Teams that can win ncaa tournament

Which teams can win March Madness in ? · UConn Huskies (+) · Houston Cougars (+) · Purdue Boilermakers (+) · Arizona Wildcats (+). NCAA Tournament: Seven teams that can win a championship · Houston Cougars, Big 12 · Season: ( Big 12) · Top Performers · The Buzz. Given that, one would expect a No. 1 seed to win the tournament fairly often. Not only does a No. 1 seed get to face lower-seeded opponents, but. NCAA Tournament champions by seed. NC State could make teams that can win ncaa tournament for teams seeded Here's a breakdown of tournament champs by seed: 1:

Which teams can realistically win the NCAA Tournament? Why these 12 stand a cut above

How many teams can make the NCAA Tournament? The 68-team format was adopted in 2011; it had remained largely unchanged since 1985 when it expanded to 64 teams. Before then, the tournament sized varied from as little as 8 to as many as 53.

How many teams get into the NCAA Tournament by winning their conference tournament? The selection committee must first decide which teams will compete in the tournament. As of the 2016–17 season, thirty-two teams receive automatic bids to the tournament by winning their conference tournament. The selection committee only selects the teams (36 for men and women) who receive at-large bids.

What is the lowest ranked team to win NCAA Tournament? Villanova

How many teams are eligible for NCAA tournament? The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament of 68 teams that compete in seven rounds for the national championship.

Who is predicted to win men's NCAA tournament? Eric Cohen's pick to win: UConn

20 teams who can win the NCAA tournament

This year is no different, as the Bluejays are one of the better-scoring teams in the nation, and they hit a lot of threes. The Jays reached the Elite Eight last season and have their sites on taking the next step next month. Why can't Dayton do what Florida Atlantic did last season. Holmes is averaging 20 points, nearly 8 boards, 2.

He's a forward who can play in the paint, on the perimeter and who can create his own shot. He's an NBA talent who will give anyone problems. Duke may be flying a bit under the radar right now, which is rare. While much is made about their elite recruiting class, they also boast a very experienced team with Kyle Filipowski , Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell.

Duke isn't an extremely deep team, but their top six guys are as talented a group anywhere. Florida Atlantic ran it back this season after a magical Final Four run that nearly saw them play for the national championship. While most of the time these mid-majors don't see anything remotely close to repeat success, the Owls hope they can repeat what Butler did in by getting back to college basketball's biggest stage.

All five starters came back from last year's Final Four team, including super guard Johnell Davis -- who is averaging nearly 19 pts, 7 rebounds and 2. FAU isn't a juggernaut -- they've lost to Bryant, Charlotte and Florida Gulf Coast this season -- but if they get into the tournament they can do damage.

This Houston Cougars team will always aggressively defend and they have two guards who can carry them to Phoenix. That kind of combo works well in March and the kind of defense Kelvin Sampson demands from his team always travels well. Houston has a man rotation that keeps themselves fresh while wearing out their opponents. They aren't the best shooting bunch, but their ability to attack the glass and defend at a high level will keep this team in any game.

If this group can find ways to help their two leading scorers put the ball in the basket, they will find themselves back in the Final Four. Illinois' fate may come from in the court and not on it. The school suspended leading scorer Terrence Shannon Jr. Teams that can win ncaa tournament A judge has since reinstated him after a month of missed games, and he's starting to perform as he did prior to the suspension.

Assuming he will continue to play this season, Shannon is what makes the Illini a Final Four team. He leads the team in scoring and is easily the straw that stirs the drink for Illinois. He's an NBA talent. Having said that, Illinois did alright in his absence their only defeats came to Purdue and Maryland.

Big man Coleman Hawkins and Southern Illinois transfer Marcus Domask stepped up their scoring which could be advantageous heading into March. Illinois is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation due to their size across their entire starting lineup. They will have a four-day stretch in March where they'll play at Wisconsin and host Purdue that may show us all what this team is capable.

Iowa State has always been able to play elite defense under head coach TJ Otzelberger, but now they have a trio of guys leading one of the more efficient offenses in the nation. Leading scorer Tamin Lipsey, freshman stretch big Milan Momcilovic and UNLV transfer Keshon Gilbert has added some offensive punch to that stifling defense which has allowed the 'Clones to be one of the better teams in close games.

They've shown they are capable of beating anybody, which will help their confidence in the Big Dance. Their little sign-stealing scandal against Kansas State hasn't stopped other college teams from having postseason success. The preseason No.

Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson has done his job -- averaging over 18 points and 11 rebounds a game -- to anchor a very talented, albeit lean, roster. Kevin McCullar Jr. Point guard Dajuan Harris was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year last season and is great at disrupting the opponents ability to run their offense. The rise of freshman Johnny Furphy in recent weeks has given the Jayhawks some much-needed depth.

There may be no bigger disparity between ceiling and floor than the Kentucky Wildcats. This is one of the best scoring teams in the nation due to their athleticism mixed with the ability to hit a lot of threes they are currently the top three-point shooting team in the country.

