With the recent release of the NCAA Tournament bracket, we are now in the midst of the best event in sports. While the big dogs over the season have been Houston, UConn and Purdue, it is expected that we will see at least one Cinderella team this season. When looking at filling out your March Madness bracket, many people look to a couple of factors when picking their champion. Who has the best coach? Is their team experienced? Can their point guard handle the pressure? How tall is the team?
In this article, I am here to break down one prominent feature of every team in the NCAA Tournament field this year. Do what you want with this information, but I hope this helps you when you fill out your March Madness bracket.
One Thing to Know About Every Team in the 2024 NCAA Tournament
1 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
UConn
While the Huskies lost three of their top players from last season to the NBA (Jordan Hawkins, Adama Sanogo and Andre Jackson) this season’s team actually averages more points per game (PPG) and gives up the same amount of points per game than last year’s team. The Huskies will look to be the first team to repeat as national champions since the Florida Gators.
Houston
According to KenPom, the Houston Cougars employ the second-best defense in the country. The Cougars gave up more than 60 points just 14 times this season. In those 14 games, the Cougars came away with an 11-3 record.
Purdue
While Purdue has the likely College Player of the Year in Zach Edey, the Boilermakers are also battle-tested. According to KenPom, the Boilermakers have the 10th-strongest non-conference schedule and sixth-strongest schedule overall. This season, Purdue played (and beat) Gonzaga, Tennessee, Marquette, Alabama, Arizona, Illinois and Wisconsin, who were all ranked at the time of the game.
North Carolina
The North Carolina Tar Heels are one of the oldest teams in the country this season. Out of the nine players who see significant time for Hubert Davis’ squad, five of them are seniors, including four fifth-year seniors: Armando Bacot, Cormac Ryan, Paxson Wojcik and Jae’lyn Withers. The other senior is R.J. Davis, who scored just north of 21 PPG in the regular season and was the ACC Player of the Year.
2 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
Iowa State
The Iowa State Cyclones employ KenPom’s top-ranked defense this season. The Cyclones held opponents to 61.3 PPG (fourth in the country) and held opponents to just 20.6 FGs made per game (second in the country). Iowa State held seven opponents under 50 points this season, including Houston in the Big 12 title game.
Marquette
The strength of the Golden Eagles once again is Shaka Smart’s strong defense. Using a suffocating switching zone and a physical man-to-man defense, the Golden Eagles gave up 80+ points just twice (won both games) and gave up 70 or more points just 14 times this season.
Arizona
As a team, the Arizona Wildcats have possibly the best all-around offense in the entire country. Arizona is third in the country in scoring (87.9), second in assists (18.6) and third in total rebounds (42.6). The Wildcats are 21-4 in games where they have scored 80 or more points.
Tennessee
The Tennessee Volunteers are led by transfer Dalton Knecht, who at 21.1 PPG is in his first season in the NCAA Tournament. Knecht can certainly lead the Volunteers to a championship, as he shoots 46.5% from the field and 39.7% from the three-point line.
3 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
Creighton
The Creighton Blue Jays are one of the best and most efficient teams scoring the ball this season. The Blue Jays shoot 60.6% from two (third in the country), 36.1% from three (65th in the country) and 48.6% from the field in total (20th in the country). As a team, Creighton scores 80.5 PPG, which ranks tied for 24th in the country.
Illinois
Illinois guard Terrence Shannon is one of the best players in the country. A likely All-American candidate, Shannon is third in the country in scoring at 22.6 PPG. Shannon can take over any game that he is a part of, as proved by his 102 points over three games in the Big Ten tournament.
Baylor
The Baylor Bears are one of the most well-rounded teams in terms of scoring in this season’s NCAA Tournament. Future NBA first-round pick Ja’Kobe Walter leads the team with 14.2 PPG. He is joined by five other Bears who score in double figures, to bring a total of six players over 10 PPG for Baylor. With all of that scoring, the Bears shot 38.8% from the three-point line, which ranks ninth in the country.
Kentucky
The Kentucky Wildcats are once again loaded with NBA talent. With possibly four first-round picks in the 2024 NBA Draft (Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham, Justin Edwards and D.J. Wagner), Kentucky has firepower. Those four players do not include Wildcats leading scorer and senior Antonio Reeves, who scores 20 PPG.
4 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
Duke
The Blue Devils have found success this season by taking care of the ball. They only averaged 9.7 turnovers per game (tied for 11th in the country) this season to 15.4 assists per game (tied for 26th in the country). As a whole, Duke totaled 493 assists to just 311 turnovers.
Auburn
The Auburn Tigers excel on the defensive side of the ball. After winning the SEC Championship, the Tigers were one of the best teams in the country at limiting opponents’ shooting. Teams are shooting just 38.5% from the field (third in the country), 42.7% from two (third in the country) and 30.2% shooting from three (20th in the country).
