The time has come. You have your printed out bracket and a pen. Oh, right sorry, it’s 2023. More realistically, you have your computer and a tab open to whatever your bracket challenge of choice is. It’s officially March Madness, and it’s time to fill out your men’s NCAA tournament bracket.
Before you put pen to paper — or keystroke to keyboard — there are some things to know. Which teams are dealing with injuries at the worst time? Who is playing close to home? Which team is riding a hot (or worse, cold) streak in March?
Let’s take a look at some things you should take into consideration before hitting submit on your bracket.
Key Injuries
Sadly, injuries are a part of the game. Losing a player is never ideal, but losing a player heading into the NCAA tournament is just brutal. There are a handful of injuries that could impact the outcome of games, so keep them in mind when filling out your brackets.
- Zakai Ziegler (Tennessee) – The Volunteers lost their sophomore point guard to an ACL injury, and it’s had an impact. Ziegler was instrumental to the Tennessee offense when it came to shot-making and taking care of the ball, something they struggled with in the SEC tournament loss to Missouri.
- Ben Vander Plas (Virginia) – Once again the Cavaliers are down a player heading into the postseason. Vander Plas broke his hand during a practice prior to Virginia’s first ACC tournament game last Thursday, ending his season. While the offense will miss his passing ability and the threat of connecting from deep, Virginia did well against both North Carolina and Clemson on that end before falling to Duke in the ACC title game.
- Jaylen Clark and Adem Bona (UCLA) – The Bruins will be down at least one player for the postseason as Clark is done for the year with an Achilles injury. That’s a huge hit for UCLA’s tough defense — Clark is eighth nationally in steals per KenPom — and takes away a talented player. If you’re looking for any good news on the injury front, it sounds like Bona is improving and could play in UCLA’s opener against 15-seed UNC-Asheville.
- Norchad Omier (Miami) – The Hurricanes lost their impressive big man just minutes into their ACC tournament semifinal against Duke as he rolled his ankle on a rebounding attempt. The Blue Devils were able to make life miserable for Miami as a result, forcing their guards to shoot over length without an interior threat. Whether or not the Canes have Omier will dictate how far they can go.
- Marcus Sasser (Houston) – This one hurts. The Cougars have a legitimate shot at playing for a title in their home city, but it feels like a stretch if they don’t have Sasser. The talented shooting guard strained his groin on March 11 and did not play in Houston’s loss to Memphis in the AAC title game. With the winner of Iowa and Auburn waiting in the second round, it could be a tough go for a preseason favorite.
Location, location, location
Keep an eye on where teams are playing and when. How close is a school’s fanbase? How far have they traveled? Do they have history in that building?
- Virginia is 9-2 in the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville since the Cards joined the ACC, including wins over Oregon and Purdue in the 2019 NCAA tournament that sent the Cavaliers to the Final Four. Keep that in mind if they make it out of the first weekend.
- Kansas could have played in Kansas City if not for some head-scratching decisions by the committee that sent them to Vegas instead.
- Auburn, a 9-seed, is playing its first round game against 8-seed Iowa in Birmingham. Birmingham is 110 miles from Auburn. It’s 758 miles from Iowa City. If they win, they get a chance to knock off 1-seed Houston (which is 667 miles from Birmingham). That’s a big advantage for the Tigers.
Momentum matters
It’s not secret that you want to be playing your best ball heading into the NCAA tournament. There feels to be a major vibe difference between teams with similar records where one lost earlier in the season and is on a scorcher and one that is barely holding onto the right side of the bubble. So who should you be aware of?
SCORCHING
Duke – Since losing at Virginia, the Blue Devils have won nine straight games, including the ACC tournament title game against that same Cavalier squad. Duke’s length is bothersome, and they’re finally fully healthy.
College of Charleston – The Cougars are on the fifth-longest win-streak in the nation with 10 straight victories. They’re a popular upset pick for a reason.
Penn State – Get on the Nittany Lion bandwagon now, if you haven’t already. Since losing four straight to start February, Penn State has won 8-of-10 and nearly completed a big comeback against Purdue in the Big Ten title game.
COOLING
Tennessee – A lot of this is the aforementioned injury to Ziegler, but the Vols have lost six of their last 10.
Iowa – The Hawkeyes have lost four of their last six games.
Pitt – Jeff Capel’s Panthers were among the last four teams into the tournament, and they’ve lost three of their last four games. That’s not what you want heading into single-elimination play.
