March has begun, and only time will tell who will clinch the spots in the bracket as predictions have started to be released.
February has come to a close, which means that all eyes are shifted towards the basketball courts just in time for March Madness. With a number of college teams still fighting for a spot in the NCAA tournament, only time will tell who will have a set spot on the bracket. Plenty of teams have made big moves in order to rank higher or make their way into the bubble. If we break down how March Madness works, we start off with the conference tournaments which can move tons of teams around. There have been many standout teams that deserve some recognition for having an amazing record, standout wins, and of course those last minute buzzer beaters.
As of late, the SEC conference has been killing it with their teams getting wins for nearly every single night given with a raise in difficulty. With this week's SEC schools teams placing high on the AP Top 25 list, Auburn currently holds the first spot with their record consisting of 25 wins and only two losses, being also the number one overall seed for March Madness. Johni Broome had 31 points and 14 rebounds against Georgia last weekend. This is his highest points total in his three seasons at Auburn. The Tigers have earned all 60 votes from the national media panel after beating Arkansas and Georgia.
Another team in the SEC that's been getting some attention has been the UT Austin Longhorns. Star freshman Tre Johnson has been putting up many buckets, averaging about 20.9 points per game and having a field goal percentage of 44.6. One of the most notable games this season was when the Longhorns took on the Wildcats, which was considered as a big upset. The Longhorns have been going back and forth with chances of being in March Madness looking to be somewhat hopeful, as Texas snuck in as a last team in for this week's ESPN bracket watch. As Texas took on Kentucky, the Wildcats have also been doing very well this season as they rank 17 on the AP poll. Otega Oweh is a big name for the team while averaging 16.1 points a game with a field goal percentage of 48.9. The Wildcats are projected to be in the 4th seed according to Fox Sports.
Numerous teams have been dominating the AP poll like Duke, Marquette, and Purdue. Duke has been up in the charts and is currently ranked at two. A star player for the team would be freshman Cooper Flagg as he averages 19.4 points a game, for a field goal percentage of 49.1. Duke has recently been on a roll with a win against Miami, which is the Blue Devils 25th win of the season, with Cooper Flagg and teammate Isaiah Evans each adding 16 points alongside Kon Knueppel who scored 20 points. Another big name in basketball school is Marquette, who is currently ranked 21 on the list. Their star senior Kam Jones has racked up a point average of 18.6 per game and a field goal percentage of 49.0. The Golden Eagles are now predicted in the 5th seed according to Fox Sports, but are always a team to look out for, especially with 36 NCAA tournament appearances.
A final team worth mentioning is Purdue who right now is ranked at number 20, just above Marquette. In 2024, Purdue made an appearance in the final four with two games, and has overall had lots of success, being 5th in their conference. One of their star players is Trey Kaufman-Renn. Playing forward, he averages about 19.6 points a game and his field goal percentage is 61.0. The predictions can change over time before the championship game comes around. Teams could win or lose a valuable game, they could move in and out of the bubble, and so on. As we keep getting deeper into the month of March, the better the basketball will be.
Edited by Elsa Olano
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