Alabama
The Alabama Crimson Tide has the best offense in the country this season. They lead the nation in scoring with 90.8 PPG. That is 1.4 points more than the second-place team. The Crimson Tide shoot the fourth most threes in the country (30.3 per game) and make the third most (11.1 per game).
Kansas
The Kansas Jayhawks were the number-one team in the country this season based on passing. Kansas led the country in APG at 18.8. To add to that, they also kept the turnovers somewhat low, only losing the ball 11.6 times per game this season. It should be noted that those numbers are due in part to Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar’s scoring. Both were hurt during the Big 12 tournament.
5 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
San Diego State
San Diego State forward Jaedon Ledee is having one of the best scoring seasons in Aztec history. Ledee registered the first 20+ PPG season since Anthony Watson scored 22.5 PPG for the Aztecs in the 1985-86 season.
Saint Mary’s
Using a strong and physical defense, the Saint Mary’s Gaels hold opposing teams to just 58.7 PPG (second in the country) and limit opposing teams rebounding. Opponents total just 20 defensive RPG and 27.5 total RPG (both rank first in the country).
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Badgers once again excel at protecting the basketball this season. The Badgers turned the ball over just 9.8 times per game (27th in the country). No player on Wisconsin turns the ball over more than 1.6 times per game.
Gonzaga
While the Gonzaga Bulldogs have not had their classic dominant season, they are still one of the highest-scoring teams in the country. Through the college basketball regular season, the Bulldogs averaged 85.6 PPG, which ranked sixth in the country. They scored 80+ points 19 times this season in the regular season.
6 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
Texas Tech
The Red Raiders have done a great job limiting opposing teams at the free throw line this season. Texas Tech has given up just 520 free throw attempts all season. Partnering with that, Texas Tech rarely fouls, as they commit just 14.8 fouls per game, which ranks 28th in the country.
South Carolina
Using a strong defense, South Carolina limits opposing teams from the three-point line. The Gamecocks only allow 17.7 three-point attempts per game (17th in the country) and 5.9 three-point shots made per game (33rd in the country).
BYU
BYU was one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country this season. The Cougars made 11.2 threes per game on 32.2 attempts per game. Both of those numbers rank second in the country. In total, they finished with the third most three-point makes and the most attempts this season.
Clemson
The Tigers are led this season by three seniors who all score in double digits. PJ Hall is the leader of the team, as the 6-10 forward averages 18.8 PPG on 49.2% shooting this season. Joe Girard, who made his name known at Syracuse over recent seasons, scores 15.7 PPG on 42.5% shooting from the perimeter. And Chase Hunter in his fifth season at Clemson scores 12.3 PPG.
7 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
Texas
The Texas Longhorns are led by a March Madness legend Max Abmas. Abmas is eighth all-time in points scored in college basketball history at 3,109 points. Abmas brought Oral Roberts to two NCAA Tournaments in 2021 and 2023, leading them to the Sweet 16 in 2021.
Florida
The Florida Gators rebound the ball better than any time in the country this season. They average 42.8 RPG, which ranks first in the country. On top of that, they suck in 14.8 RPG, which ranks third in the country. The 6-10 senior forward Tyrese Samuel averages 7.6 RPG and 6-11 freshman forward Alex Condon hauls in 6.3 RPG.
Washington State
The Washington State Cougars, who are in their first NCAA Tournament since 2008, have one of the tallest starting lineups in the country. The average height of the Cougars starting lineup is 79.6 inches or six feet six inches.
Dayton | 2024 NCAA Tournament
The Dayton Flyers have done an excellent job at keeping teams off of the free throw line this season. They foul just 13.4 times per game (fifth in the country). Limiting those fouls coincides with Dayton’s second-overall ranking in opponents’ free throw attempts per game (12.9) and fourth-overall ranking in free throws made per game (9.5).
8 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
Nebraska
The Cornhuskers feature a quartet of players who score over 11.5 PPG. Keisei Tominaga (14.9) and Brice Williams (13.1) man the backcourt, while Rienk Mast (12.5) and Juwan Gary (11.7) man the frontcourt. Tominaga and Mask both made Big 10 All-Conference teams and Fred Hoiberg was the Co-Coach of the Year in the conference.
Mississippi State
While they were on the bubble for seemingly the entire season, Mississippi State was able to sneak into the NCAA Tournament, due in part to their strong defense. The Bulldogs only allow a 29.4 three-point shooting percentage to opponents.
