No.10 - Dayton
Ranked No. 11
Though seeded just 11, Dayton finished second (and one game back) in the Atlantic 10 conference to Xavier, a school that enters March Madness as a fourth seed. If your brain doesn’t understand that disparity, join the club. The Flyers boast a 26-7 record -- albeit, in a weak conference -- but are just the kind of club an opponent could underestimate. Dayton went 21-2 to start the season, but could have its hands full with an always-powerful West Virginia squad right off the bat.
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No.9 - Arizona
Ranked No. 12
Arizona lost four straight games less than a month ago, but don’t count them out. Three of those losses were against schools seeded no lower than seventh in this tournament. The Wildcats are led by junior forward Jordan Hill who averaged 18.5 points and 11 rebounds this season, and they will rely heavily on their big man to make a run. A tough first game against Utah could pose an obstacle, but if Arizona can survive until round two, it could make things interesting in the Midwest bracket and potentially see a Sweet 16 berth.No.8 - Wisconsin
Ranked No. 12
The Badgers had plenty of ups and downs during the course of a 19-12 season, but they played in a tough Big Ten conference that yields seven tournament teams this year. Wisconsin will face a challenging fifth-ranked Florida State team in its first game, but despite being an underdog, the Badgers match up quite well with the Seminoles. Their point average per game this season, 64.4, isn’t much lower than FSU’s 68.6, but Wisconsin is stingier on defense: The Badgers allowed an average of just 59 points a game this year, compared to FSU’s 65.No.7 - Ohio State
Ranked No. 8
The Buckeyes are just an eight seed, but had little trouble polishing off a handful of tournament teams this season. They’ll enter the fray looking to recreate the magic they enjoyed on March 14th when they beat second-seed Michigan State by 12 points. Ohio State’s opening game against Siena shouldn’t be a problem, but a win there would set up a contest against top-seeded Louisville. The Cardinals lost just five times this season, but two of those losses came against teams that didn’t even make the tournament. The Buckeyes could truly cause trouble for the Cards.No.6 - VCU
Ranked No. 11
The Virginia Commonwealth Rams are perhaps the best team you’ve never heard of in the tournament -- and they might just be salivating to get a crack at UCLA, a sixth seed, in their opening game. Though VCU’s Colonial conference isn’t quite UCLA’s Pac-10, don’t count out the Rams just yet. They stack up pretty well against the Bruins on paper, and even boast one more road win this season. UCLA, meanwhile, went 25-8, but struggled at times against teams it should have rolled over. Sure, the Bruins are the favorite, but expect VCU to give them a good run for their money.No.5 - Akron
Ranked No. 13
The Zips will take part in their first tournament in more than two decades, but don’t expect them to be rusty. What Akron may lack in singular star power it more than makes up for with depth. Only two players (Brett McKnight and Nate Linhart) have averaged double digits in scoring this season, but three of their teammates are above the eight points-per-game mark. The Zips led the Mid-American Conference with 23 wins, but their biggest obstacle could come from within -- they averaged just 66.8 points per game in scoring this season, which might not be enough to make a success story.No.4 - USC
Ranked No. 10
When you have a player as good as Taj Gibson, anything is possible. That’s the sentiment Trojans fans are feeling right now and that’s what could help USC make a surprising run. Gibson averaged nearly a double-double this season and he is only one weapon in a deep arsenal. Momentum is important in sports, and no low-seeded team goes into March Madness on as big a roll as the Trojans, who beat California (a seventh seed), UCLA and Arizona State (a pair of sixth seeds), on consecutive nights in mid March.No.3 - Texas A&M
Ranked No. 9
The Aggies might be enjoying a seed higher than ninth if not for a month-long stretch between January and February that saw losses in six of eight games. Still, considering four of those six losses were against tournament teams, Texas A&M is much better than its record would indicate. Led by a powerful foursome of Josh Carter, Donald Sloan, Bryan Davis and Chinemelu Elonu, the Aggies should have no trouble getting past their opening-round opponent BYU. A win would likely mean a second-round berth against UConn, and while the Huskies look nearly unbeatable on paper, no one thought they’d lose to Syracuse a couple weeks back. A&M could be the first team to send a No. 1 seed packing.No.2 - Oklahoma State
Ranked No. 8
Any team that can go 9-7 in-conference in a ridiculously talented Big 12 deserves to be taken seriously. The Cowboys are a legitimate threat to make a run, and for a couple of reasons. True, their 11 losses are troubling, but when you consider all but one of those came against tournament teams, that number isn’t as scary. Oklahoma State plays Tennessee in the opener is deeper offensively, and had one more win, than the Volunteers. The Cowboys are smaller, but have superior backcourt play and are quicker.No.1 - LSU
Ranking No. 8
Louisiana State should win its opener against Butler, but in all likelihood, that would mean game two would be against top seed North Carolina. Still, the Tigers might just be the team to knock off the Tar Heels. LSU is strong at both the guard (Marcus Thornton and Bo Spencer) and forward positions (Tasmin Mitchell) and, though it struggled in March, was an impressive 25-4 at the end of February. The Tigers defense may be better than that of the Tar Heels, but they’ll need one of their best offensive outputs of the season to stay alive.Resources:
- http://scores.espn.go.com
- http://sports.espn.go.com
- http://usctrojans.cstv.com
- www.aggieathletics.com
- www.uconnhuskies.com
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