After watching Villanova dominate the 2018 NCAA Tournament, it's never too early to turn our attention to next year. As of now, which teams make for good bets to cut down the nets 12 months from now?
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| Analytics | Analytics | Tournament | ||||||||||||
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| nERD | Record | RPI | SOS | Offense | Defense | Pace | Consistency | Odds | Seed | |||||
Recent NCAAB News
The Wildcats aren't just the top team this year, they rank as one of the best national champs in recent history.
Michigan and Villanova are set to square off for the title, with the Wildcats installed as a 6.5-point favorite. Per our models, which team is the better bet to cover the spread?
The Final Four pits teams of similar styles against each other in the semifinals. What bets do our models like for Saturday's games?
Jalen Brunson has played lights out for Villanova so far in the NCAA Tournament. Which other players have been standout performers for the Final Four squads?
Which under-the-radar players will be key to their squad advancing to this year's national title game?
Villanova's the heavy favorite to cut down the nets entering the Final Four. Do numberFire's algorithms see another darkhorse contender lurking?
Regardless of how their run ends, Loyola-Chicago will go down as one of the classic Cinderella stories in the history of the big dance. Before the tournament began, what were the odds of the Ramblers doing what they've done?
We have some heavyweight Elite Eight matchups on tap. What bets do our models like for Sunday's games?
As the madness continued Thursday, we learned that there will be at least one Cinderella in the Final Four. Who do we like to emerge from Saturday's matchups?
Among teams left in the big dance, Texas Tech is tops in defensive rating. Which other stats should you know heading into the Sweet 16?
The stars will be shining Friday with Duke, Kansas, and Villanova on the slate. Who do we like to move on to the Elite 8?
These 10 players delivered the best individual performances of the NCAA Tournament's first two rounds.
In a March truly full of madness, where do our models see exploitable opportunities in Thursday's matchups?
Teams need to get hot in order to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Which teams have overachieved compared to expectation the most after the first weekend?
The madness of the first weekend eliminated some of the best teams in the country. Let's take a look at who is left and how they stack up against each other.
What do our models highlight as the best bets on Sunday's slate of games?
The first round delivered some unforeseen upsets, including Buffalo over Arizona. Does our model favor any underdogs to cover on Saturday?
Here's your viewing guide to the best day of the sports calendar, including which games to keep your eye on for maximum madness.
Marshall likes to launch it from deep. Per our models, what are the Thundering Herd's chances of covering against Wichita State?
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Kansas punches ticket to Final Four with 85-81 victory over Duke
The Kansas Jayhawks topped the Duke Blue Devils with a 85-81 overtime victory in the Elite Eight on Sunday.
What It Means:
Malik Newman lit up the Blue Devils for a career-high 32 points -- including all 13 of Kansas' points in overtime -- to lead the Jayhawks to their first Final Four since 2012. They will square off with the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday in San Antonio.
The Jayhawks entered the tournament ranked 7th in numberFire's NCAAB Power Rankings.
Villanova advances to Final Four for second time in three seasons with victory over Texas Tech
The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders 71-59 in the Elite Eight on Sunday.
What It Means:
Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 15 points and Eric Paschall pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds as the Wildcats secured their second trip to the Final Four in the past three years. They will face the Kansas Jayhawks in the national semifinals on Saturday in San Antonio.
Villanova entered the tournament ranked 1st overall in numberFire's NCAAB Power Rankings.
Michigan edges Florida State to earn a trip to the Final Four
The Michigan Wolverines held off the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, winning 58-54 to advance to the Final Four.
What It Means:
The Seminoles made a run at the end of the game, but Michigan won the game behind 17 points from Charles Matthews. They will play Saturday against the NCAA Tournament's Cinderella story, the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers.
Michigan entered the tournament as the 10th best team in numberFire's power rankings.
Loyola-Chicago continues magical NCAA Tournament run with win over Kansas State to advance to Final Four
The #11 Loyola-Chicago Ramblers continued dancing on Saturday with a 78-62 win over the #9 Kansas State Wildcats to advance to the Final Four.
What It Means:
The Ramblers were led by Ben Richardson, who had 23 points on 7-for-10 shooting, and he was an impressive 6-for-7 from beyond the arc. It was the first blowout of the tournament for the Ramblers, who will meet #3 Michigan in San Antonio on Saturday for the right to play for the National Championship.
The Ramblers entered the tournament ranked 50th in numberFire's NCAA Power Rankings.
11-seed Syracuse knocks off 3-seed Michigan State to advance to Sweet 16
The 11-seed Syracuse Orange advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 55-53 upset over the 3-seed Michigan State Spartans on Sunday afternoon.
What It Means:
Syracuse relied on their vaunted 2-3 zone to limit the Spartans to a 25.8 field goal percentage (8-for-37 from three) -- and just 5 points in the last 5:41 -- while advancing to the Sweet 16 as a double-digit seed for the second time in three seasons. Looking ahead, the Orange will square off with the Duke Blue Devils in a regional semifinal matchup next weekend.
Syracuse entered the tournament ranked 50th in numberFire's NCAAB Power Rankings.
16-seed UMBC makes history in defeat of 1-seed Virginia
The UMBC Retrievers became the first ever 16 seed to defeat a 1 seed as they defeated the Virginia Cavaliers 74-54 on Friday night.
What It Means:
A lot of brackets were destroyed by the Retrievers' groundbreaking upset. Virginia, at 18.5%, was the most popular pick to win it all in ESPN Tournament Challenge. Meanwhile, UMBC -- the winners of the America East Conference -- were picked to advance at the second-lowest clip (3.4%) of any team.
Heading into the First Round matchup, our models gave UMBC just a 0.8% chance of defeating Virginia.
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