kansas team, but Bill Self is coaching this group and I can't put them any lower than this. The health of Kevin McCullar Jr. (bone bruise in knee) and Hunter Dickinson (shoulder) will determine how many games the Jayhawks win. This is the thinnest roster Self's ever had, but it still is a starting five that's as good as almost anybody else's. Aussie freshman Johnny Furphy has turned into a first round pick, and he's aided by the steady guard play of Dajuan Harris Jr. Really hard team to predict, but when it's clicking with these five, it's obviously a threat vs. just about anyone. Remember, KU beat UConn. | |
| 21 |  |
| Grant McCasland is yet another recent example that taking a new job doesn't mean you have to wait to get pretty good. The Red Raiders are 23-10 and back in the tournament after a down year under Mark Adams in 2023. McCasland has a reputation of being a really good defensive coach, but in fact this team has made the tournament because of its offense. TTU's leading scorer is Pop Isaacs (15.9 ppg), but its philosophy revolves around having a five-man deployment capable of getting a basket every time down the court. Thus: five players average double figures on a team that also is opportunistic with the 3-point shot. | |
| 22 |  |
| The Badgers have come back to life after suffering a brutal swoon in which they were 3-7 from Feb. 1 through March 10. But a return to form in the Big Ten Tournament showed why Wisconsin has the coaching and roster to be a factor in this tournament. AJ Storr has been a tremendous transfer (via St. John's) and leads the team at 16.7 points per game. He's flanked by Chucky Hepburn, a veteran Badger who is the glue on a roster that mostly goes six-deep. | |
| 23 |  |
| The Gators have been one of the hotter teams of the past month, but they're also entering the tournament down a big man. Micah Handlogten suffered a broken leg in the SEC title game, which lowers UF's ceiling, of course. Todd Golden's bunch can get buckets in a variety of ways and through a lot of guys, but to me, it's Walter Clayton Jr. who will dictate this team's chances at making the second weekend. The never-satisfied guard has a tough competitive streak. His addition this season altered Florida's trajectory. | |
| 24 |  |
| Welcome the Gamecocks back to the Dance for the first time since 2017. Lamont Paris has authored one of the best turnarounds in the country. A year ago, his team won 11 games. This crew is 26-7. It plays a slow-tempo style and gets its scoring from a wide cast of characters, but the two standouts are Meechie Johnson (13.8 ppg) and Collin Murray-Boyles (10.6 ppg). Underestimate this team at your own risk. Paris has coached in this tournament as a head coach and assistant many times. This program isn't in the tournament often, but it'll be ready. | |
| 25 |  |
| The job Danny Sprinkle has done in his first season with the Aggies is absurd. He didn't return a point from last year's team, yet here is Utah State with a 27-6 record and a chance to make program history by reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1970. The Aggies hold opponents to 29% 3-point shooting, third-best in the country. Sprinkle was in this tournament a year ago at Montana State and his two best players left with him to join USU and became go-to guys: Great Osobor (18.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg) and Darius Brown (12.4 ppg, 6.5 apg) are the two big names to know. | |
| 26 |  |
| You're probably noticing there are some teams I have ranked higher than their corresponding seed situation. That's because a team's résumé doesn't always reflect a team's quality. Colorado is a good example. This group is more talented than what its 24-10 record would suggest. Tad Boyle has a potential top-five pick in freshman forward Cody Williams, but he's not the star. That would be KJ Simpson, who has one of the strongest across-the-board stat lines in college hoops: 19.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists. Simpson isn't asked to star, though he can. Tristan da Silva and Eddie Lampkin are also a load down low. Sleeper squad here. | |
| 27 |  |
| The Flyers have a must-see player: DaRon Holmes II. He is one of the 10 best players in the country. The Flyers have a chance to be a tournament darling because they have four 3-point threats that have made UD into a top-three 3-point attack (40.2%). Alongside Holmes (20.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg) is Koby Brea (49.2 3-pt%), Nate Santos (42.7%) and Kobe Elvis (37.5%). Anthony Grant is highly respected and so is his team. This group plays some beautiful basketball and is the class of the Atlantic 10. | |
| 28 |  |
