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Indiana Hoosiers
- Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 12 vs. No. 12 Wyoming in First Four (East Region)
- Record: 20-13 overall; 9-11 in Big Ten
- Rankings: 38th in NET; 36th in KenPom; 34th in BPI
- Odds: 300/1 to win title; 50/1 to make Final Four
- Notable Wins: Purdue, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame
- Notable Losses: Purdue, Illinois, Iowa (twice), Wisconsin (twice), Michigan, Michigan State
- Key Players: Trayce Jackson-Davis (junior center); Xavier Johnson (senior guard); Race Thompson (senior forward)
- Head Coach: Mike Woodson (1st season)
- Last Tournament Appearance: 2016 – Sweet 16 loss to North Carolina as No. 5 Seed
Things looked bleak for Indiana’s NCAA Tournament hopes after it limped to a 2-7 finish in the regular season and a 9-11 conference record this year. Then the Hoosiers beat Michigan and Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament and the bubble case become much stronger. In his first season at Indiana, Mike Woodson gets the team barely into the bracket and will head to Dayton for a First Four matchup vs. Wyoming. Big man Trayce Jackson-Davis headlines the Hoosiers’ attack and he has the talent to take over the paint on both ends.
Wyoming Cowboys
- Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 12 vs. No. 12 Indiana in First Four (East Region)
- Record: 25-8 overall; 13-5 in Mountain West
- Rankings: 50th in NET; 58th in KenPom; 103rd in BPI
- Odds: 600/1 to win title; 150/1 to make Final Four
- Notable Wins: Boise State, Colorado State
- Notable Losses: Arizona, Boise State (twice), San Diego State, Colorado State
- Key Players: Hunter Maldonado (senior guard); Graham Ike (sophomore center)
- Head Coach: Jeff Linder (2nd season)
- Last Tournament Appearance: 2021 – 1st Round loss to Northern Iowa as No. 12 Seed
The Mountain West is surprisingly one of the deepest conferences in the country this season, and Wyoming is proof of that with an at-large bid. In their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015, the Cowboys will have to get by Indiana in the First Four before potentially moving on. Wyoming is led by point-forward Hunter Maldonado and stud center Graham Ike – two of the best players in the Mountain West conference.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 11 vs. No. 11 Rutgers in First Four (West Region)
- Record: 22-10 overall; 15-5 in ACC
- Rankings: 53rd in NET; 52nd in KenPom; 49th in BPI
- Odds: 500/1 to win title; 100/1 to make Final Four
- Notable Wins: Kentucky, North Carolina, Miami (FL)
- Notable Losses: Duke, Illinois, Saint Mary’s, Virginia Tech (twice)
- Key Players: Blake Wesley (freshman guard); Paul Atkinson (senior center); Prentiss Hubb (senior guard)
- Head Coach: Mike Brey (22nd season)
- Last Tournament Appearance: 2017 – 2nd Round loss to West Virginia as No. 5 Seed
Notre Dame was a bubble team going into Selection Sunday and now it finds itself in the First Four play-in games against Rutgers. The Irish boast a top-30 offense in the country, led by dynamic freshman guard Blake Wesley. Though Mike Brey’s team reeled off a 15-5 league record, the ACC was actually one of the weaker conferences in the country this season. Outside of beating Kentucky back in December, the Irish’s lack of good wins is a concern going into the NCAA Tournament – and it’s a big reason why they barely made it in. The one-and-done loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC tournament doesn’t bode well for success against Rutgers and beyond.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
- Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 11 vs. No. 11 Notre Dame in First Four (West Region)
- Record: 18-13 overall; 12-8 in Big Ten
- Rankings: 77th in NET; 74th in KenPom; 74th in BPI
- Odds: 500/1 to win title; 100/1 to make Final Four
- Notable Wins: Purdue, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan
- Notable Losses: Purdue, Illinois, Seton Hall, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan
- Key Players: Ron Harper Jr. (senior wing); Caleb McConnell (senior wing); Geo Baker (senior guard)
- Head Coach: Steve Pikiell (6th season)
- Last Tournament Appearance: 2021 – 2nd Round loss to Houston as No. 10 Seed
Rutgers’ NCAA Tournament berth last season was its first in 30 years – and now the Scarlet Knights are back as one of the last four in the field. Rutgers has one of the weirdest resumes in the country and it’s anyone’s guess which team shows up in the First Four. The Knights boast impressive wins over some of the Big Ten’s top-tier programs (Purdue, Illinois, Iowa), but also have ugly losses that nearly cost them an at-large bid (Lafayette, UMass, Minnesota). They ended the season with a 6-3 record over the final month before losing to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament.
