Nightmare Matchups for Potential No. 1 Seeds in the 2022 Men's NCAA Tournament

When the 2022 men's NCAA tournament begins, the four No. 1 seeds will be deservedly favored in nearly any matchup. Each top-ranked team, though, has a vulnerability.

And it's a safe bet that a program in the 68-team field is built to exploit that weakness before the Elite Eight.

Now, the bracket is a decisive piece of this story. Based on how selections fall, perhaps a nightmare matchup won't be a possibility until the national championship anyway. However, a few possible No. 8 or 9 seeds may pose a serious threat in the second round, or an expected No. 4 or 5 seed in the Sweet 16.

Each potential No. 1 seed will have its path revealed on Selection Sunday, but they should be hoping to avoid the following teams as long as possible in March Madness.

Kentucky Wildcats

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Nightmare matchup: Houston in Sweet 16

Kentucky's challenge: Oscar Tshiebwe is a force, but Kentucky's offense runs through the perimeter weapons. TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler combine for 11 assists per night, and their ability to break down the opponent off the dribble is paramount to UK's success. Elite defense in the backcourt can frustrate the 'Cats.

Houston's strength: Despite losing Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark to season-ending injuries, the Cougars still have a bunch of defensive pests. They allow the lowest opponent field-goal percentage in the nation and have corralled the 12th-highest rate of rebounds, too. Throw in an extremely slow tempo, and Houston is a perfectly bad matchup for an explosive Kentucky offense.

Kansas Jayhawks

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Nightmare matchup: Murray State in Round of 32

Kansas' challenge: Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun and Jalen Wilson highlight a strong group of perimeter players, but Kansas' interior group is both inconsistent and thin. Basically, the Jayhawks only have David McCormack and Mitch Lightfoot down low. It's not a surprise that all six of Kansas' losses have coincided with its worst rebounding performances of the season.

Murray State's strength: KJ Williams and DJ Burns combine for six offensive rebounds per game, helping the Racers hold the nation's ninth-best rate in that department. Second-chance opportunities could be the foundation of a massive early upset.

Arizona Wildcats

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Nightmare matchup: Connecticut in Sweet 16

Arizona's challenge: In all sincerity, the Wildcats have zero serious weaknesses. The next-closest issues are subpar three-point shooting depth and an infrequent turnover problem. It's an extremely small sample, but Arizona's toughest games have happened when its ordinarily suffocating two-point defense had a rough night.

UConn's strength: Connecticut crashes the glass hard. Led by Adama Sanogo, Isaiah Whaley and Tyrese Martin, the Huskies trail only Kentucky in offensive rebound rate. Arizona is a slightly below-average team in preventing extra possessions. Combine that with UConn ranking 291st in tempo compared to Arizona at No. 7, per KenPom, and the 'Cats would be in for a clash of dueling styles.

Auburn Tigers

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Nightmare matchup: Illinois in Sweet 16

Auburn's challenge: Few teams can compete with Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler, but the effectiveness of Auburn's complementary group wavers. None of the Tigers' guards are shooting better than 41.2 percent overall this season, and only Zep Jasper—usually a low-volume offensive player—has a three-point clip above 30.8.

Illinois' strength: Alfonso Plummer, Trent Frazier and Jacob Grandison may catch fire. Together, they launch 18.4 triples per game and connect at a 39.1 percent rate. If they're hitting from the outside, that partially neutralizes Kessler's impact as a spectacular shot-blocker, and he'd be dealing with All-American center Kofi Cockburn anyway.

Baylor Bears

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Nightmare matchup: North Carolina in Round of 32

Baylor's challenge: At full strength, Baylor had no major weakness on defense. The injury to Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua has stung the Bears, though. Since he underwent knee surgery, they've only won the rebounding battle once in seven games. Stellar three-point defense has helped mitigate that issue, but five of Baylor's last seven opponents were below-average perimeter teams.

North Carolina's strength: Not only is UNC ranked 10th nationally in total rebound rate, but the Tar Heels are also 29th from the outside. They lean on All-American center Armando Bacot but have three excellent shooters in Caleb Love, RJ Davis and Brady Manek.

Gonzaga Bulldogs

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Nightmare matchup: LSU in Sweet 16

Gonzaga's challenge: There is no simple way to slow Gonzaga, and "be physical" is a vague sentiment. Nevertheless, there's a clear difference in the Zags' performance when they're under constant pressure. It was a common theme in losses to Alabama, Duke and Saint Mary's, along with the loss to Baylor in the 2021 national title.

LSU's strength: Six players average at least a steal per game for the Tigers, who are fourth nationally in opponent turnover rate. Plus, per Hoop-Math, they allow the seventh-lowest effective field-goal rate in transition. While an inefficient offense is a concern in a hypothetical matchup, LSU's defense would be a thorn for the Zags.

          

Statistics courtesy of KenPom.com or Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.