Florida Atlantic
After making a Cinderella run to the Final Four last season, Florida Atlantic brings back a flurry of players from last year’s team. Johnell Davis and Vladislav Goldin are the two leading scorers of the team, with Davis upping his scoring average from 13.8 to 18.2 and Goldin upping his from 10.2 to 15.6.
Utah State
Just like Mississippi State, Utah State excels at limiting teams shooting from the three-point line. Opposing teams shoot just 28.6% from the three-point line against the Aggies this season. That number coincides with opposing teams making just 6.2 three-point shots per game.
9 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
Michigan State
Michigan State was ranked very high to start the season, but after an underwhelming year, the Spartans found themselves on the bubble. They were able to sneak into the NCAA Tournament though due to their strong defense. The Spartans allow just 65.9 PPG (27th in the country) and give up just 15.2 two-point makes per game (15th in the country).
TCU
The TCU Horned Frogs take a lot of risks on defense that sometimes pay off and sometimes don’t. They total 9.1 steals per game (15th in the country), but give up 71.2 PPG to opponents and commit 17.6 fouls per game.
Texas A&M
While Wade Baldwin IV and Tyrece Radford are one of the best duos in college basketball, Texas A&M helps to support the strong scoring of the two by bringing in the most offensive RPG at 17.3. On top of that, they total 42.7 RPG, which is second in the country.
Northwestern
While Northwestern may be short-handed entering the NCAA Tournament, with both Ty Berry and Matthew Nicholson dealing with injuries, the Wildcats should have Boo Buie ready to go. Buie should be in conversation for All-American teams, as he averages 19.2 PPG, slotting him in at a tie for 27th in scoring in the country.
10 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
Colorado
Colorado has started to put it together, riding a strong Pac-12 Tournament to a bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Buffalos have won eight out of their last nine games and should have NBA lottery pick Cody Williams back fully healthy for the tournament.
Nevada
Over their last 11 games, the Nevada Wolfpack has come away with 10 wins. Those wins have come due in large part to the play of senior guards Jarod Lucas and Kenan Blackshear. They have helped the Wolfpack to a 36.5 shooting percentage from the three-point line this season.
Colorado State
Isaiah Stevens is one of the best players in the country, as the Rams senior guard averages 16.5 PPG this season. The team as a whole follows in Stevens’ footsteps, as they shoot 58.2% from two this season (eighth in the country).
Boise State
After a 14.1 PPG season last year, Boise State junior guard Tyson Degenhart has upped his scoring average to 17 PPG. In fact, over the Broncos’ last five games, Degenhart scored under 15 points once, a 14-point effort against a strong San Diego State team.
Drake
The Drake Bulldogs battled a strong Indiana State all season long for the lead in the Missouri Valley Conference. They were able to pull away and win the conference tournament, due in large part to the nation’s 35th-best scoring offense (80.5 PPG), which was led by junior guard Tucker DeVries, who scored 21.8 PPG.
Virginia
Led by Tony Bennett, the Virginia Cavaliers once again play at a very slow pace and pride their selves on the defensive side of the ball. Ranked last in tempo, according to KenPom, the Cavaliers give up just 59.6 PPG (third in the country).
11 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
New Mexico
After getting Jamal Mashburn Jr. back from injury, the Lobos have ripped off four straight wins to take home the Mountain West title. At 14.4 PPG, Mashburn is one of four players this season who averages 12.5 PPG or more for the Lobos.
Oregon
Becoming one of the many bid-stealers this season, the Oregon Ducks rode a strong defense to a Pac-12 Tournament Championship. The Ducks have not given up 70 points throughout the tournament and hold opposing teams to 45.3% shooting this season.
North Carolina State
After losing their last four games of the regular season, the North Carolina State Wolfpack won five games in five days to take home the ACC Championship. That was due in large part to the strong play of senior duo DJ Horne (16.9 PPG) and D.J. Burns (12.4 PPG).
Duquesne
The Duquesne Dukes are probably the hottest team in the country right now, winning each of their last eight games. Over that eight-game winning streak, the Dukes have given up just 70 points once, an 83-73 victory over St. Louis.
12 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon Antelopes rode a strong offense to find themselves in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. They score 79.4 PPG (44th in the country), but the strength of the team comes at getting to the free throw line. The Antelopes make 18.9 free throws on 25.2 attempts per game.
James Madison
While they are just a mid-major school, the James Madison Dukes score 84.4 PPG (ninth in the country). They have scored 80+ points 22 times this season and have scored over 100 points four times.
McNeese State
Led by Head Coach Will Wade, the McNeese State Cowboys score 80.4 PPG (37th in the country) on 38.8% shooting from the three-point line (eighth in the country). According to KenPom, the Cowboys have the 51st-ranked offense in the country.
