Conference: Big 12 (Auto-Bid) Record: 23-10 (12-6) NCAA Tournament Seed: 5 (Midwest) How they got to the Big Dance The Cyclones’ season was filled with many ups and downs. Their loss total reached double digits, but they also had some impressive wins over highly-ranked opponents. A 9-2 non-conference record was highlighted by a win over Miami and losses to Iowa and Gonzaga. In Big 12 play, Iowa State fought through…
Conference: ACC (At-Large) Record: 25-8 (12-6) NCAA Tournament Seed: 5 (West) How they go to the Big Dance The Fighting Irish opened up the season with a 12-2 nonconference record with wins over Iowa and Northwestern but losses to powerhouses Purdue and Villanova. Notre Dame’s conference season was streaky, as they opened up ACC play by rattling off five straight wins, including a seven-point victory over Louisville. After the hot…
Conference: ACC (At-Large) Record: 22-10 (11-7) NCAA Tournament Seed: 5 (East) How they got to the Big Dance The Cavaliers opened up the season ranked No. 8 in the preseason polls and started off 7-0 with wins over Iowa, Providence and Ohio State. Their bid for a perfect season came to an end with a loss to West Virginia. They then won their next three games and entered conference play…
Conference: Big 12 (At-Large) Record: 26-8 (12-6) NCAA Tournament Seed: 4 (West) How they got to the Big Dance Bob Huggins’ squad had yet another impressive season in 2016-17. The Mountaineers played a fairly easy non-conference schedule, but did pick up a big win at Virginia in December. In Big 12 play, West Virginia’s biggest win came in January against then-No. 1 Baylor. The Mountaineers had a chance for an…
Conference: AAC (At-Large/Auto-Bid) Record: 30-4 (17-1) NCAA Tournament Seed: 6 (East) How they got to the Big Dance The SMU Mustangs had a pretty impressive regular season, but at the start it did not look they were going to finish the regular season as the best team in the AAC. The Mustangs began the season at 4-3 with non-conference losses to Michigan, USC and Boise State. However, after being defeated…
Conference: AAC (At-Large/Auto-Bid) Record: 29-5 (16-2) NCAA Tournament Seed: 6, South How they got to the Big Dance The Cincinnati Bearcats started the season with a pattern of three wins and then a loss. After beginning the season 3-0, they hit a bump in the Rhode, suffering a five-point loss to Rhode Island. They followed that up with three more wins, including an overtime victory at Iowa State, before losing…
Conference: WAC (Auto-Bid) Record: 28-5 (11-3) NCAA Tournament Seed: 14 (East) How they go to the Big Dance The Aggies had a very impressive season both in and out of conference play. New Mexico State started off slow, sitting at 2-2, but a loss to New Mexico in the middle of November would be the last defeat they would see in almost three months. The Aggies won an unprecedented 20…
Conference: OVC (Automatic-Bid) Record: 20-14 (9-7) NCAA Tournament Seed: 15 (Midwest) How they got to the Big Dance The Gamecocks had an average 2016-17 regular season but finished with 20 wins. The greatest highlight of their season so far has come in postseason play. It has been a season of firsts for Jacksonville State, the fourth seed in the OVC Tournament advanced to their first ever final after a win…
Conference: SEC (At-Large) Record: 19-15 (10-8) NCAA Tournament Seed: 9 How they got to the Big Dance Vanderbilt made history this year, becoming the first team with 15 losses to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, their strength of schedule and impressive wins warrant this selection. The Commodores had a very up and down season, but three wins over Florida along with victories over Iowa State…
Conference: Big East (At-Large) Record: 25-9 (10-8) NCAA Tournament Seed: 6 (Midwest) How they go to the Big Dance The Bluejays got off to a strong start this season, going 12-0 in non-conference play with an impressive win against Wisconsin. A few weeks later, Creighton was 18-1 with a win over Butler and its only loss coming to Villanova. However, in their 19th game of the season, the Bluejays suffered…