NCAA Tournament

Whether or not a college basketball tournament will be played seems like a silly concern in the grand scheme of a pandemic, but it was huge news when the NCAA made the stunning yet unsurprising announcement Wednesday afternoon that fans will not be allowed to attend the Division I men's or women's college basketball tournaments this March and April because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

NCAA President Mark Emmert said in the official statement, "This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes. We recognize the opportunity to compete in an NCAA national championship is an experience of a lifetime for the students and their families."

Canceling the men's NCAA tournament altogether still could happen, with Stadium's Jeff Goodman reporting from an NCAA source that there have been discussions about such an outcome. But while this may well change within the next 24 hours, the plan is still to play and televise the games, which is going to make for a bizarre viewing experience.

That viewing experience is what I'm here to consider. This isn't a "Should they have taken these drastic measures at all? Should they have done so sooner? Think of the economic impact!" type of piece. There are others more well-versed on the coronavirus and the economy who can shoulder that load.

But as a lifelong fan of college basketball, I'm just curious what this is going to look and sound like, and I'm pretty sure you are, too.

Can it truly be March Madness without the fans?

Half the fun of this annual three-week-long extravaganza is seeing and hearing the crowd gradually become diehard fans of the potential Cinderella team.

I was in Columbia, South Carolina, for the first two rounds last year, and let me tell you: The number of very vocal Gardner-Webb supporters increased by about 4,000 percent from the opening tip to midway through the first half when the Runnin' Bulldogs led by 14.

That level of excitement starts small, and it quickly overtakes the "neutral" fans of the other teams who either already watched their guys play or are waiting for them to take the floor.

Aside from the NCAA tournament, the only time I've experienced that type of mounting tension in an arena or stadium is when a baseball pitcher is going for a no-hitter. The whole "Oh my goodness, are we about to witness history?" wave of anticipation is electrifying.

But it won't be part of this year's NCAA tournament.

No, this tournament is going to feel more like the crowdless game between the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles in April 2015. At one point during that one, MASN broadcaster Gary Thorne started whispering like he was providing commentary on a golf course. And considering CBS announcer Jim Nantz provides commentary for the Masters every year, he may take that approach to the Final Four, too.

Instead of hearing and seeing screaming fans, this will be like watching an intense practice—one of those not-so-secret scrimmages teams conduct every autumn. Except instead of trying to work on conditioning and experimenting with potential lineups and rotations, they'll be "scrimmaging" for the national championship.

It'll be unique, to say the least. But it might be...kind of cool?

It's the most silvery of silver linings on a widespread crisis, but getting to hear the interactions between teammates, combatants, their coaches and the referees is something we simply don't get to experience as fans of team sports.

They might need to preface each game with a "viewer discretion advised" warning because we'll probably be able to hear everything. Say a prayer for whoever gets stuck working the dump button throughout the tournament, especially during Iowa's games. Head coach Fran McCaffery is not a G-rated fella.

We'll get edited snippets of a mic'd-up segment in the NFL or MLB. You can pick up the occasional morsel of dialogue if you're sitting close enough to the field of play. But the constant stream of audio not diluted by fan noise is going to be a new and entertaining experience.

It's also likely that the lack of fans will produce a much "chalkier" tournament than what we're used to seeing, which flies in the face of what we've been saying for the past four months about the March Madness implications of there being no elite teams this season.

While some of the big-name programs reap the benefits of fanbases that travel well—Kentucky's Big Blue Nation, for one—they are also the teams that most neutral fans loathe the most. So when those favorites fall behind, the other two-thirds of the arena gets fired up and starts motivating the underdogs to finish the fight.

But there won't be any of those momentum swings within the building. Players will inevitably still celebrate their big shots with teammates, but you won't see players from Team David draining a big three, forcing Team Goliath to call a timeout and then trying to pump up the crowd.

Or maybe old habits are hard to break, they'll still do that type of stuff, and it'll be just as comical as when a player makes a technical free throw and proceeds to slap hands with teammates who aren't there.

Either way, with less emotion coursing through the venues, my theory for this unprecedented situation is that the better teams are more likely to hold serve and advance—especially in the first round, during which the gap in talent between the two teams is often massive.

