March Madness may feel far away, but there are plenty of teams to get excited about right now.
From top-five teams loaded with future pros to Cinderellas in the making, I’m running down the 10 teams with the most sex appeal to keep you warm during those cold, post-football January nights.
St. John's Red Storm
The Johnnies haven’t won an NCAA tournament game since Bill Clinton was the president. So, the administration swung for the fences and brought in Rick Pitino to reignite a once proud program.
Predictably, Pitino brought in a slew of transfers, some following him from his time at Iona. A new coaching staff, four new starters and a challenging non-conference schedule led to an 8-4 start for the Red Storm.
But the signs were there that this team could be ready to blast off in Big East play.
Pitino has shown a willingness to tinker with his defense, implementing a match-up zone in addition to his trademark pressure. It remains a work in progress, but the early returns in Big East play have been promising. The Johnnies have held all four conference opponents to 71 points or fewer, including No. 5 UConn in a near upset.
They can still create turnovers (13.6 TO per game), but their half-court defense has improved, and they’ve ticked up to 78th in opponent shooting efficiency. Bart Torvik ranks them as the 34th-best defense in America, and that could improve in Big East play with this new hybrid approach.
And while they’re starting to gel on the defensive end, Daniss Jenkins is beginning to embrace his scoring role on the perimeter. We know that Joel Soriano is going to give St. John's All-Big East caliber play on the low block, but Jenkins needed to elevate his game, and he has.
He’s become a stat-sheet stuffer as of late, averaging over 18 points, six assists, five rebounds and two stocks per game across his last three. If his supporting cast — namely RJ Luis Jr. and Jordan Dingle — elevate their game even slightly, this team takes on the look of a March Madness dark horse.
McNeese Cowboys
Will Wade has embraced his bad-boy persona. He’s even shooting videos where he’s some kind of outlaw, which, to be fair, is kind of true. Wade was suspended for the first 10 games of this season and saddled with a potentially career-killing show-cause penalty. This all stemmed from allegations of recruiting impropriety and bribery.
But instead of laying low and licking his wounds, he’s put together a dangerous mid-major team.
As the top team in the Southland Conference, McNeese is currently slotted as a 13-seed, according to Bracket Matrix. This season, it's already upset VCU and Michigan on the road and steamed out to a 12-2 start.
TCU transfer point guard Shahada Wells is the kind of gutsy point guard who could make a name for himself in March. He already has three 30+ point games this season and singlehandedly wiped the floor with Michigan. His 30/10/6 line — complete with five steals — is one of the best performances by a guard in the Crisler Center’s 56-year history.
As a team, the Cowboys shoot 41.9% (3rd) from long range, which makes them a nightmare for any opponent if they get hot.
Stash this team away in the memory bank because Wells and company may be breaking hearts and busting brackets before long.
Memphis Tigers
The Tigers want to be a sexy team, there’s no doubt about that. The way they brand their program, design their home floor and even the hiring of Penny Hardaway — who had never been a college basketball coach, let alone a head coach — shows they just lend themselves to sex appeal.
But this team isn’t just flashy, they have substance. That was on full display during a gutsy, three-game stretch in December when the Tigers dropped three nationally-ranked teams in a row (Texas A&M, Clemson, UVA).
Beyond their resume bullets for the committee, they have some excellent pieces on this roster that perfectly complement one another.
Jahvon Quinerly, after stints at Villanova and Alabama, really appears to have found his home. He’s facilitating the offense and is being smart with the basketball without losing his aggressiveness or edge.
Case in point, he started 2-for-11 in the Tigers' last game against SMU, but he still had the confidence to take the game-winning shot, which was nearly identical to his game-winning 3 from the exact same spot on the floor in the previous game.
If he's going to take big shots like that, this team could be headed to the Final Four.
But as I said, there are complementary pieces around Quinerly.
David Jones has finally found his shooting stroke and elevated himself from a transfer journeyman to an AAC POY candidate (20.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG).
And then there’s Nae’Qwan Tomlin. The K-State transfer is a walking double-double and gives Memphis excellent defensive versatility.
When these three stars are playing their best, Memphis is not only sexy, the Tigers are damn good.
Florida Atlantic Owls
Last season’s Cinderella has been a tough team to figure out this year.
When the Owls are rolling, they’re capable of beating anyone, and they have. The Owls have impressive wins over Texas A&M and Arizona, scoring 96 points in both contests. They have nearly unlimited offensive firepower, bombing away from deep and relying on their superstar — Johnell Davis — to get to the foul line.
But when things go off the rails, this team turns back into a pumpkin. Florida Atlantic has somehow lost to Bryant, Florida Gulf Coast and Charlotte.
But like the Brazilians on the pitch, when FAU is really cooking it’s hard to not fall in love with its beautiful brand of basketball. Smooth perimeter shooting has been balanced out with tough interior defense from Vlad Goldin, who has transformed himself from a lumbering big into a skilled center.
