March Madness: The biggest weakness for each powerhouse

The NCAA tournament is the crowning conclusion to the college basketball season. Fans from all over the country tend to predict blueblood schools to make the Final Four, but in a do-or-die tournament like March Madness, a glaring shortcoming could cost a team a chance to advance. We’ll take a look at what those are for the top teams. All statistics are sourced from Sports Reference.

It’s all setup for Houston to win it all. They’ve passed every test (finishing first in the Big 12 Conference, for instance), and have been on the doorstep of greatness for a couple of years. The program preaches the philosophy that “pressure is a privilege” as noted by the Houston Chronicle, but we’ll see if they can make the plays they haven’t capitalized on in previous NCAA tournaments.

The UConn Huskies also come into March Madness with high expectations, albeit a little different from the ones outlined for Houston. The defending champions know what it takes to succeed in March and April, but they’ll be starting their title defense from a different seed in 2024. They were a four seed in 2023, and snuck up on a lot of teams on their way to a title last season.

7’4”, 285 pound center Zach Edey is the biggest presence in college basketball. He’s had another sensational season, averaging over 24 points and 11 rebounds per game. However, Purdue was badly exposed in last year’s NCAA tournament, and teams might try to replicate Farleigh Dickinson’s gameplan of a year ago. It featured smaller athletic players that Edey had a hard time matching up with.

March Madness tends to elevate the level of tension as the tournament goes on, which is something the Tar Heels will have to deal with better than they have this season. The Raleigh News & Observer pointed out that North Carolina hasn’t been as crisp as their ability would dictate in late-game situations.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

The Volunteers have had a great year fueled by likely top 10 NBA Draft pick Dalton Knecht. However, Tennessee might have issues holding up against bigger teams. Jonas Aidoo is their only consistent big man, and the Volunteers were in trouble when he fouled out against Mississippi State in January, as noted by Rocky Top Insider.

The Wildcats are right up there with almost any team in the country in terms of talent, but haven’t faced the level of competition throughout the season that others have. Arizona largely ran laps around everyone else in the Pac-12, which has had a down year in terms of overall conference strength. It’ll be interesting to see if this potential lack of seasoning comes back to bite them.

The Cyclones are an interesting team heading into March Madness, as they’re one of the most balanced squads in the country. Their top six scorers all average between 8 and 14 points per game, which can make it tough for defenses to hone in on one player. However, that lack of a true star may come back to hurt Iowa State if they need a bucket in crunch time.

Now in his 14^th season with Creighton, head coach Greg McDermott has done a nice job of putting the program on the national map. However, the Blue Jays have faltered during the NCAA tournament. The team made a run to the regional final in 2023 though, so it’s possible McDermott has unlocked the potential of the talented group in the last couple of years.

CBS Sports and others have highlighted the “one and done” talent that the Wildcats have recruited over the past 10-15 years. They’ve done it again this year, with players like Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard playing key roles. However, that lack of experience could lead to a critical mistake during the NCAA Tournament, but head coach John Calipari likes to bet on talent over anything else.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

The Athletic spotlighted Marquette’s offensive rebounding deficiencies, noting that they were grabbing just 26% of potential offensive rebounds, which ranked them 260^th in the nation. If the Golden Eagles are making shots, this shortcoming becomes irrelevant, but it puts an onus on them to take quality attempts to increase the likelihood of made baskets.

Often times, close games come down to whether or not shots go in at the line. According to the ACC’s website, Duke shot 72% from the foul line, which was good for 10^th in the conference. Star center Kyle Filipowski shot 66% from the line this season, which may incentivize teams to foul him to prevent easy buckets in the paint.

Auburn has a lot of ability, but they could have trouble putting teams away or making comebacks if their outside shots don’t fall. Alabama Sports’ website highlights the trouble the Tigers had shooting from long range away from home. Of course, all NCAA tournament games are played at neutral sites, so this weakness could come into play.

The Fighting Illini are led by a core group of seniors who have seen a lot during their time in college, and that leadership could propel them to a strong performance during the NCAA Tournament. However, The Champaign Room highlights the propensity of Illinois’ starters to turn the ball over, which could lead to consistent transition opportunities for their opponents.

Ja’Kobe Walter has had an outstanding freshman season at Baylor, and should have a solid career in the NBA. However, Baylor has been in this position before, where they’ve had star guards (think Keyonte George a year ago), but have not been able to translate that into March Madness wins. Walter is going to have to play beyond his years for a Bears team that badly needs his scoring.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Like many other programs, South Carolina has emphasized the opportunity that the new NCAA transfer rules provide. Three out of their top four scorers are in their first season after transferring to South Carolina. It’ll be interesting to see if their chemistry is on par with some of the teams they’ll face in March Madness.