Maybe I'm completely wrong and we'll see two No. 16 seeds pull off upsets. Who knows?

Regardless of how it plays out—as long as it actually gets played—we'll forever remember this as a unique tournament in the event's lengthy history.

Just please make sure you're watching it from the safety of your own home.

Kerry Miller covers men's college basketball and college football for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @kerrancejames.

The NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments are going to look a lot different this year because of the coronavirus. 

NCAA president Mark Emmert said Wednesday that the organization is looking at smaller venues to host the men's Final Four in Atlanta, rather than the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press. Per that report, regional sites could also be moved to smaller venues in host cities, though first-round sites will host as planned.

That follows the NCAA's announcement earlier Wednesday that the tournaments would be played without fans in attendance to combat the potential spread of the coronavirus. Only essential personnel and family will be permitted to watch the games in person:

NCAA President Mark Emmert statement on limiting attendance at NCAA events: https://t.co/TIHHJjdse5 pic.twitter.com/8I1HdceDfN

— NCAA (@NCAA) March 11, 2020

Emmert also told Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press that the NCAA even considered canceling the tournament, though settled on playing without fans in attendance:

"The decision was based on a combination of the information provided by national and state officials, by the advisory team that we put together of medical experts from across the country, and looking at what was going to be in the best interest of our student-athletes, of course. But also the public health implications of all of this. We recognize our tournaments bring people from all around the country together. They're not just regional events. They're big national events. It's a very, very hard decision for all the obvious reasons."

The fear of the coronavirus spreading has begun affecting other sports in the United States as well. The Golden State Warriors will be playing in an empty arena at home after the city of San Francisco banned public gatherings of 1,000 or more people through March 21.

The NBA is considering its options to combat the spread of coronavirus and to protect its players, reportedly discussing moving games to cities less impacted by the virus, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, or potentially pushing the calendar back into July and simply putting games on hold for the time being, per The Athletic's Sam Amick. 

While those measures may sound extreme, the World Health Organization announced Wednesday that the spread of the coronavirus worldwide now classifies it as a pandemic. 

"All countries can still change the course of this pandemic," WHO Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, per CBS News. "If countries detect, test, treat, isolate, trace and mobilize their people in the response."

The coronavirus has infected over 115,800 people globally (over 1,000 in the United States), according to CNN.com, and has killed over 4,200 people worldwide. 

NCAA president Mark Emmert announced Wednesday the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments will be closed to fans out of concern over the coronavirus:

Only essential staff and limited family will be allowed to attend. For fans who have already purchased tickets, the NCAA announced refunds will be given:

Emmert also announced changes could be made to venues after the first two rounds: 

The NIT will also be played without fans, per Andy Katz of Turner Sports.

As of Wednesday, there have been 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 within the United States leading to 31 deaths, per CNN.com.

The decision comes after the NCAA advisory panel announced it has recommended against keeping sporting events open to the public as a precaution to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

"We do believe sport events can take place with only essential personnel and limited family attendance, and this protects our players, employees, and fans," the panel's statement added.

The advisory panel was established earlier this month and consists of NCAA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brian Hainline as well as several other doctors and athlete liaisons.

The decision to keep fans from the arenas follows the steps taken by authorities worldwide to attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19. Several events have also been postponed or canceled around the world.

In college basketball, the MAC and Big West prohibited spectators from attending their conference tournaments, while the Ivy League canceled both its men's and women's tournaments.

On Wednesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he will issue an order on large gatherings that includes banning fans from attending NCAA tournament games within the state, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. 

This would have included both the First Four in Dayton as well as men's first- and second-round games in Cleveland.

Houston mayor Sylvester Turner announced Tuesday all city-related events will be canceled or postponed in March, per Len Cannon of KHOU, which could include the South regional final.

COVID-19 has continued to spread globally with more than 115,000 infected and more than 4,000 dead from the respiratory disease, per CNN.com.

World Health Organization director general Tedros Adhanom characterized it officially as a "pandemic" in his latest remarks.

The NCAA tournament is still set to take place for the teams as scheduled, although Emmert noted the governing body can still make "adjustments as needed."