| If you've not yet seen Keisei Tominaga, you're missing out. Oh, boy, are you missing out. The Cornhuskers' senior guard has an infectiousness about his game that is a joy to watch. Tominaga puts up 15 points per game and shoots 38% from 3-point range. Nebraska is the only high-major program without an NCAA Tournament victory in its history. Fred Hoiberg looks to end that drought in what's only the third tournament appearance for Nebraska since 1998. | |
| 29 |  |
| The Longhorns get their mojo from one of the greatest scorers in NCAA history, grad transfer Max Abmas. He ranks in the top 10 in most points (3,109) scored by a men's D-I player. Abmas averages a team-high 17.1 points and 4.3 assists. He's an old guy on a team filled with old guys; Texas is the fourth-oldest team in the sport, per KenPom. They have the talent to make the second weekend of the NCAAs — just as they did a year ago. | |
| 30 |  |
| Oh, these Lobos. How many teams are feeling as good about themselves going into this glorious tournament as Richard Pitino's group? Four wins in four days to take the Mountain West crown and eliminate all doubt about their case in the tournament. It starts with Jaelen House (16.1 ppg), the flame-throwing guard who's almost as good on the mic as he is on the court. At 26-9, UNM figures to be an entertaining watch no matter the opponent. Must-see TV. | |
| 31 |  |
| If guard play is the most important thing this time of year, Colorado State is in a good spot. Isaiah Stevens is one of the five best point guards in this tournament. The senior averages 16.0 points and 7.5 assists on a Rams team that has racked up high-level wins all season long. Niko Medved's team is one of the six in the #SixBidMountainWest and it would be no shock if CSU blazed a path to two wins this week. | |
| 32 |  |
| With so many good teams in this tournament, it's easy to overlook the Tigers, but I would be wary about doing so. Brad Brownell's team has taken out Boise State, Alabama, TCU and North Carolina this season. PJ Hall, the man in the middle, averages 18.8 points and 6.7 rebounds and plays so well around Clemson's three-guard attack of Chase Hunter, Ian Schiefflin and Joseph Girard. This is Clemson's fourth NCAA trip under Brownell in 14 years. | |
| 33 |  |
| We've got a special tournament because there are a bucketful of programs in this thing that have either never made it or rarely do. Washington State is one such program, snapping the second-longest tournament drought of any team in a high-major conference. (Sorry, DePaul.) The Cougars are coached by Kyle Smith, who is making his coaching debut in the NCAAs. A team with a great story has a player with an even better one: star guard Myles Rice (15.1 ppg) is less than a year removed from being in remission from cancer. | |
| 34 |  |
| At 25-8, the Owls aren't as consistent as the team that went to the Final Four a year ago, but they're here and that means they're dangerous. Almost the entire team from last season is back, including Johnnell Davis (18.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Vlad Goldin (15.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Alijah Martin (13.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg). This team has been hunted as the alpha all season. Now, back in and seeded as an underdog, maybe we'll see some of that clutch play and composure that was the Owls' signature in 2023. | |
| 35 |  |
| This is Nevada's second straight year in the tournament, but unlike last year, the Wolf Pack avoided being sent to Dayton. Steve Alford's squad has a pair of wings with a penchant for big shot-making: 6-6 senior Kenan Blackshear and 6-4 senior Jarod Lucas. With six Mountain West teams in this fold this season and none of them playing in Dayton (Post-Selection Show edit: Wow, that was wrong. TWO are in Dayton. Still stunned that the committee actually did that. Yikes), at least one or two is bound to break through to the Sweet 16, right? Nevada is 26-7. I'm just sayin'. | |
| 36 |  |
| The Spartans went from being a preseason top-five team to sneaking into the tournament. But, for the 26th straight time, they're here. The question is, will MSU's veterans come together and play up to their potential? It's been an inconsistent ride for a 19-14 team … that is still somehow ranked in the top 20 at KenPom. The man that will dictate Michigan State's future in this tournament is 6-1 senior point guard Tyson Walker. | |
| 37 |  |
| The Broncos have infamously never won an NCAA Tournament game. Will this team finally snap the streak? Leon Rice's unit is being a bit overlooked heading in because of how many Mountain West teams are in and because it lost two of its past three. But if you're good enough to beat Saint Mary's, Nevada on the road, New Mexico on the road and San Diego State on the road, you're good enough to win this week. Name to know: Tyson Degenhart (17.0 ppg). | |
