With the conference tournaments ending and Selection Sunday having come and gone, the madness has officially begun. Every year, there are schools that destroy brackets on day one and others that make miracle runs deep into the tournament. Who will these miraculous teams be?
Vincent:
#11 VCU Rams
After suffering just six losses, the Rams battled through the A-10 tournament, earning their third conference title. Defense is this team’s backbone, ranking ninth in the nation in points per game allowed (62.4), eighth in opponents’ field goal percentage (38.9%) and tied for fifth in blocks per game (5.5). With their defense, VCU crashes the glass very well, averaging 38.5 boards per game, while limiting opponents to 33.3. Of those rebounds, the Rams get 13.3 from the offensive glass. In the turnover battle, VCU holds a +2.8 advantage over the opposition. Offensively, the Rams have very distributed scoring, with four players averaging double figures. Though they aren’t the most efficient from deep, they average 9.5 threes made per game, ranking 41st in the nation
VCU’s top option is Ukrainian export Max Shluga, who in his second season as a Ram has set a career high in scorer (15.0 PPG), while assisting four buckets per game, grabbing six boards per game and coming away with just under two steals per game. Guard Joe Bamisile can get hot at any moment, sprinkling eight 20+ point performances throughout his senior season. Phillip Russell and Zeb Jackson have been complimentary scoring pieces, though consistency has been a worry surrounding the duo. After spending time with La Salle, NC State and Clemson, Jack Clark found his home at VCU, being the Rams’ top rebounder and displaying the ability to stretch the floor. Despite just seeing just under 17 minutes per game, Luke Bamgboye has been a shot swatting machine, averaging over two rejections per contest.
VCU faces BYU in the 6-11 matchup in the East region on Thursday at 4:05 p.m.
#12 UC San Diego Tritons
In a season which saw the Triton match the program record for wins, they have a chance to do what the 2019-20 team couldn’t: make the national tournament. Though that season was out of the team’s control, due to the pandemic, the 2024-25 version of the Tritons can live up to the potential from the COVID year’s team. And that they will, as UC San Diego has little-to-no flaws in its game. The Tritons wreak havoc on opposing offenses, forcing 16 turnovers per game, stealing 10 possessions per game, allowing opponents to convert just 39.6% of their attempts and to score just 61.6 points per game, all top-15 in NCAA. Winning the turnover battle was the best feature of UC San Diego’s team, giving away 8.7 possessions per game, second in the nation, while ranking first in turnover margin, with a +7.2 mark, while also the nation’s third best assist/turnover ratio (1.82). Scoring isn’t an issue for the South region’s 12th seed, as they averaged 79.8 points per game, with 13.2 of them being on the fast break, while making 10.8 triples per outing. Distribution of scoring is another strong suit of UC San Diego, as they average 15.9 assists per game.
The leader of the Tritons was Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, who took large leaps forward in scoring in his second season with the squad, averaging 19.5 points per game, good for 28th in D-I. Tait-Jones paired his high scoring total with effective shooting (57.6%), solid rebounding (5.5) and consistent dishing (3.7). Tyler McGhie serves as the second offensive option, averaging 16.4 points per game, while connecting on 38.6% of his three-point attempts. Hayden Gray enters the national tournament coming off a scorching Big West championship performance, scoring 22 points on 8-10 shooting, including six threes. Though his offense excelled, his ballhawking ability is his biggest value to the Tritons, coming away with 3.2 steals per game. Even with consistency woes, Austrian native Nordin Kapic can be a scary scorer when his number’s called.
UC San Diego faces Michigan in the 5-12 matchup in the South region on Thursday at 10:00 p.m.