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he will issue an order on large gatherings that includes banning fans from attending NCAA tournament games within the state out of concern over the coronavirus, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. 

The First Four is scheduled to take place on March 17-18 in Dayton, Ohio, while Cleveland is also expected to host first- and second-round games on March 20 and 22.

"This seems difficult for people," DeWine said, per Kilgore. "But we know what's coming. We know what's around the corner. ... Everything looks the same, but it's really not."

There have been 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 within the United States as of Wednesday, leading to 31 deaths, per CNN.com.

Many across college basketball have made adjustments in response to the disease, including the Ivy League canceling its men's and women's tournaments. 

Other conferences have decided to play games without spectators.

Houston mayor Sylvester Turner announced Tuesday all city-related events will be canceled or postponed in March, per Len Cannon of KHOU, which presumably includes the South Regional finals in the NCAA tournament.

The NCAA has still not made any official changes to the tournament, although it announced Tuesday it will have a decision in the "coming days."

As Selection Sunday nears, most bracketology experts are in agreement on which four teams would currently be the No. 1 seeds for the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

That group includes Kansas, the current No. 1 team in the country, along with its Big 12 rival Baylor and a pair of mid-major teams, Gonzaga and Dayton. Of course, conference championship week could change those projections as tournament losses could push these schools to a lower seeding.

It's a little less clear which bubble teams would currently be in March Madness and which ones would be left out.

Here's a look at what top bracketology experts are projecting as the NCAA tournament gets closer.

Predictions from Around the Web

Joe Lunardi, ESPN.com

No. 1 seeds: Kansas, Baylor, Dayton, Gonzaga

Last four in: Stanford, Indiana, Texas, NC State

First four out: Richmond, Xavier, Wichita State, Memphis

Next four out: Mississippi State, Tulsa, Purdue, Northern Iowa

Lunardi goes deep with his bubble projections, as he lists the first eight teams that are currently out of the NCAA tournament. His group includes the mid-major bubble teams, while he put four Power Five schools as his last teams in.

Richmond is 24-7, but it's missing a huge quality win on its resume. The Spiders lost their only two games against ranked opponents this season, falling to Dayton and Auburn. However, they've yet to play in the Atlantic 10 tournament, so there's still time for them to make their way in, especially if they beat Dayton.

Northern Iowa may have a tough time getting in as it lost to Drake in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. The Panthers are going to have to hope that a lot of the other bubble teams also lose early in their conference tourneys for them to have a shot at moving in.

Texas is a team that some experts currently have outside of the NCAAs, but Lunardi is including the Longhorns, who are 19-12 and ended the regular season with five wins in six games.

Jerry Palm, CBSSports.com

No. 1 seeds: Kansas, Baylor, Dayton, Gonzaga

Last four in: Rutgers, UCLA, Richmond, Wichita State

First four out: Texas, Texas Tech, Mississippi State, NC State

Unlike Lunardi, Palm has Richmond and Wichita State currently in the NCAA tournament.

The Shockers are 23-8 heading into the AAC tournament. Their only win over a ranked team came against Memphis on Jan. 9, but they lost to the Tigers on March 5. A strong showing during its conference tournament could be enough to officially put Wichita in the tournament.

Palm has Mississippi State close to getting in but just missing out. The Bulldogs have 11 losses, but they also have had some solid wins and played close games against Villanova and Kentucky. Whether or not Mississippi State can push its way in likely depends on how it fares in the SEC tourney.

While Lunardi had Texas and NC State making the Big Dance, Palm has both of those schools just out for the time being.

Scott Gleeson, USA Today

No. 1 seeds: Kansas, Baylor, Dayton, Gonzaga

Last four in: Texas Tech, Richmond, Stanford, NC State

First four out: Cincinnati, UCLA, Northern Iowa, Texas

The experts are divided on Texas Tech. While Lunardi had the Red Raiders firmly in, Palm has them out. Gleeson isn't as high on them as Lunardi is, but he still has them in March Madness.

Tech is 18-13 after losing four straight games and five of its last seven to end the regular season. It was a tough stretch, but the Raiders own a win over Louisville and played close games against Kansas, Baylor and Kentucky.

Gleeson is in agreement on Northern Iowa missing the tournament, while he also put Texas on the outside of the bubble.

