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Kentucky Wildcats

  • Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 2 vs. No. 15 Saint Peter's (East Region)
  • Record: 26-7 overall; 14-4 in SEC
  • Rankings: 5th in NET; 3rd in KenPom; 4th in BPI
  • Odds: 8/1 to win title; +160 to make Final Four
  • Notable Wins: Tennessee, Kansas, Alabama (twice), LSU, North Carolina
  • Notable Losses: Duke, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas
  • Key Players: Oscar Tshiebwe (junior center); TyTy Washington (freshman guard); Sahvir Wheeler (junior point guard)
  • Coach: John Calipari (13th season)
  • Last Tournament Appearance: 2019 – Elite Eight loss to Auburn as No. 2 seed

After a down year in 2021 and missing out on the NCAA Tournament, Coach Cal has his team back amongst the college basketball elite. The Wildcats boast a National Player of the Year candidate in center Oscar Tshiebwe, who averaged 17.0 points and 15.1 rebounds per game after transferring over from West Virginia. UK’s offense is one of the best in the country, led by the dynamic backcourt duo of freshman TyTy Washington Jr. and junior Sahvir Wheeler. 

This isn’t like past Kentucky teams that started four or five one-and-done players bound for the NBA. Instead, Cal used the transfer portal to bring in upper-classmen hungry to win it all. Tshiebwe (West Virginia), Wheeler (Georgia), Kellan Grady (Davidson) and Davion Mintz (Creighton) were all the best players on their own teams and now are sharing the wealth at Kentucky. Even after losing in the SEC semifinals, don’t count out another loaded Wildcats squad. 

 

Villanova Wildcats 

  • Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 2 vs. No. 15 Delaware (South Region)
  • Record: 26-7 overall; 16-4 in Big East
  • Rankings: 8th in NET; 11th in KenPom; 7th in BPI
  • Odds: 14/1 to win title; 3/1 to make Final Four
  • Notable Wins: Tennessee, Providence (twice), Connecticut (twice), Seton Hall (twice)
  • Notable Losses: Baylor, UCLA, Purdue, Marquette (twice), Connecticut
  • Key Players: Collin Gillespie (senior guard); Justin Moore (junior guard); Jermaine Samuels (senior forward)
  • Head Coach: Jay Wright (21st season)
  • Last Tournament Appearance: 2021 – Sweet 16 loss to Baylor as No. 5 seed

Like clockwork, Villanova is back again with one of the country’s top teams and is coming off a Big East Tournament title. After suffering a season-ending injury late last season, senior Collin Gillespie used the new NCAA eligiblity rule to return for a fifth year and he’s motivated to win a second national championship in his collegiate career. Gillespie and Justin Moore form one of the best backcourts in all of college basketball and they can anchor ‘Nova deep into March like we’re used to seeing from Jay Wright’s squads. The biggest worry, though, is a lack of depth and proven talent outside of those two stars. The Wildcats have a fairly easy path to the Sweet 16, but a possible matchup vs. Tennessee would be a tough test – though Villanova already beat the Vols back in November.

 

Tennessee Volunteers 

  • Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 3 vs. No. 14 Longwood (South Region)
  • Record: 26-7 overall; 14-4 in SEC
  • Rankings: 7th in NET; 7th in KenPom; 5th in BPI
  • Odds: 14/1 to win title; +330 to make Final Four
  • Notable Wins: Kentucky (twice), Auburn, Arizona, LSU, North Carolina, Arkansas
  • Notable Losses: Villanova, Texas Tech, Kentucky, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, LSU
  • Key Players: Kennedy Chandler (freshman guard); Santiago Vescovi (junior guard); Josiah Jordan-James (junior wing); Zakai Zeigler (freshman guard)
  • Head Coach: Rick Barnes (7th season)
  • Last Tournament Appearance: 2021 – 1st Round loss to Oregon State as No. 5 seed

The Volunteers have flown a bit under-the-radar all season with Kentucky and Auburn headlining the SEC. Well, a conference tournament title proves that Tennessee is a team that should be considered amongst the best in the nation. Head coach Rick Barnes has a top-five defense in the country and a roster blended uniquely with freshmen studs and veteran experience. 

Kennedy Chandler is one of those standout youngsters who will be a top NBA Draft pick this year. Chandler, alongside fellow freshman Zakai Zeigler and junior Santiago Vescovi, anchors one of the country’s top backcourts – an important recipe for going deep in the bracket. With how good the defense is, Tennessee is can win it all by grinding out wins and timely sharpshooting on the offensive end. It'll likely have to get by Villanova in the Sweet 16, but this team is much better than the one that lost to the Wildcats back in November.

