Alabama, Ohio State among teams that just missed top 16 in early projections
NCAA Division I Basketball Committee Chairman Tom Burnett said Alabama, Houston and Ohio State all earned consideration for projected 16 seeds Saturday when the NCAA Tournament selection committee revealed its top 16 seeds via its early bracket release. When it came to the No. 4 seeds, there was some debate within the committee.
“The three other teams considered (for a 4 seed) were Alabama, Houston and Ohio State at this time,” Burnett said. “That could change, but those are the three we were looking at.”
After a 11-3 start to the season, the Crimson Tide have faltered a bit with a 6-6 record in their last 12 contests. With five games remaining in the regular season as well as the SEC Tournament, Alabama still has plenty of time to improve its seeding within the March Madness bracket.
Houston currently boasts a 21-4 record, and it has the clear upper-hand in the AAC. However, the Cougars 92nd ranked strength of schedule, per the ESPN Basketball Power Index, may be working against them.
Ohio State is 16-6 on the year, and it has fared rather well in a very tough Big Ten Conference. After all, there were three teams from the league included in the initial top 16 reveal. With games against Iowa, Illinois, Michigan State, and Michigan State remaining, the Buckeyes have several opportunities to beef up their resume and impress the committee.
As things stand currently, Gonzaga, Auburn, Arizona, and Kansas are the No. 1 seeds in the tournament. The No. 2 seeds included Baylor, Kentucky, Purdue, and Duke. Villanova, Texas Tech, Tennessee, and Illinois slotted in as the No. 3 seeds. Finally, Wisconsin, UCLA, Providence, and Texas were revealed to be the No. 4 seeds.
Recently, 247Sports’ Kevin Flaherty named the Buckeyes as a potential “pretender” candidate in the NCAA Tournament. Flaherty cited the team’s lackluster defense as a reason it could falter in March.
“In a redux of last season, both Iowa and Ohio State have the offenses to make a run, but lack the make-up on defense,” Flaherty wrote. “That cost both teams to the price of early exits in last year’s NCAA Tournament, and while both could go further this season, neither should be a strong bet to make it deep in the tournament, much less win the national championship. Iowa has the slightly better offense at No. 4 nationally to Ohio State’s No. 8. But the Buckeyes are better defensively, at No. 78 and Iowa at No. 119. Neither is in the acceptable range for a national championship contender, and both could lead to those teams heading home ahead of their plans.”
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