Cincinnati and UCLA are also just outside of the tournament in this projection. The Bearcats are 20-10 entering the AAC tournament, while the Bruins are 19-12 heading into the Pac-12 tournament.

Kerry Miller, Bleacher Report

No. 1 seeds: Kansas, Baylor, Dayton, Gonzaga

Last five in: Xavier, Stanford, Richmond, Wichita State, Texas

First five out: UCLA, Northern Iowa, Cincinnati, NC State, Purdue

Perhaps most noteworthy among Miller's projections is the inclusion of Xavier, which experts have differing opinions on at this time.

The Musketeers are 19-12 after they lost back-to-back games to end the regular season. They have to play early in the Big East tournament, as they play their first game against DePaul in the opening round Wednesday night.

If Xavier is going to make a run to the end of its conference tournament, it will take four wins as it was one of the bottom four teams in the Big East during the regular season.

Think you can fill out the perfect March Madness bracket?

If so, you're almost positively wrong. Albeit one of the most fun interactive activities in all of sports, filling out an NCAA Tournament bracket is difficult. With 68 teams in the field, it's practically impossible for somebody to correctly predict every single matchup of the tournament.

Yet many people are going to try and hope that they can somehow find a way. On Sunday, the bracket for this year's NCAA Tournament will be revealed, then March Madness will officially get underway on Tuesday.

With the time to fill out brackets nearly approaching, here's a look at the NCAA Tournament schedule, followed by some tips for this year's March Madness.

2020 NCAA Tournament Schedule

March 17-18

First Four games in Dayton, Ohio.

March 19-20

First-round games at eight sites.

March 21-22

Second-round games at eight sites.

March 26-27

Sweet 16 games in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and New York City.

March 28-29

Elite Eight games in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and New York City.

April 4

Final Four in Atlanta.

April 6

National championship game in Atlanta.

Bracket Tips

Let's get this one out of the way quick—don't take March Madness bracket pools too seriously and have fun while participating. There's a good chance that some early upsets and a Cinderella team are going to wreck your bracket and put you in a hole in your pool with family, friends and/or coworkers.

But that's part of the fun. At least you'll get to watch some thrilling, exciting college basketball while you're losing.

Now, you're going to need an upset pick or two in the opening round. It can be beneficial to go chalk and rack up some points, but if you really want to win, correctly predicting one of the bigger upsets of the first round can go a long way in helping you do that.

Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, there have been an average of 12.7 upsets a year in which a lower-seeded team knocked off a higher-seeded opponent, according to Andy Wittry of NCAA.com. However, only the first round averages more than 3.6 upsets a year. And there are rarely ever upsets once the tournament reaches the Sweet 16.

So, don't go all-in on a Cinderella team to reach the Final Four. Pick a strong No. 11 or No. 12 seed to notch a couple impressive wins and bow out in the Sweet 16. That's the safest route to go.

Even if you don't fare too well in the opening rounds, it's still possible to win your bracket pool if you correctly guess the national champion. The championship game is worth the most points, so picking the team that will cut down the nets and win the national title is the most important aspect of a bracket challenge.

The lowest seed to win the NCAA Tournament came in 1985, when No. 8 Villanova won it all. There have only been three other national champions that were ranked lower than a No. 3 seed.

In fact, March Madness has frequently been dominated by the No. 1 seeds, as they've won 22 national titles since 1985 and no other seeding has won more than five. This year, teams such as Kansas, Gonzaga and Dayton are likely to be among the No. 1 seeds, assuming they don't suffer an upset loss during this week's conference tournaments.

After factoring in all these bracket tips, make sure to go with your gut. Sometimes too much analysis can cause people to overthink it, so it's important not to that while having fun in a bracket pool.  

The Cinderella sleeper is dangerous in any NCAA tournament, but it might prove especially pesky in this year's iteration.

Save for a select few elites, the top of men's college basketball feels as liquid as a waterbed. Conditions are perfect for an upset storm, in other words.

So, who might be doing the upsetting? That's the question we're out to answer with a look at the top sleeper teams—not projected as a top-three seed—heading into 2020 March Madness.