#14 Lipscomb Bisons
Winning their second ASUN conference tournament led to Lipscomb’s second national tournament bid. The Bisons play tight defense, sitting just outside the top-50 with 67.3 points allowed per game. Though it’s said that “defense wins championships,” Lipscomb would differ, as they scored at all three levels throughout the year, producing the nation’s 25th best effective field goal percentage (55.8%). Despite not being the most consistent deep ball shooting team, though not a slouch (35.9%), the Bisons connected on plenty of their attempts, converting just under 10 threes per performance. In tight contests, free throws can make or break a team’s success. Fortunately, they convert at the nation’s fifth best rate, making 79.4% of the shots from the charity stripe.
The go-to choice is Jacob Ognacevic, who sits 17th in Division I in points per game (20.1) and rebounds per game (8.1), all while posting an efficient shooting line (57.3%/40.2%/79.8%). Will Pruitt saw a regression in scoring, but was effective when needed, averaging 13.2 points per game on a 46.3% conversion rate, also grabbing 5.9 rebounds per game. The Bisons will ride the hot hand that is Joe Anderson as long as they can, as the senior guard scored 20+ points, hit 4+ threes and came away with 2+ steals in all three of Lipscomb’s ASUN tournament games, sitting just one minute across the three contests. Gyasi Powell served as another sharpshooting option, draining four long balls against North Alabama in the ASUN championship.
Lipscomb faces Iowa State in the 3-14 matchup in the South region on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
#8 UConn Huskies
At no point in recent history did it seem like the UConn Huskies would ever be a bracket buster. Yet, after a bad season for their standards, which saw them go 23-10 and finish third in the Big East, the Huskies have no respect surrounding their team. Dan Hurley led the Huskies to back-to-back national championships in each of the previous two seasons. Though their scoring offense and defense wasn’t outstanding, UConn ranks 33rd in scoring margin, with a +9.4 gap. On the offensive end, the Huskies were one of the most effective teams, making just about 48% of their shots, always looking for the best shot, ranking sixth in D-I in assists per game (17.6). When it comes to taking advantage of free points, UConn takes advantage, converting on 79.1% of their attempts from the line. Defensively, though they don’t come away with many turnovers, no team protects the rim better than the Huskies, rejecting 6.4 shots per night. As well as defending the rim, UConn doesn’t allow opponents to have multiple shots in a possession, yielding just 29.2 boards per game to the opposition. Despite all of this, UConn has been very commonly picked as an elimination in the first two rounds.
Though many of their leaders from previous runs are gone, Alex Karaban remains a veteran presence, who’s scoring improved once more (14.4), while also being a viable rebounder (5.2). Needing to take a large leap forward, Solo Ball has taken the crown as UConn’s leading scorer, averaging 14.6 points per game, while connecting on over 42% of his three-point shots. In his first collegiate season, Liam McNeeley thrived in the Huskies’ offense, averaging 14.5 points per night. After spending his first two college seasons with Michigan, Tarris Reed Jr. found his role as UConn’s interior occupant, averaging a little under 10 points per game, while leading the squad in rebounds (7.3). Facilitating for the offense is Hassan Diarra, who more than doubled his assist output from both his career and last season with UConn (5.6).
UConn faces Oklahoma in the 8-9 matchup in the West region on Friday at 9:25 p.m.
#13 High Point Panthers
For the first time in program history, the Panthers punched their ticket to the big dance, with a huge comeback win against Winthrop in the Big South championship. High Point finds easy rhythm offensively, averaging 82.2 points per game and converting on 49.4% of shots, both top-20 marks. Their dominant offense ranks them 10th in point differential (+13.4). Ranking just outside the top-50, the Panthers protect the ball, giving away just 10.4 possessions per game. High Point excels at keeping opponents off the glass, holding a +5.7 advantage in rebound differential, with opponents averaging just 30.7.
Kezza Giffa saw a mild dip in point production, though the French product managed 14.8 points per appearance. Following a forgettable two-year run with Texas Tech, one which saw him appear in just seven games in 2023-2024, D’Maurian Williams was a great scoring threat from the wing. Though his role shrunk, Kimani Hamilton was a vital force to the Panthers’ offense, scoring 13.4 points per game on 52.3% efficiency. With a recused job this year, Juslin Bodo Bodo remained as the interior force for High Point, grabbing a team leading 8.4 rebounds per game, while sending away 1.4 shots each night.