 

 


Texas Tech Red Raiders

  • Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 3 vs. No. 14 Montana State (West Region)
  • Record: 25-9 overall; 12-6 in Big 12
  • Rankings: 9th in NET; 9th in KenPom; 13th in BPI
  • Odds: 22/1 to win title; +450 to make Final Four
  • Notable Wins: Tennessee, Baylor (twice), Kansas, Texas (twice)
  • Notable Losses: Gonzaga, Kansas (twice), Providence, TCU, Iowa State
  • Key Players: Kevin McCullar (junior wing); Bryson Williams (senior center); Terrence Shannon (junior guard); Adonis Arms (senior guard)
  • Head Coach: Mark Adams (1st season)
  • Last Tournament Appearance: 2021 – 2nd Round loss to Arkansas as No. 6 seed

Despite head coach Chris Beard surprisingly bolting town to take the Texas job this past offseason, Texas Tech out-performed expectations and was still among the Big 12’s top-tier. The Red Raiders have an interesting blend of grad transfers from smaller schools (Bryson Williams & Adonis Arms) and a couple key players that stuck around after Beard left (Kevin McCullar & Terrence Shannon). 

The veteran-laden roster claims the best defensive efficiency in the country (per KenPom metrics) and usually rides that pesky D to comfortable wins. First-year coach Mark Adams has this team looking like Beard never left, and a title run is possible with the elite defense. Just ask Kansas, who needed a late-second half run to get past Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game. This team can easily beat Duke in a possible Sweet 16 matchup in the West region.

 

Auburn Tigers

  • Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 2 vs. No. 15 Jacksonville State (Midwest Region)
  • Record: 27-5 overall; 15-3 in SEC
  • Rankings: 11th in NET; 10th in KenPom; 12th in BPI
  • Odds: 12/1 to win title; +250 to make Final Four
  • Notable Wins: Kentucky, Alabama (twice), LSU, Loyola-Chicago, Murray State
  • Notable Losses: Connecticut, Arkansas, Tennessee
  • Key Players: Jabari Smith (freshman power forward); Walker Kessler (sophomore center); Wendell Green Jr. (sophomore point guard)
  • Head Coach: Bruce Pearl (8th season)
  • Last Tournament Appearance: 2019 – Final Four loss to Virginia as No. 5 seed

Remember when Bruce Pearl’s squad made that surprise run to the Final Four in 2019? Well, this year’s Auburn team is a lot better on paper and was even ranked as the AP’s No. 1 team at one point. The Tigers are led by stud freshman Jabari Smith, a likely top-five NBA Draft pick, and shot-blocking machine Walker Kessler, who’s found a career resurgence since transferring from North Carolina. In addition to some key transfers, Smith and Kessler headline one of the best defensive teams in the country that can also score it plenty with a fast-paced attack. 

It’s a tad concerning, though, that the SEC regular-season champs had a one-and-done exit in the conference tournament and limped to a 5-4 record in the past nine games. To get back to the Final Four this year, Auburn will potentially have challenging matchups vs. USC and Wisconsin in the Round-of-64 and Sweet 16, respectively. 

 

UCLA Bruins 

  • Seed & 1st Rd Opponent: No. 4 vs. No. 13 Akron (West Region)
  • Record: 25-7 overall; 15-5 in Pac-12
  • Rankings: 10th in NET; 8th in KenPom; 9th in BPI
  • Odds: 18/1 to win title; +450 to make Final Four
  • Notable Wins: Villanova, Arizona, USC (twice), Marquette
  • Notable Losses: Gonzaga, Arizona (twice), USC
  • Key Players: Johnny Juzang (junior wing); Jaime Jaquez (junior wing); Tyger Campbell (junior guard); Jules Bernard (senior wing)
  • Head Coach: Mick Cronin (3rd season)
  • Last Tournament Appearance: 2021 – Final Four loss to Gonzaga as No. 11 seed

A year after making a miracle run from the First Four play-in games to the Final Four, the Bruins are looking to repeat that postseason success again. UCLA still has all the major pieces from last season’s squad, and that experience cannot be overstated when it comes to this year’s NCAA Tournament. Johnny Juzang, Jaime Jaquez and Tyger Campbell anchor a team that has both a top-15 defense and offense in the country. 

A few losses during the month of February likely cost UCLA in terms of seeding, but Mick Cronin's guys proved last year how dangerous they can be. The Bruins will not only benefit from playing in the West Region, but they also have the weakest No. 1 seed (Baylor) in their bracket and a favorable path to the Elite Eight. 
 

Join the 2022 Fantasy Alarm March Madness Bracket Challenge now to win FREE CASH! Make your picks here. 

Looking for more College Basketball content? Check out FREE 2022 March Madness NCAA Tournament previews on Top Mid-Major Teams & and Dark Horses!