Butler Bulldogs

Anyone who follows this tournament surely has a level of respect for Butler.

The program made a living out of being a thorn in the side of blue bloods, and even if it hasn't matched the same success since Brad Stevens and Gordon Hayward bolted for the big league, the school still has five tournament wins to show for the past five seasons.

But this designation is about more than history. It's also a reflection of the fact this current Butler bunch is a really talented team.

The Bulldogs pair the country's 25th-best offense with its 40th-best defense, per KenPom.com. They have an elite closer in senior guard Kamar Baldwin, who most recently ripped Xavier for 36 points and five three-pointers.

They also get double-digit points and 39 percent three-point shooting out of senior forward Sean McDermott, while junior forward Bryce Nze flirts with double-doubles on a nightly basis (9.2 points, 6.6 rebounds).

Scoring depth can be hard to find, and high-octane offenses can hit a gear this club can't match. But overlooking the Bulldogs is almost always bad for your brackets, and this team could enjoy an extended stay in the tournament if Baldwin goes on a tear.

BYU Cougars

Were the Cougars exposed by Saint Mary's on Monday? We suppose it's possible.

More likely, though, BYU just slipped up against against a veteran team that's used to winning at this time of year. Considering this was the Cougars' first loss since Jan. 25—and it came by a single point—we'll give Mark Pope's club the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they'll even emerge from the experience better on the other side of it.

"I think that, at the end of the day, this is going to help us and it's going to make us better," senior forward Yoeli Childs told reporters. "Postseason basketball, you're allowed to play a lot more physical. I guess we just weren't ready for that tonight on the offensive end. We're going to take that, learn from it and prepare for the next one."

Consider the opposition warned. The way KenPom sees it, this is the country's seventh-best offense by adjusted efficiency. Childs is a walking double-double (22.2 points, 9.0 rebounds). Jake Toolson (15.2 points, 85 threes) and TJ Haws (14.0 points, 5.8 assists) are ideal complementary scorers and both have a perimeter splash rate north of 37 percent.

The Cougars can bury their counterparts under an avalanche of offense. They put up 91 points in a regulation win over Gonzaga just last month. If they bring the requisite physicality, they can knock off anyone.

Iowa Hawkeyes

It sounds strange to consider the impact of a single player in a 68-team tournament. But then you remember the individual moments of brilliance—like Kemba Walker at UConn, Stephen Curry at Davidson or Carmelo Anthony at Syracuse—and you see how potent of a weapon one elite player can be.

If anyone can carry his club in this tournament, it just might be Hawkeyes center Luka Garza, who holds the first or second spot on any reasonable national player of the year ballot.

The 21-year-old has spent the past several months taking a blow torch to the Big Ten, as he closed conference play with 16 consecutive games of 20-plus points.

"Luka's putting up ridiculous numbers, averaging 24 [points] and 10 [rebounds]," Iowa guard Connor McCaffery told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. "It's stupid."

McCaffery didn't make up those numbers, by the way. Garza really is going for 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per night, all while averaging 1.8 blocks, shooting 54.2 percent from the field and splashing 1.3 triples per outing.

This offense has other options—specifically, Joe Wieskamp and CJ Fredrick—but Garza's fingerprints are by far the biggest on Iowa's fifth-place standing in adjusted offensive efficiency. If he's hot (and he usually is), he doesn't need a ton of help to lead this team to victory.

Before the NCAA tournament begins on Tuesday, two dominoes still need to fall: Championship Week and Selection Sunday.

Not surprisingly, there are men's college basketball teams that are relying heavily on a strong showing in their conference tournaments to get a bid to the Big Dance.

There are even teams that need to win their conference championship outright to punch their ticket.

And then there are teams like No. 1-ranked Kansas that already know they're headed to March Madness.

Once the 68 teams for this year's tourney are announced, then it's time for everyone to build their brackets with the hopes that they won't get busted by one or more Cinderella teams looking for their one shining moment.

Like last year, teams will be revealed by region. After that, each team will be assigned a seed and placed in one of four regions: Midwest, East, West and South.

From there, matchups will be set and the games will be begin.

