2024 March Madness: Ranking The 5 Best Defensive Teams In The Nation
In order to make a deep run in March Madness, you have to be able to shut down your opponent. Jason Radowitz has highlighted five teams with the best defenses that could help carry them through the NCAA Tournament.
Jason Radowitz - March 17, 2024, 6:45 PM EDT
5 min2024 March Madness: Ranking The 5 Best Defensive Teams In The Nation
You know what they say! Defense wins championships!
I've ranked the top five defenses in the NCAA Tournament. So you might want to consider these teams to go deep in your bracket his year if you also believe defense wins championships.
2024 March Madness: 5 Best Defenses
1. Iowa State Cyclones
The Iowa State Cyclones have earned more than 26% of turnovers per game this season. 10.7% of that is from legitimate steals, and the other 10.7% is from non-steals. Both are among the top five rates in college basketball this season.
They've also been above average in defending the three and inside the arc. Still, Iowa State fouls at a very high rate.
That ultimately happens when you're forcing a turnover almost every four possessions. Iowa State is aggressive, but it works for them.
2. Houston Cougars
The Houston Cougars are second in the nation in defensive efficiency. They've held teams under 30% from downtown and rank in the top ten in three-point defense, two-point defense, block percentage, and steal percentage.
While Houston dominates in most areas defensively, the Cougars still have trouble on the defensive glass and still foul at a very high rate. But again, sometimes, that's what happens when you play lockdown defense.
3. Tennessee Volunteers
Opponents only shot a 45.5% effective field goal percentage against Tennessee this year. That's a top-10 number in college basketball.
Tennessee held teams to 31.4% from deep and 44.3% from inside the arc.
But again, the current theme continues. Tennessee fouls at a high rate due to its aggressive defense. The Vols have added 18.9% of turnovers and usually win the turnover battle on a per-game basis.
4. Auburn Tigers
The Auburn Tigers showed off their electric defense when they won the SEC Championship.
The Tigers lead the nation in defensive effective field goal percentage, holding teams to 43.4%. That's because opponents have nailed under 30% from downtown and just 42.8% from inside the arc this year.
Like the other top defensive teams, Auburn will foul a lot. But it's fine when they're forcing some really difficult shots.
5. North Carolina Tar Heels
Unlike the other teams above, North Carolina has earned only 15.1% of turnovers. They'd rather keep the offenses in front of them and force tough shots.
Most teams haven't shot consistently against the Tar Heels. In addition, North Carolina has only allowed about 24% of offensive rebounds per game. That's basically an offensive rebound every four misses, which is a really good rate in college basketball.
With this approach to defense, North Carolina also doesn't foul as much as the other teams.
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