You’ve seen the seedings, now let’s get to the real rankings. Here’s how the field stacks up, 1 to 68, based on each team’s ability to win the national championship:
1. Alabama
Seed: No. 1 in the South. The Crimson Tide had a great season but kicked it up another two notches at the Southeastern Conference tournament, romping through three games by an average margin of 17.7 points. While the up-tempo offense and three-point barrages get a lot of attention, Bama’s defense is the biggest separator, especially at the rim. SEC tourney opponents made just 47 of 137 two-point shots, 34.3%. If the Tide can handle both the pressure of expectations and the media spotlight that comes with a murder investigation that involved two current players who have missed no playing time, they will win their first basketball national title in school history.