However, it is also one of the worst defensive teams in the power conferences, which usually doesn't bode well in the tournament. The Wildcats could either cut down the nets in Phoenix or have a St. Peter's-esque upset in the first round once again. This list is more about why they could win it, so let's address that -- their freshmen class of Rob Dillingham, DJ Wagner and Reed Sheppard can do damage on anyone who gets in their way.

But John Calipari has mixed his young group with experienced guys like leading scorer Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell who can carry the team if the young guys struggle. The key could come down to Kentucky's bigs -- Aaron Bradshaw, Ugonna Onyenso and Zvonimir Ivisic -- and how they hold up in a tournament format. There are a lot of great bigs in this tournament and Kentucky needs these young guys to meet the challenge.

Marquette already has wins over Kansas, Illinois, Texas and Creighton, and also some puzzling losses to Providence and Butler. They also have a force in the paint in Oso Ighodaro to anchor their defense and who has developed his offensive game. Like most Shaka Smart teams, Marquette is one of the better teams at creating turnovers -- they lead the Big East in steals -- and creating transition scoring opportunities.

Two upcoming games against UConn will not only test the Golden Eagles as they prepare for a deep tournament run but show us if they are even capable of doing so. The Tar Heels have done a great job putting their disappointing season in the rearview mirror. They still boast big man Armando Bacot , who has greatly improved his defense to add to being a double-double machine, and R.

Davis, who has been one of the most explosive guards in the nation. Davis can score from all three levels and is one of the top free throw shooters in America. Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram has been a huge pickup. He is a hybrid forward who can hit from deep, blow by slower big men and overpower smaller wings Having a great guard and a vastly improved defense are keys to success in March.

They've suffered a strange swoon of late, losing three games in a five game span, but have what it takes to return to the Final Four. This tournament is what this season is all about. Purdue has an earned reputation of laying a big egg in the Big Dance -- capped by last year becoming just the second No. This team has everything to win it all They just have to do it.

Like Virginia in , Purdue may be the best team in the country but no one will believe in them until they show it in the tournament. The Vols are physical, defensive-minded minded and have an elite scorer which makes them a dangerous team in March. Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht has been fantastic for Rick Barnes' bunch, averaging over 20 ppg this season and is the guy the offense runs through.

The defense is the calling card, and experienced players like Santiago Vescovi, Zakai Zeigler and Josiah-Jordan James are perfect glue guys who will work hard on defense and hit timely shots. The result. UConn has so many ways to beat its opponents. Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban can light you up from beyond the three-point arc.

Tristen Newton can dissect you in ball screens as either a scorer or distributor. Donovan Clingan can dominate the rim at both ends. Freshman Stephon Castle keeps improving. Plus, the experience of last March for the likes of Newton, Karaban and Clingan should prove invaluable on the biggest stage. Clingan can dominate the rim at both ends for the Huskies. Raiders paying coaches If you can tame the beast that is the Big 12, you can win the whole thing.

Houston has done just that, making it a necessary inclusion in the Magic Eight. Kelvin Sampson has built perhaps the most consistently great program in college basketball over the last half-decade, and it would be well earned for that to be paid off with a title run this season. Houston forces turnovers at an elite clip and defends the rim at an elite level thanks to its length and swarming scheme.

Offensively, there are more question marks, especially against elite competition. Shead has a knack for getting into the teeth of the defense and will need to be able to score tough buckets in those situations for the Cougars to win it all. Shead is perhaps the best point-of-attack defender in the country. Tennessee has consistently been elite on the defensive end under Rick Barnes.

The difference this season: The Volunteers have the offense to match. Knecht can generate offense by himself, using his deep bag off the bounce and high release to get shots off even against elite defense. Tennessee has gone from a team that needs to play rock fights to win to a group that can just as easily outscore you as it can suffocate you defensively.

The X factor, though, is Zeigler. He took a bit to return to full strength this season, but has flourished in league play, averaging better than 13 points, seven assists and 2 steals per game. Outside of Purdue, perhaps no team was more impressive in nonconference competition than Arizona.

The big question the Wildcats will have to answer in March is its point guard play. Boswell playing well puts less pressure on Love to play hero-ball, lets Pelle Larsson settle into the game as a secondary playmaker and makes life a bit easier for Oumar Ballo down low. Auburn has been an analytics darling for the majority of the season, surging up rankings like KenPom and the NET thanks to plenty of blowout wins.

The problem. In some ways, its profile is comparable to that of UConn a season ago: nearly untouchable at its best, disappointing at its worst, with the numbers fully believing in the Tigers as an elite team despite some surprising individual results. The Tigers are so deep, athletic and physical at every spot. Center Johni Broome deserves more love in the All-American conversation.

Auburn shares the ball at an elite level and gets major bench production from the likes of Chad Baker-Mazara and Dylan Cardwell.