Men's NCAA Tournament 2024: Hottest Teams Heading into Selection Sunday
Early results matter for resumes, but college basketball teams aim to play at their highest level as March Madness nears.
The last month-plus of action, as always, has shaped some perceptions for the men's 2024 NCAA tournament. Beyond the best programs in the country, a few once-struggling teams have begun a rapid ascent.
The hope, as in Colorado's case, is that a hot streak does not come too late. Nevertheless, a "better late than never" run like the Buffaloes have assembled can place a program back in the bubble conversation.
In other cases—Gonzaga, for instance—a team can play its way entirely off the bubble with a sizzling month.
The choices are subjective but consider recent results, along with a team's situation in February compared to the regular season's end.
The Potential No. 1 Seeds
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In a truly shocking statement, several of the highest-ranked teams in the country are currently on a hot streak.
Houston and Purdue have dropped only three contests apiece this season, so they are easy inclusions. Houston is riding a nine-game win streak, while Purdue has picked up five victories in a row.
North Carolina has notched six consecutive triumphs, including wins against top ACC competition Duke and Virginia. Connecticut fell in a lopsided game at Creighton a couple weeks ago, but the reigning champs otherwise haven't lost since December.
Rounding out the list, Tennessee lost a tight contest to Kentucky in the regular-season finale. Still, the Vols had rattled off seven straight wins—with three opposite a Top 25 team—before the UK result.
Each member of that quintet, unsurprisingly, has a shot at claiming a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday.
One-Bid League Champions
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The longest win streaks in the country belong to the College of Charleston and James Madison, which both recently punched a ticket to the Big Dance with a conference tournament title.
Charleston made it interesting on Tuesday, needing overtime to get past an upstart Stony Brook team. However, the Cougars made it 12 straight wins as they hoisted the CAA crown.
James Madison posted a 28-3 record in the regular season, so it would've been a shame to not watch the Dukes in March Madness anyway. They capitalized on a run of upsets in the Sun Belt tourney, defeating 10th-seeded Marshall, 11th-seeded Texas State and fourth-seeded Arkansas State to secure the conference title and its automatic bid.
Riding a 13-game streak, JMU will likely receive a No. 12 or 13 position when the field of 68 is announced.
Colorado Buffaloes
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About a month ago, Colorado looked finished. Four losses in a five-game span seemed to cook the Buffs' at-large potential.
That's certainly not the case anymore.
Since falling to 16-9 with a 7-7 record in Pac-12 play, Colorado has exploded for six straight wins. According to the latest Bracket Matrix update, the Buffs are sitting on the correct side of the bubble.
Most impactfully, CU picked up a Quadrant 1 victory at Oregon and a couple of Q2 wins against USC and Utah.
Colorado needs to avoid a quarterfinals loss in the Pac-12 tourney to protect its newly bolstered Big Dance resume. Win at least once, though, and the Buffaloes will hold an argument that would've looked stunning in mid-February.
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Drake Bulldogs
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Drake is in.
After a triumph over Indiana State in the Missouri Valley championship, the Bulldogs are returning to March Madness. It'll be the program's third trip in the past four seasons.
Once again, Tucker DeVries is leading a high-scoring offense. He's poured in 21.8 points and dished a team-best 3.6 assists per game. As a team, Drake boasts a 36.7 three-point percentage thanks to a starting lineup that includes four legitimate long-range options.
That perimeter prowess has played a key role in the Bulldogs posting a pair of five-game winning streaks since the beginning of February. They buried 10-plus threes in six of those 10 victories, too.
Drake, which put a serious scare into Final Four qualifier Miami last year, can be dangerous on the opening weekend of the NCAA tourney.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
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Gonzaga has traditionally cruised to a spot in the NCAA tournament, but Mark Few's squad encountered more obstacles this season.
Back in December, the Zags fell to Washington and San Diego State. Then, the Bulldogs dropped a surprising game against Santa Clara and put themselves squarely on the—early, but still very real—bubble. A close loss against Saint Mary's to begin February stung, too.
Since then, you know, Gonzaga has won...a lot.
Highlighted by a key road victory at Kentucky, the Zags closed the regular season with eight wins in a row. They advanced to the West Coast tournament title before falling to a strong Saint Mary's team.
Gonzaga can be a very, very problematic second-round opponent, likely for either a No. 1 or No. 2 seed.
Kentucky Wildcats
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Gonzaga's season took a turn for better after it upended Kentucky in Rupp Arena. However, that particular result meant the Wildcats had dropped five of their past nine contests.
Yet, in a way, it served as a landmark of UK's season, too.
Kentucky beat Ole Miss—then an 18-5 team—before winning at Auburn. Following a buzzer-beating loss at LSU, the 'Cats put 117 points on Alabama, clipped Mississippi State on the road and closed the regular season with a victory at fourth-ranked Tennessee.
This critical 7-1 stretch has elevated UK from a borderline No. 7 seed in March Madness to a possible top-three slot.
Nevada Wolf Pack
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Nevada put together a 15-1 start but endured a horrible finish to January, losing four of the month's last five games.
Fast-forward six weeks, and the slide is simply a distant memory.
As part of a 10-1 stretch, Nevada beat all four other expected NCAA-bound schools—San Diego State, Utah State, Boise State and Colorado State—in the Mountain West. Throw in a pair of victories over UNLV, and the Wolf Pack collected six valuable Quadrant 1 or 2 wins.
Nevada, consequently, has become an NCAA lock, no matter what happens in the conference tournament.
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