| 38 |  |
| It's two straight NCAA Tournaments for Chris Jans in his first two years on the job. This was viewed as a great fit when he was hired and it's worked out just that way. Mississippi State last made back-to-back NCAAs in 2008/09 under Rick Stansbury. The Bulldogs love a 40-minute skirmish, but I like them because of their 5-10 freshman who has a green light. Josh Hubbard's taken 293 3-pointers this season and 105 of them (36%). | |
| 39 |  |
| Jamie Dixon's Horned Frogs have to be taken seriously as a team with the potential to win at least a tournament game for two reasons. No. 1, they rank third nationally in experience. No. 2, they've made it to the second round the past two years as a No. 6 seed and a No. 9 seed. There is an expectation here. Plus, I'd take Emanuel Miller (15.9 ppg) on my team any day. Don't get careless around this team. They thrive off loose balls and transition buckets. | |
| 40 |  |
| The Bulldogs are in the NCAAs for the third time in four years. This is an obvious Cinderella candidate and with good reason. Tucker DeVries (21.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg) has been starring for his father, Darian, the past three seasons. Drake (champs of the MVC) is the best defensive rebounding team in the country — which pairs well with the fact that it's also got a top-40 offense. | |
| 41 |  |
| Every year there are a handful of mid-majors with a better-than-slim chance to take over as Cinderella material. JMU has as good a chance as any. Its 12 road wins were tops in the sport. This is the Dukes' third appearance in the last 40 NCAA Tournaments (1994, 2013), and Mark Byington's team screams into this thing with as many wins (31) as Houston/UConn. Terrence Edwards Jr. (17.4 ppg) can play-make with almost anyone. | |
| 42 |  |
| Chris Collins has coached Northwestern to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. The most blessed age of them all for this Wildcats program. Strangely, it claims a win over Purdue and a loss to Chicago State. Boo Buie is back for one more tournament appearance, and for that we can all be appreciative. Buie was born to be a baller and if the stars align, he'll have the rock in his hands in a one-possession game with under 30 seconds to go this Thursday or Friday. | |
| 43 |  |
| Bryce Drew has Grand Canyon in the NCAAs for the third time in four years — and with a 29-4 record. Yes, it's true: You do NOT want to see this team in your bracket. Another inspiring story you'll hear more about in the coming days: Tyon Grant-Foster averages 19.8 points for the Antelopes. He does this despite having collapsed with a heart issue earlier in his college career. He rehabbed, got medically cleared and is one of the best mid-major players in the country. Cinderella material. | |
| 44 |  |
| Look out for Shahada Wells, the cog on this Cowboys team that went 30-3 and mowed down the Southland thanks to a top-10 3-point attack. Between Wells and Christian Shumate — who holds the school double-double record and is a fearless athlete — Will Wade (yep, remember him? He's back) has a team capable of winning a couple games in the NCAAs if it lands the right matchups. | |
| 45 |  |
| Dana Altman can coach some ball. In the final year of the Pac-12, the Ducks managed to emerge as the automatic bid recipient after beating UCLA, Arizona and Colorado. The man in the middle who deserves this opportunity is N'Faly Dante (16.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg). The fifth-year center has battled injuries his entire career and stayed the course, has been a crucial presence and helped lift Oregon to its eight NCAA Tournament under Altman. | |
| 46 |  |
| Five wins in five days. An ACC Tournament run that, no matter what happens in this NCAA Tournament, will be remembered for decades in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Wolfpack have a pair of players that are impossible not to love. Two DJs. Big man D.J. Burns (12.4 ppg) is equal parts balletic and fierce. His game, visually, has no equal in this tournament. Then there's DJ Horne, who is willed by his emotion and high-level 3-point range (41.3%). Few power-conference teams are easier to root for in this bracket than the red-hot Wolfpack. | |
| 47 |  |
| The Cavaliers haven't passed the eye test in weeks, but the resume was too strong to hold 'em back. Now that they're in, they'll be a headache of a prep. The offense is lousy, but Tony Bennett's team has two of the 15 best defenders in the country. Reece Beekman and Ryan Dunn will have to channel their best offensive selves in order to give the Cavs a chance at a couple of wins. | |