Bryant Bulldogs
- Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 16 vs. No. 16 Wright State in First Four (South Region)
- Record: 22-9 overall; 15-2 in Northeast Conf.
- Rankings: 200th in NET; 183rd in KenPom; 169th in BPI
- Odds: 1000/1 to win title; 250/1 to make Final Four
- Notable Wins: None
- Notable Losses: Houston, Clemson
- Key Players: Peter Kiss (senior wing); Charles Pride (junior wing)
- Head Coach: Jared Grasso (4th season)
- Last Tournament Appearance: Never
This is Bryant’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after becoming a Division I program in 2009. The Bulldogs have won 16 of their last 17 games while running through the Northeast Conference with relative ease. They’re led by Peter Kiss, a former Rutgers transfer, who led all of college basketball in scoring this season at 25.1 points per game. Rhode Island-based Bryant plays at the eighth-fastest tempo in the country and, at the very least, its First Four matchup vs. Wright State should be higher-scoring.
Wright State Raiders
- Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 16 vs. No. 16 Bryant in First Four (South Region)
- Record: 21-13 overall; 15-7 in Horizon League
- Rankings: 191st in NET; 182nd in KenPom; 164th in BPI
- Odds: 1000/1 to win title; 250/1 to make Final Four
- Notable Wins: None
- Notable Losses: Purdue, NC State
- Key Players: Tanner Holden (junior wing); Grant Basile (junior center); Trey Calvin (junior guard)
- Head Coach: Scott Nagy (6th season)
- Last Tournament Appearance: 2018 – 1st Round loss to Tennessee as No. 14 seed
Wright State is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. The Raiders had the Horizon League's best offense this season and will be ready for a fast-paced, high-scoring matchup vs. Bryant in the First Four. Interestingly, Dayton-based Wright State will be playing a de facto home game here. Tanner Holden (First Team) and Grant Basile (Second Team) were two of the Horizon League's best players and they anchor a fun Raiders team.
Texas Southern Tigers
- Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 16 vs. No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in First Four (Midwest Region)
- Record: 18-12 overall; 13-5 in SWAC
- Rankings: 197th in NET; 188th in KenPom; 175th in BPI
- Odds: 1000/1 to win title; 200/1 to make Final Four
- Notable Wins: Florida
- Notable Losses: Saint Mary’s, BYU, Oregon
- Key Players: Joirdon Karl Nicholas (senior center); Bryson Etienne (senior guard); John Walker (senior forward); Brison Gresham (senior center)
- Head Coach: Johnny Jones (4th season)
- Last Tournament Appearance: 2021 – 1st Round loss to Michigan as No. 16 Seed
It may surprise some to learn that Texas Southern actually beat a power-conference program already this season when it upset Florida on the road back in December. Though the Gators weren't a Tournament-team, it's saying something that a mid-major squad even pulled off the feat. Texas Southern won its First Four matchup last year and it's back in the play-in games once again. The Tigers are an interesting team that plays the most bench minutes in the country with a deep rotation. Brison Gresham, who was on Houston's Final Four squad a year ago, is one of Texas Southern's key players now after transferring over.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders
- Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 16 vs. No. 16 Texas Southern in First Four (Midwest Region)
- Record: 23-11 overall; 7-7 in Southland
- Rankings: 241st in NET; 243rd in KenPom; 242nd in BPI
- Odds: 1000/1 to win title; 200/1 to make Final Four
- Notable Wins: None
- Notable Losses: Texas A&M, Notre Dame
- Key Players: Simeon Fryer (senior wing); Terrion Murdix (junior guard)
- Head Coach: Steve Lutz (1st season)
- Last Tournament Appearance: 2007 – 1st Round loss to Wisconsin as No. 15 Seed
A year ago, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi finished out a 5-19 season with a 2-13 record in conference play. One year later, the Islanders are Southland Conference champs and back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. It's a great story and one certainly worth celebrating for first-year coach Steve Lutz.
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