The 68-team field for the men’s side of the NCAA Tournament is now set.
The Duke Blue Devils (East), Arizona Wildcats (West), Michigan Wolverines (Midwest) and Florida Gators (South) have secured the No. 1 seeds in their respective regions. The full bracket can be found here (via ESPN). The tournament begins with the First Four on Tuesday.
These squads are clearly in a great position. March Madness, however, is rife with upsets. With that in mind, here’s the biggest flaw for each No. 1 seed:
Duke (32-2, 17-1 ACC) | Depth at guard
Duke freshman forward Cameron Boozer headlines one of the strongest frontcourts in the country. Entering the tournament, he ranks ninth in the nation in scoring (22.5 points per game) and 13th in rebounding (10.2 per game). But can Duke’s backcourt step up if Boozer goes cold in the tournament?
Sophomore Isaiah Evans leads Duke’s guards in scoring (14.9 PPG), and junior Caleb Foster is the only other Blue Devil guard averaging 8.5 PPG. Foster, of course, fractured his right foot in the regular-season finale against the North Carolina Tar Heels, and it’s unclear when he will return.
If another guard can’t step up for Duke, that could come back to bite them in the Big Dance. Teams that win the national title typically feature elite guard play. Last season, former Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. led the Gators to the championship, averaging 22.3 PPG in the tournament and earning Most Outstanding Player honors.
Arizona (32-2, 16-2 Big 12) | Ability to make three-pointers at a high volume
Arizona’s ability to overpower opponents with its physical play is one reason it won the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles. The Wildcats ranked second in the conference in offensive rebounding (12.8 rebounds per game) and first in field-goal percentage (50.2 percent).
But can Arizona stretch the floor enough? Arizona ranks fifth in the Big 12 in three-point percentage (36 percent) but last in three-pointers attempted (16.3).
The Wildcats also lack an elite three-point shooter. Guard Brayden Burries has made a team-leading 55 threes this season, but he ranks 25th in the Big 12 in three-pointers made per game (1.6).
Michigan (31-3, 19-1 Big Ten) | Turnovers
Michigan features one of the more dynamic offenses in the bracket. Entering Sunday, the Wolverines rank 10th in college basketball in scoring (87.3) and fifth in assists (18.6 per game).
Turnovers, though, have plagued the Wolverines throughout the season. Entering Sunday, Michigan averaged the third-most turnovers per game (12.1) in the Big Ten.
This creates easy offense for Michigan’s opponents. The Purdue Boilermakers scored 13 points off seven Wolverine turnovers in an 80-72 Big Ten Tournament final win on Sunday at the United Center in Chicago.
Florida (26-7, 16-2 SEC) | Three-point shooting
Let’s not mince words; the Gators are a terrible three-point shooting team. Entering Sunday, Florida ranked 12th in the SEC in three-pointers made (7.4) and last in three-point percentage (30.8 percent).
The Gators didn’t show any improvement in their three-point shooting during the SEC Tournament. Florida shot 32.4 percent from downtown in two games at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Florida, however, overcame awful three-point shooting in last season’s tournament. The Gators shot an abysmal 29.4 percent from three-point range in six games.
