March Madness has been ELECTRIC this year, and with so many great teams left heading into the second weekend, you could make a case for virtually EVERY team to cut down the nets in Indianapolis.
East Region
Duke Blue Devils – Cayden Boozer’s emergence
This team has been led by Cameron Boozer (offensively) for the whole season, with a plethora of other players chipping in as needed. But during March Madness, you can’t rely on just one star – you really need as much help from other pieces as possible. Cameron’s brother, Cayden, is playing his best stretch of basketball this season. If he can continue to be efficient and reliable on offense, it just makes this already great Duke team even tougher to beat in a full 40 minutes.
St. John’s Red Storm – Zuby Ejiofor’s physicality
I’m not sure if anyone is truly ready to go against Ejiofor for a full 40, especially if he stays out of foul trouble. The Big East Player of the Year is a load to handle, and if you didn’t play him in conference, you’re not truly ready. He’s just one player, but he can change the tone of any game the Red Storm plays in.
Michigan State Spartans – Jeremy Fears’ playmaking
Braden Smith might get all of the attention, but Jeremy Fears has also been playing at an All-American level. The point guard has strung together 40 assists over the Spartans’ last three games, with 16 coming against Louisville. He’s not shooting particularly well, but he’s been conducting a beautiful orchestra as the Maestro of this team.
UConn Huskies – If Solo Ball finds his offense
UConn got past Furman without starting point guard Silas Demary Jr. They also held off UCLA and went on a late run despite zero points from Solo Ball. In fact, Ball, who figured to be one of, if not UConn’s best player this year, has gone just 7-of-31 over the last four games. If Ball can find his offense heading into the East Regional, UConn may be on its way to hanging a SEVENTH banner.
South Region
Iowa Hawkeyes – Continue to control the tempo
Bennett Stirtz is a gamer, and the Hawkeyes can make shots when called upon in key situations. Alvaro Folguerias proved that in the upset win over the 1-seed Florida. But the reason Iowa was even in that position was because of their ability to control the tempo of the game against a Gators team that wanted to get out there and score 80+ points. And if Iowa can do that against the defending champs, they can do that against any of the remaining 15 teams.
Nebraska Cornhuskers – Keep shooting!
Fred HOIberg wants his team to HOIst a lot of threes, and lately they’ve been making most of them. Against Troy? 14-of-39. Versus Vanderbilt? 9-of-19. Of course, they’ll pick their spots and not get ridiculous with it, but when you can can as many as they can and do it efficiently, keep on keeping on! Few teams can keep up with that style, especially in the South Region.
Illinois Fighting Illini – Let the bench cook!
I’ve settled on Illinois having the best bench in college basketball. Against Penn, five Illini scored and combined for 33 points. Against VCU, Andrej Stojakovic came in relief and dropped 21 points. Stojakovic (13.5 PPG) is just barely behind David Mirkovic (13.6 PPG) for the team’s second leading scorer. He’s one of the best sixth men in the country, which is hard to prepare for. But when you’ve also got Zvonimir Ivisic and Ben Humrichous there to score 10 to 15 points on any given night, it’s toast for most teams they play.
Houston Cougars – Guard play can take over
Kingston Flemings. Milos Uzan. Emanuel Sharp. No team in March Madness has this amount of talent at the guard position. Flemings can take over offensively. Uzan has experience and poise. Sharp has experience and poise and can lock down his matchup. And with such a deep roster around them, it makes shutting down this trio nearly impossible.
Midwest Region
Iowa State Cyclones – Must get Joshua Jefferson back
We saw how the Cyclones didn’t need Joshua Jefferson to get past Kentucky, but that won’t be the case as the NCAA Tournament goes on. But players had to get some extra confidence in putting on a complete show in a blowout win over UK without their star forward. If he’s able to come back sooner rather than later, the Cyclones are one of the most dangerous outs.
Tennessee Volunteers – Outmuscling teams
Tennessee is fourth in the country at 42.5 rebounds per game, and if they can keep that up, few teams will be able to match that physicality and will to grab any ball that comes off the rim. Plus, Nate Ament is a scoring threat, and Ja’Kobi Gillespie has played meaningful March Madness games before. However, most teams left have an influx of talent, so rebounding the way Tennessee does is what creates that separation.
Alabama Crimson Tide – Just keep scoring
This is a simple one. If Alabama gets past Michigan (first to 110 by the way), no team left can really score with them. You could argue for Arkansas or Iowa State, but Alabama has been on a different level this March Madness, and it might take them to Indy after all.
Michigan Wolverines – Play their best from here on out
I’ve made this statement before. If Michigan plays its best basketball, no one can beat them. What does that mean? I’m really not going to point at any one metric, but if Aday Mara’s inside presence is there, Yaxel Lendeborg is locked in offensively, and transition points are easy to come by, the Wolverines will cut down the nets. It’s just that simple.
West Region
Purdue Boilermakers – Get the most out of Trey Kaufman-Renn
Purdue’s senior big man had one of the most notable drop-offs in production from 2024-25 to this season. But in two NCAA Tournament games, he’s looked more like his old self, averaging 22.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Sure, one game came against Queens, but the other was against Miami (FL), and the Hurricanes had no answer for him. With Texas up next, why not continue to feed the big man?
Texas Longhorns – Ride the momentum
For Texas, a Sweet 16 appearance wasn’t counted on as an 11-seed, but now that they’re here, why not make the most of it? The Longhorns are playing with house money, and it’s created some great momentum as the tournament has rolled along. Dailyn Swain, Matas Vokietaitis, and Tramon Mark have all created some great March Madness moments, and they’ve got the confidence of a 1-seed.
Arkansas Razorbacks – Give it to Darius Acuff Jr. and get out of the way
Acuff is the best one-on-one scorer in the game, so whoever is guarding him is automatically at a disadvantage. So why not keep feeding him the ball? During three SEC Tournament games and two NCAA Tournament games, he’s scored no fewer than 24 points and has dished out over six assists per game in the process. That’s some Kemba Walker stuff right there.
Arizona Wildcats – Big shot Bradley can win this thing
The clutchest player in college basketball might be over in Tucson in Jaden Bradley. The Wildcats shouldn’t ever get blown out, so once a few minutes are left on the clock, it’s Bradley’s time to shine. He’ll look to take the big shots, and as he proved against Iowa State, he’s not afraid of the moment.