2024 March Madness: 8 Most Underrated Teams In The Nation
There will be many teams overlooked in this year's NCAA Tournament. Who are they? Jason Radowitz shares his top 8 most underrated teams in the nation.
Jason Radowitz - March 18, 2024, 8:00 AM EDT
5 min2024 March Madness: 8 Most Underrated Teams In The Nation
There will be many teams overlooked in this year's NCAA Tournament. But as we all know, there are many surprises that will haunt people and bust brackets.
You don't want to be one of those people. You want to show off and pick the teams to go far that nobody else considered before the NCAA Tournament begins.
Here are the eight most underrated teams in the nation.
Top 8 Most Underrated Teams In The Nation
1. Auburn Tigers
The Auburn Tigers just won the SEC Tournament and are still a No. 4 seed.
Sure, Auburn had a bad loss to Appalachian State back in December. But the Tigers also had three massive wins to win the SEC Tournament over South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Florida. All three of those teams are NCAA Tournament teams playing for the Championship.
Auburn has one of the best defenses in the nation. They've held teams to 42.8% from inside the arc and just 29.8% from deep this year. Meanwhile, offensively, the Tigers are above average in all main categories.
Auburn plays Yale to begin their journey in the East Region.
2. Duke Blue Devils
The Duke Blue Devils were embarrassed by a loss to North Carolina State in their first matchup in the ACC Tournament. But so was everyone else, and so was North Carolina when the Tar Heels faced the Wolfpack.
Duke has one of the best offenses in the nation and is still way above average defensively. The Blue Devils have a lot of star power on the team and have shot 37.7% from three and 54.4% from inside the arc.
This team can hang with anyone. Yes, even Houston when that game comes around in the Sweet 16.
3. Alabama Crimson Tide
The four seeds are electric this year. Alabama's defense is not worth talking about. However, the offense is.
The Crimson Tide have shot a 56.3% effective field goal percentage with 34.9% of offensive rebounds. The Crimson Tide can stick around in any game if the offense continues to play at a high level.
They're a bit undervalued after losing four of their last six games. But this will be a much-needed break for the squad.
4. BYU Cougars
The BYU Cougars joined the Big 12 and really started to develop into a powerhouse. The Cougars don't have any bad losses, which means it's unlikely they're upset by Duquesne to begin the Tournament.
The Cougars have also shot 34.8% from downtown and 58% from inside the arc.
BYU won't see the foul line often, but they'll be fine in a late-game scenario, where they shoot about 74% from the foul line.
5. Michigan State Spartans
You can never count out Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans.
This team lost five of its last six games heading into the Tournament. However, Michigan State still has one of the best defenses in the nation. The Spartans rank 8th in the nation with 93.7 points per 100 possessions allowed. The defense is good enough to keep Michigan State in any game in the Tournament.
6. New Mexico Lobos
The Mountain West didn't get much respect in the NCAA Tournament seeding. But New Mexico can prove the committee wrong, just like San Diego State did last year.
The Lobos added four consecutive wins in four straight days in the Mountain West to win the Championship. Now they'll get a solid draw against Clemson. The Lobos are literally favored to win that game to get into the Group of 32.
7. Colorado Buffaloes
The Buffaloes fought their way into the Pac-12 Championship but lost in a tight battle with Oregon.
Still, Colorado has really good shooting. The Buffaloes have nailed 39.4% from deep, 53.6% from two, and 77.8% from the foul line. Beyond that, they're also a terrific rebounding team and usually win the foul line battle.
8. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska ranks in the top 36 in adjusted efficiency on offense and defense. They're one of the most balanced teams in the country and went 23-10 this season, with only one real bad loss, which was against Rutgers on the road in overtime.
I don't love Nebraska's seeding. They'll have to play Texas A&M and then Houston if the Cornhuskers win. But Nebraska has enough to at least get into the weekend of the Tournament to face Houston.
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