The most exciting time of the year is here for college basketball fans: March Madness. Whether you’re a hardcore fan of the women’s or men’s side, there’s plenty of chaos that’s sure to arise. With that being said, there should be plenty of challenges for every team in the field, even the top seeds during the tournament. However, which top seed is the most susceptible to losing early in the 2024 NCAA Tournament? Our team of writers will give their takes in this edition of The Daily Campus sports roundtable.
Sean Ahern
Staff Writer
He/Him/His
Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball
I have gone back and forth on my opinion on the Volunteers all season long. While I think they have the makeup to make a Final Four run, I can potentially see them suffering an early exit despite being a No. 2 seed. The eye test tells me this team can struggle with All-American forward Dalton Knecht off the floor. It makes me hesitant to pick this team to make a deep run if they rely heavily on one person to will them to victory on the offensive end of the floor. The group left a bad taste in my mouth when they fell in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament to ninth-seeded Mississippi State 73-56. Knecht struggled from the floor, shooting 4-for-17 and turning the ball over three times. Call me crazy, but I don’t envision Knecht having the stamina to carry this team for six straight games.
Gavin Friedman
Campus Correspondent
He/Him/His
Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball
The Jayhawks had a rough end to the regular season and I’m worried that they won’t turn it around in the NCAA Tournament. This season, Kansas had their worst winning percentage since Bill Self became the head coach in 2003. They’ve also struggled mightily recently, losing four of their last five games. Additionally, the Jayhawks are dealing with injuries to Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickinson. Both players are questionable to play heading into Thursday’s first round matchup against No. 13 seed Samford and even if one or both of them play, they may not be at 100%. McCullar and Dickinson both average 18 points per game and combine for almost 17 rebounds per game. Kansas is not the same team without them and it showed in their 72-52 loss to Cincinnati in the Big 12 Tournament. The Samford Bulldogs will be a tough first round game for the Jayhawks as they averaged the fifth-most points per game in college basketball and finished seventh in 3-point field goal percentage. Kansas should definitely be on upset alert Thursday.
Cole Stefan
Senior Columnist
He/Him/His
Virginia Tech women’s basketball
The top four seeds in women’s March Madness get to host their first and second round games on campus. Four of the top 16 teams did not make it out of the first weekend last year. The Virginia Tech Hokies are most at-risk of losing on their court this year because of how they have looked without star center Elizabeth Kitley. The Atlantic Coast Conference regular season champions have struggled in their two games without their leading scorer and rebounder. The Hokies averaged 54 points and shot fewer than 40% from the floor in both ACC Tournament contests, barely squeaking by the Miami Hurricanes and getting smothered by the eventual champion Notre Dame Fighting Irish. While Virginia Tech should be able to handle business against the 13th-seeded Marshall Thundering Herd, rebounding-heavy teams like the fifth-seeded Baylor Bears may become too much to handle despite the home court advantage. If Kitley is unavailable this weekend, the Hokies’ chances of another deep postseason run may end much earlier than they expect them to.
Chris Charbonneau
Campus Correspondent
He/Him/His
christopher.charbonneau@uconn.edu
Purdue men’s basketball
The Boilermakers have been notorious for choking throughout the past three years of the March Madness tournament. Last year, as a No. 1 seed, they lost to 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson. The year before, as a No. 2 seed, they lost to 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s in the Sweet 16. The Boilermakers have not appeared in a Final Four since 1980. Purdue fans are weary if head coach Matt Painter can finally get his team over the hump and not be on the wrong side of history again. This past weekend, they lost to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal 76-75. Losing to teams like North Texas, Saint Peter’s and Fairleigh Dickinson doesn’t help your team’s case as a “threat” in the tournament. If Purdue manages to lose to either 16th-seeded Grambling State or Montana State, there should definitely be a conversation to fire Painter. Anything less than an Elite Eight appearance this year for Purdue is a failure for the program.
Stratton Stave
Sports Editor
He/Him/His
Arizona men’s basketball
I’m not going to come out and say that Arizona is going to lose in the first round (though it might happen for the second straight year), but I do think that they stand as the most vulnerable team of any on the top two lines. Their best player is Caleb Love, who was phenomenal in UNC’s run to the title game just two years ago and has been very good in stretches this season. However, he hasn’t been the most consistent and has totaled eight points in the team’s last two losses. Over his past three games — including those two losses — he’s totaled 19 points and has been in a shooting slump that saw him go 4-for-21 from deep. In late game situations, the Wildcats’ game plan tends to be to have Love find a shot for himself, which is risky for someone who is so streaky. He’s proven he can be that guy in March, but I’d be careful with the Wildcats.