| 48 |  |
| The Aggies had to sweat it out, big-time, after watching one bid thief after another whittle the at-large field. Buzz Williams' team had just enough on the resume to squeak in. This was a projected top-20 team in the preseason. It's been a bit all over the place, but the Aggies are dangerous because they have an electric 1-2 backcourt combo: Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford. They could go off for 45-plus points against almost anyone. They may well have to in order to keep A&M from being one-and-done. | |
| 49 |  |
| You want a one-of-a-kind story, Bucky McMillan is that. The Samford coach has lived his entire life in Birmingham, Alabama, got the Samford job after 14 years as a high school coach and has guided the Bulldogs to their third NCAA Tournament in school history by using a press-no-matter-what philosophy that allows this team to thrive in chaos. The champs of the SoCon are a scouting headache for its first round opponent and will try to do what Furman did last year: pull an upset as a double-digit seed. | |
| 50 |  |
| The Elis pulled off a last-second thriller on Sunday vs. Brown in the Ivy League championship. This is a program that's grown accustomed to making NCAA Tournaments under James Jones, who ranks among the more underrated head coaches in the game. The Bulldogs have the capability to pull off an upset. A top-85 KenPom team, and a big man in Danny Wolf who is a high-major player getting it done at the Ivy League level. | |
| 51 |  |
| The Dukes! Dancing for the first time since 1977. How about THAT? One of many feel-good stories in this field. Keith Dambrot (brace yourself for a hundred reminders he coached LeBron James in high school) may well be knocking on the door of retirement, and if that's true, what better way for a send-off than by winning the A-10. | |
| 52 |  |
| John Becker has one of the best winning percentages in the history of men's Division I, and here again are his Catamounts in the NCAAs. For the third straight season and the fifth time in six years, UVM is the America East champ. These Cats aren't the best group he's had but they are 28-6 and led by junior guard TJ Long (12.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg). | |
| 53 |  |
| It's been 25 years since this program made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. The Cougars (CAA champs) were a trendy 12-over-5 pick last season because they won 30-plus games and had the feel of a Cinderella. This year's team doesn't have quite as gaudy a record but it is still dang good: 27-7 and with plenty of pieces back from a year ago. | |
| 54 |  |
| Andy Kennedy's team left no doubt, destroying Temple on Sunday and taking the American Athletic Conference's auto-bid after FAU failed to rip it. The Blazers are dancing for the second time in three years and are a group that loves to crash the glass, and defends the paint at a good level. UAB did just fine this season AAC teams in their fist season after stepping-up to the AAC from Conference USA. | |
| 55 |  |
| The Zips are the champions of the MAC and dancing for the second time in three years under John Groce. At 24-10, this team is built around one of the best pure rebounders in college basketball. Enrique Freeman is more than just a rim hog, though. He averages 18.6 points to go with 12.9 rebounds and has turned himself into one of the strongest mid-major prospects in the sport. | |
| 56 |  |
| The Raiders own the Patriot League, having made five straight Big Dances. This group is different from recent years, however. Matt Langel's team has seen more role players step up and contribute this season, though Braeden Smith is a star in his own right. The sophomore point guard was the best player in the Patriot League this season: 12.5 ppg, 5.8 apg, 5.5 rpg, 1.9 spg. He and big man Keegan Records are savvy enough to, maybe/finally, get Colgate over the finish line and into the second round. | |
| 57 |  |
| Preston Spradlin coaches the best team in the OVC, the Eagles of Morehead State. He'll coach at a high-major program someday, but for now he's got a group built on toughness and resilience. They are fun playing in the mud. The leader is Riley Minix, a 20.8 ppg guy who excels as a combo power 4 and can go for almost 40 minutes without fading. | |
| 58 |  |
