According to Hoop Vision, the Cowboys “use the most post-ups of any team in the country, directly shooting or assisting off of 29 post-ups per game.”. They’re led by Graham Ike, who has the background of the typical March Madness breakout star. The 6-foot-9 forward, who possesses a 7-foot-5 wingspan, was the last player to commit to former UMBC assistant Jeff Linder’s 2020 class but was underrecruited after tearing his ACL during his senior year at Overland High School in Colorado. After missing his entire freshman season, Ike emerged as Wyoming’s go-to scorer. Ike averages 19.6 points, 9.6 rebounds per game, and his 7.3 fouls drawn per 40 minutes are fourth-best in the nation, according to KenPom, in one of the slower-paced half-court offenses in college hoops.

To even get there, though, they’ll have to upset Indiana in a First Four play-in game. Indiana is one of college hoops’ blue blood programs, yet the play-in game is notable for having produced two Final Four teams since its inception in 2011.

Since the tournament expanded in 1985, the 12 seed has been 51-93 against 5-seeds. UAB’s Jordan “Jelly” Walker is one of the most exhilarating guards in the nation. Averaging over 20 points per game and shooting over 40 percent from downtown, Walker is a big-time scorer, since transferring from Tulane. His impact is indicative of Andy Kennedy’s strategy of assembling his own Transfer Avengers.

In only his second season, Kennedy has taken in 11 transfers including eight on their current roster. UAB’s Round of 64 opponent Houston, willed its way to the American Athletic Conference conference title after losing their leading scorer Marcus Sasser for the season. The Transfer Avengers are going to be tested here.

On Dec. 15, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits were 9-4 after losing to Missouri State. That was the last time they lost.

They led the entire nation in 3-point field goal percentage, draining 44.5 percent of their attempt and effective field goal percentage. The margin between South Dakota State and the second-best 3-point shooting team in the country, Patriot League champion Colgate, who shot 40.1 percent during the regular season is 4.4 percent is equal to the difference between Colgate and North Carolina which ranks 53rd in that category.

Their first round opponent Providence won the Big East regular season title before getting blasted by 30 against Creighton in the conference tournament semifinals. Led by the Summit League Player of the Year, Baylor Scheierman, the Jackrabbits have all the ingredients on offense. They also have recent history on their side. In the first round of the last three tournaments, 13 seeds are 5-7.

Head coach Drew Valentine has the Ramblers back in the Tournament after Porter Moser accepted the Oklahoma job last spring. The Ramblers defense isn’t the number one scoring defense in the country like they were entering the 2021 tournament, but the dropoff to 18th in the country illustrates just how little has changed. The majority of the rotation from 2021’s Sweet 16 run is back and these Ramblers are no longer new to major competition.

This season they scheduled matchups against Auburn, Michigan State, Arizona State, Vanderbilt and San Francisco to bolster their strength of schedule. If the Ramblers do advance past, a favorable matchup against Villanova likely awaits them. As formidable as the Wildcats are, they’re reliant on guard play and 3-point shooting, which Loyola-Chicago’s guard-heavy lineup should welcome.

Like most bracket busters, the alma mater of one Steph Curry, is a master of the 3-point arc. They rank seventh nationally in 3-point percentage and are led by Foster Loyer and Hyunjung Lee. Lee was discovered at the NBA Global Academy in Australia and aspirations to become the second South Korean to reach the NBA. An NCAA Tournament run would be his springboard to greatness.

As a whole, Davidson was the class of the Atlantic 10 and has a non-conference win over Alabama on their resume. The last time McKillop won at least 27 games and played in the tournament was during Curry’s junior season when he nearly shot Davidson into the Final Four.

San Francisco is playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997 and the second time since 1982. Fifth-year senior Jamaree Bouya is a slick ball-handler who can twist opposing defenders into a knot.

They’ll be matched up against Murray State in a 7-10 matchup between a pair of mid-majors in the first round. However, the winner will likely have to face off against a Kentucky team that steamrolled its way to a 2-seed in the season’s final weeks.

The Racers are a team that went 30-2 thanks to their double-jointed mix of flawless guard play and an interior presence that could pose a challenge for Kentucky if they wind up meeting in the second round. Guard Tevin Brown sets the tempo and initiates the offense while contributing 16.9 points a game. Forward K.J. Williams is the leading scorer, Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, and at 6-foot-10, will be matched up with Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe.

During the season, Murray State held the second-largest scoring margin in the country, demonstrating how consistently they molly whopped their inferior competition. If they can wipe the floor with San Francisco, a showdown against the best rebounding team in the country looms large. Murray State ranks inside the top 20 teams in rebounds per game and fifth in rebound margin with eight.