High Point faces Purdue in the 4-13 matchup in the Midwest region on Thursday at 12:40 p.m.
Reece:
#11 Drake Bulldogs
Drake is one of the most dangerous mid-major teams heading to the tournament this year. Coming in with a 30-3 overall record as well as a 17-3 conference record, they are a team to seriously look out for. The Bulldogs took full control of the Missouri Valley Conference, only dropping three games and capturing the conference championship. They have a confident number one option in Bennett Stirtz, who is bound to make a statement in round 1. The 6=foot-4-inch guard averages 19 points per game with very efficient splits. Keep an eye out for the Drake Bulldogs when creating your brackets this year.
Drake faces Missouri in the 6-11 matchup in the West region on Thursday at 7:35 p.m.
#12 McNeese Cowboys
The Cowboys are one of the hottest teams coming into the NCAA tournament. This team has only dropped one game since Dec. 14. The Cowboys have the swag, composure and grit that will bring fear to their opponents’ eyes. This team has a ton of momentum coming off a Southland Conference Championship as well as their team manager becoming an internet sensation. McNeese can flat out score the rock from all over, with five players averaging over 10 points a game. What’s interesting about McNeese is that number one guy, Alyn Breed, has just made his return to the court two games ago. After suffering a knee injury, Breed made his return during the conference tournament, averaging 17.5 points per game over the two contests. With a healthy Breed, McNeese is a team bound to make a push in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
McNeese faces Clemson in the 5-12 matchup in the Midwest region on Thursday at 3:15 p.m.
#11 North Carolina Tar Heels
There’s lots of controversy surrounding the Tar Heels, with many upset with the committee giving them a spot in the tournament. With that being said, this is still a very dangerous 11 seed in the tournament. This team consists of draft prospects Ian Jackson and Drake Powell, along with RJ Davis, who is one of the best scorers in the country. It’s no secret that the Tar Heels can put the ball in the bucket, coming into the tournament averaging 81 points per game. North Carolina has been playing their best basketball in the weeks leading up to the NCAA Tournament and has a good shot at destroying many brackets this year.
North Carolina faces San Diego State in the first four on Tuesday at 9:10 p.m.
#13 Grand Canyon Lopes
The Lopes were the bracket busters of the 2024 NCAA tournament, taking down Saint Mary’s in a 5-12 game. Grand Canyon has the blueprint to pull off the upset once again against a very talented Maryland team. 6-foot-7-inch senior, Tyon Grant-Foster showed out with some stellar performances during the 2024 NCAA tournament. He finished with 22 points in the upset over Saint Mary’s, along with a 29-point performance against Alabama in the round of 32. The Lopes came out victorious in the Western Atlantic Conference tournament, while also finishing conference play with a 13-3 record. The lights were certainly not bright enough for Grand Canyon last year and I expect nothing different during the 2025 NCAA tournament.
Grand Canyon faces Maryland in the 4-13 matchup in the West region on Friday at 4:35 p.m.
#10 Vanderbilt Commanders
Vanderbilt has been very battle-tested this year playing in the SEC gauntlet. The SEC has by far been the most dominant conference in the country, and the Commanders did not fold. They knocked off #8 Tennessee, #15 Kentucky, #14 Texas A&M and #21 Missouri, as well as a gritty Ole Miss team and a tough Texas squad. Fourteen teams from their conference have qualified for the NCAA Tournament (record number). A major factor when going into the tournament is having a solidified number one option and Vanderbilt has that in Jason Edwards. Coming into the tournament averaging 17 points per game, Edwards will be looking to lead his team and conquer an upset in round one.
Vanderbilt faces Saint Mary’s in the 7-10 matchup in the East region on Friday at 3:15 p.m.
All stats are from ESPN and NCAA as of March 18.
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