| In his 40th season, Greg Kampe — the longest-tenured coach in college hoops — has the Golden Grizzlies in the tournament for the fourth time (2005, 2010, 2011). The Grizz joined the Horizon league a decade ago, but this is their first title. They're trying to become the first Horizon squad since Brad Stevens' Butler team in 2010-11 to win a tournament game. Your star here is Trey Townsend, a Michigan native who grew up loving the program and who had a career-high 38 points in the team's conference championship game. | |
| 59 |  |
| The Jackrabbits. We all know that's a top-15 nickname in college sports. And SDSU is a mid-major powerhouse. Consider: This is its seventh NCAA Tournament in less than two decades as a D-I program. Eric Henderson is a stellar coach and he has the Summit League's most efficient all-around player in Zeke Mayo (18.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.5 apg). | |
| 60 |  |
| It took Steve Lutz one year to make the tournament with the Hilltoppers, ending an 11-year drought for a program that has seen all but one coach in its history reach the NCAAs. The champs of CUSA are a blaze. At more than 75 possessions on average per game, nobody in the sport plays faster than WKU. It doesn't always work but it worked more often than not. These 'Toppers enter the tournament with a 22-11 record. | |
| 61 |  |
| One of the wildest stories of this tournament — in a number of years. Dan Monson was fired on March 11 with the understanding he'd be off the job at the end of The Beach's season. The thing about that: The season isn't over. The 49ers are back after a magical run to take the Big West. Monson's career has come full circle: He was the head coach of Gonzaga's Elite Eight run in 1999, and now he's got a surprise 25 years later. | |
| 62 |  |
| The Lancers took the Big South bid for the second time in three years; Longwood has been D-I for just two decades, so for it to be in this spot is mighty impressive. Griff Aldrich's team is $2 steak tough. Its most reliable defender is a guy named DA Houston. The Lancers are good at crashing the offensive glass and getting to the foul line. They'll need both in big numbers to pull off an upset. | |
| 63 |  |
| Two years removed from one of the most unforgettable Cinderella stories this tournament has ever provided, the Peacocks have strutted right back into this phenomenal tournament. Bashir Mason is the coach now, and these birds from the MAAC managed to bust through after getting three tourney wins by a combined nine points. The Peacocks will aim for immortality again behind the play of sophomore forward Corey Washington (16.5 ppg). | |
| 64 |  |
| First-year coach Matt Logie picked up right where Danny Sprinkle left off and has the Bobcats in the NCAAs for a third straight year and the sixth time overall. Guard Robert Ford is the Big Sky's best defensive player and the team takes after his toughness streak. Here's the plot twist: The emergence of former Arizona State walk-on John Olmstead (they call him "John Wick") has made MSU a Cinderella candidate. After scoring fewer than 40 points in the first three months of the season, he has 52 in his last five games. | |
| 65 |  |
| We love a tournament with at least one first-time participant and that's the case here. Welcome the Stetson Hatters to the party. Yes, a school whose logo is a hat. College sports — god love 'em. Donnie Jones' team arrives by way of the ASUN. Jalen Blackmon is one of the best bucket-getters in this tournament; he had a league-record 43 points in the conference championship game to carry his school to the Big Dance. | |
| 66 |  |
| Just when you thought this 2024 NCAA Tournament couldn't feel any more magical, I give you the Grambling Tigers. After playing Division I basketball for 47 seasons, they are dancing for the first time in their history. Straight out of the SWAC and yet another incredible story. Kintavious Dozier is the standout on a squad that has only lost four games since we flipped the calendar to 2024. | |
| 67 |  |
| t's back-to-back showings for the Bison, coached by Kenny Blakeney, the top team out of the MEAC. Included on Howard's roster is the oldest player in D-I: Seth Towns. From Harvard to Ohio State to Howard, injuries have set back Towns' promising career, but at 26 years old, he's getting one more moment on the NCAA Tournament stage. Towns averages 14.2 points and 6.6 rebounds. | |
| 68 |  |
| The Seahawks! They're in the NCAAs for the second time (2003) and are here via the Northeast Conference, where they made it as the No. 6 seed despite only having seven scholarship players available. The NEC, until last year, was the only conference yet to win a first round NCAA Tournament game. Then Fairleigh Dickinson happened. Wagner, anything is possible. The Seahawks are guided by junior guard Melvin Council Jr. (14.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg). | |