Alabama-Birmingham
The UAB Blazers play a very physical style of basketball on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. While they commit 15.9 fouls per game, they also frequently get to the free throw line, making 17.8 free throws on 23.9 attempts per game.
13 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
Samford
The Samford Bulldogs employ one of the best offenses in the country, as they score 86 PPG (fifth in the country). That comes on the back of a 39.3 shooting percentage from the three-point line and features eight players who shoot higher than 38% from the three-point line.
Yale
The seven-foot sophomore Danny Wolf is one of the biggest mismatches in college basketball this season and should give opposing teams fits. He scores 14.5 PPG, hauls in 9.7 RPG and shoots the three-point shot at 36.1%.
Charleston
The Charleston Cougars have won their last 12 games and 14 of their last 15 games. Over that 12-game winning streak, the Cougars have scored 70 or more points in ten of those games, including a 90-point performance on the road in Delaware.
Vermont
The Vermont Catamounts take very good care of the basketball when they have possession of it. They average just 9.1 turnovers per game (eighth in the country) and play at one of the slowest tempos in the country – 349th in the country, according to KenPom.
14 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
Morehead State
The Morehead State Eagles are led by a trio of seniors who all average over 12 PPG. Riley Minx leads the team with 20.8 PPG, which is tied for 13th in the country. Jordan Lathon scores 15.4 PPG and Kalil Thomas scores 12.5 PPG on 43.5% shooting from three. That all adds up to a total of 318 threes made this season for the Eagles, which ranks 11th in the country.
Akron
Akron, who made a run to win the MAC and collect a bid for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, has a boatload of experience on their roster. The Zips’ top five scorers are all listed as seniors and just one out of their nine players with the most minutes is an underclassman.
Oakland
Oakland senior forward Trey Townsend has dominated the mid-major circuit and the Horizon League this season. Townsend has averaged 16.9 PPG and 7.8 RPG this season. While his shooting percentages are down from 51.8% to 45.7% this season, his passing numbers have increased from 1.5 APG to 3.1 APG.
Colgate
The Colgate Raiders have excelled on the defensive side of the ball this season. The Raiders allow opposing teams to score just 63.2 PPG (11th in the country), shoot 40.8% from the field (29th in the country) and allow just 13.9 free throw attempts per game (9th in the country).
15 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
Western Kentucky
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers play fast and they play recklessly. According to KenPom, the Hilltoppers play at the fastest tempo in the country, averaging 75.1 possessions per 40 minutes. This fast tempo has allowed Western Kentucky to score 80.6 PPG.
South Dakota State
One of the biggest names last season who was thought to transfer, junior guard Zeke Mayo stayed put at South Dakota State. Luckily for the Jackrabbits, Mayo has led them to 22 wins this season after scoring 18.8 PPG on 38.4% shooting from the three-point line.
Long Beach State
While this season has certainly been a roller coaster for Long Beach State, they have seemed to right the ship at the right time. While they struggle from behind the arc, Long Beach State wants to get to the paint. This season, they are making 44.2 two-point attempts per game (fourth in the country).
Saint Peter’s
Two seasons after their magical run to the Elite Eight, the Peacocks are back to start another run. Saint Peter’s struggles to score the ball, but in turn, they excel at limiting other team’s scoring. The Peacocks allow just 63.4 PPG (12th in the country) and 5.7 three-pointers made per game (14th in the country).
16 Seeds | 2024 NCAA Tournament
Longwood
The Longwood Lancers excel at getting to the free throw line, as they shoot 23.2 free throws per game. That number ranks 25th in the country. The problem though is that the Lancers only hit 15.8 of those attempts per game. That comes out to 68.1%, ranking them 312th in the country, meaning that the Lancers leave eight points a game at the free throw line.
Wagner
At a 16-15 record, the Wagner Seahawks made an improbable run to the NCAA Tournament. That should not comes as too much of a shock though, as Wagner allows teams to shoot just 29.5% from the three-point line this season (eighth in the country).
Stetson
The Stetson Hatters’ best player junior guard Jalen Blackmon has put together one of the best seasons in the country this year. He averages 21.5 PPG on 43.4% shooting from the field and 38.9% from the three-point line.
Howard
While the Howard Bison don’t get a lot of shots up per game, they get to the free throw line as frequently as anyone in the country. The Bison take 23.1 free throws per game (25th in the country) and make 17.3 per game (15th in the country).
Grambling
The Grambling Tigers have qualified for their first NCAA Tournament in school history and for good reason. The Tigers play fast and physical defense, totaling 252 steals this season (65th in the country).
Montana State
The strength of this Montana State Bobcats team is their three-point shooting. The Bobcats shoot the three-ball at 36.7% (32nd in the country) on nine makes per game (37th in the country) and 24.5 attempts per game (73rd in the country.)