Selection Sunday Information

Date: Sunday, March 15

Time: 6 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Live Stream: NCAA.com

NCAA Tournament Schedule

First Four: March 17-18

First round: March 19-20

Second round: March 21-22

Sweet Sixteen: March 26-27

Elite Eight: March 28-29

Final Four: April 4

National Championship: April 6

Top Seeds Predictions

The No. 1 seeds in each region are already starting to take shape.

According to NCAA analyst Andy Katz's latest Bracketology update, it looks like Dayton has made the biggest jump to the top four thanks to Obi Toppin, who is a leading candidate for National Player of the Year.

With averages of 20 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, the 22-year-old has put Dayton on the map.

The Flyers will be looking to make a splash in March Madness, but they'll have some serious competition coming out of the region against teams such as Maryland and Duke.

Gonzaga made their top seed official with a 84-66 win over Saint Mary's. With the victory, the Bulldogs claimed its eighth WCC tournament title in 10 years.

They'll be hard-pressed to take the bracket from Michigan State, though.

In the loaded Midwest, Kansas is looking like it will remain the top dog going in, but it will have its hands full with Kentucky, Villanova and Louisville.

In the end, the four top seeds should be Kansas (Midwest), Dayton (East), Gonzaga (West) and Baylor (South).

Follow Maurice Bobb on Twitter, @ReeseReport

All fantasy sports are fun. But there's nothing quite like filling out a bracket during March Madness.

Anybody can win a bracket pool. Sure, college basketball knowledge helps. But sometimes, the NCAA tournament is so unpredictable that even experts and analysts can lose to people who are filling out their brackets by just guessing or going crazy with upsets.

By this time next week, bracket fever will have taken over the sports world. And not just for the men's tournament, as the women's tournament will also be finalizing its field soon. The men's bracket will be announced Sunday night, followed by the women's bracket announcement Monday night.

Here's everything you need to know for the selection show for both tournaments, followed by some early top contenders to potentially win both.

NCAA Tournament Selection Shows

Men's

Date: Sunday, March 15

Time: 6 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Women's

Date: Monday, March 16

Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Early Top Contenders

Men's

Heading into conference championship week, Kansas currently appears to be the best team in the nation.

The Jayhawks, who are ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, have reeled off 16 consecutive wins, with their biggest victory coming at Baylor on Feb. 22. The Bears were No. 1 at the time, and Kansas moved up to the top spot after that huge win. With the Jayhawks likely to fare well in the Big 12 tournament, they're a probable No. 1 seed that should be watched as March Madness gets underway.

There are also several schools from the Big Ten that should be considered top contenders for the NCAA tournament. The conference has a lot of talent this season, and those teams have had tough schedules while having to play each other frequently.

Michigan State, Maryland and Wisconsin shared the Big Ten regular-season title, while teams such as Ohio State, Illinois and Iowa will also likely be dangerous opponents in March. If there's one conference that may be most likely to produce multiple Final Four teams, it could be the Big Ten.

Although Virginia hasn't been as dominant as last season, when it won the first national title in program history, it also shouldn't be counted out this March. The Cavaliers ended the regular season with eight straight wins, which included beating Duke and Louisville over their last three games.

No team has won back-to-back national championships since Florida in 2006 and 2007, but perhaps that will change this year.

Women's

While men's basketball had a lot of changes at the top of the rankings, the best women's teams mostly stayed the same. And that's because three top programs have two or fewer losses this season.

South Carolina is leading the way at 32-1, as it hasn't lost since falling at home against Indiana on Nov. 28. The Gamecocks have been impressive while taking down a lot of top teams, as 13 of their victories came against opponents that were ranked at the time.

Not only that, but South Carolina also owns wins over Baylor and Maryland, which are ranked Nos. 3 and 4 in the country, respectively.

It's not a surprise that the Gamecocks have reached at least the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament in six straight seasons, which included winning a national title in 2017.

If any team can take down South Carolina, it could be No. 2 Oregon, which has yet to play the Gamecocks this season. The Ducks haven't lost since falling at Arizona State on Jan. 10, and they own 12 wins over teams that were ranked at the time.

Not only have South Carolina and Oregon rarely lost, but both won its conference tournament championship. So, expect both to be No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament and to make deep runs through the bracket.