If the Owls can regain their focus after recent letdowns to FGCU and Charlotte, they could run the table in the AAC, or at least set up a ranked battle with Memphis in late February.
Win that game convincingly, and a repeat trip to the Final Four is back on the table.
New Mexico Lobos
One list, two Pitinos? Why not? Richard Pitino had Minnesota on the cusp of sustained success with two NCAA tournament trips in a three-year span. But then the bottom fell out and he was canned in Minneapolis.
Luckily for him, the New Mexico job opened at the right time, and he's wasted no time making the Lobos a fun watch.
They have three high-end guards, and if they can all stay healthy and learn to play together, this could be the nation’s best mid-major team.
Jaelen House runs the point and can knock down big triples. He also leads the MWC in steals with nearly three per game.
Jamal Mashburn Jr. is a mid-range specialist and has averaged 18 points per game across the last three seasons.
And then there’s the sophomore, Donovan Dent. After a quiet debut last season, he’s one of the most improved players in America. Dent has tripled his scoring and assist output and gives the Lobos more of a 3-point threat.
But unlike the teams above, New Mexico is a sexy team because it forces turnovers and cranks up the havoc. Opponents turn it over 16.8 times per game (10th), and nothing makes a mid-major feel more like a dark horse than when it forces opposing teams to panic. New Mexico can make teams look lost at times.
If the Lobos knock off San Diego State and Utah State next week, they’ll be nationally ranked and on everyone’s radar.
Indiana State Sycamores
Now we get to the really fun teams to watch. Indiana State entered with heightened expectations, and somehow it's surpassed them.
The Sycamores play really fast and only settle for two kinds of shots: attempts at the rim or from behind the arc. They lead the nation in Rim & 3 Rate, and as a result, they score 86.2 points per game (8th) and are the nation’s leader in shooting efficiency.
This is the only team in the country that features four starters averaging 14 points or more per game. They even have a capable big that differentiates them from mid-major competition. Robbie Avila is averaging 15/6.6/4.2 and can facilitate for his teammates as a plus-passer.
The fun part about jumping on the bandwagon now is that the Sycamores could conceivably run the table in the Missouri Valley Conference if they get past Drake on Wednesday.
There are few teams in the conference that match up well with them, and they already went to Bradley and pushed the Braves around on their home floor in an eight-point win.
That's the win that convinced me that this could be a special team in 2024.
Colorado State Rams
One last mid-major before we get to the big boys.
Colorado State’s Niko Medved knows how to implement an aesthetically pleasing brand of basketball. This is his second top-25 offense (according to KenPom) in the last three years, and he has the best point guard in America running the show.
Isaiah Stevens is what college basketball was once all about. He’s been a starter since his freshmen year in Fort Collins and he’s honed his skills, improved incrementally from year-to-year and now, in year five, after 132 starts, he’s a superstar.
Stevens is averaging 17.6 points and 7.4 assists per game on 46.6% shooting from long range. He’s the kind of superstar that makes his teammates better, and he’s done that in spades with his backcourt mate Nique Clifford.
The Colorado transfer is experiencing the kind of statistical glow-up most players only dream about. With teams laser-focused on Stevens, Clifford has had room to operate, and he’s cashed in with a +7.5 point/+2.3 rebound/+21.9% shooting improvement year-over-year.
When you watch Colorado State, it’s clear there are elements of the Princeton offense.
In addition to that, the Rams sometimes go five-out and share the ball better than just about any team in America. They’re top-10 in both assist-to-made basket and assist-to-turnover ratios, and they never let games get away from them by allowing big runs (three Kill Shots against them all season long).
The Rams represent the best combination of ball movement, cold-blooded shot-making and fluid basketball you’ll see anywhere in America.
Sign up with Action's bet365 bonus code to get bonus bets for all the upcoming college basketball games!
Marquette Golden Eagles
If you’re into Stevens, may I interest you in Tyler Kolek? I’m not sure there’s a point guard in the country more likely to put up a line of 8/8/8 with five steals. The guy is tough as nails and can handle on-ball pressure while executing Shaka Smart’s offense to perfection.
The Golden Eagles play fast and uniquely attack from the sides of the floor. Kolek and Oso Ighodaro — who serves as a pseudo point center and secondary initiator — execute all kinds of pick-and-roll action. This is maddening to defenders and eye candy for spectators.
Smart’s team got an offensive makeover in the past two seasons and an ideal floor general, but it didn’t lose his trademark defensive pressure.
The Golden Eagles force 16.6 turnovers per game, taking the ball away on 20.6% of their opponents' possessions (6th). This allows them to cobble together runs. Only nine teams have put together more 10-0 or better runs this season than Marquette.
The Golden Eagles are never out of it because of this factor, and they remain a threat to win the Big East and make a run at the Final Four because of their unique style of play.
BYU Cougars
Sex and BYU aren’t synonymous. But on the hardwood, the Cougs are pretty sexy this season.
They’re top-20 in Offensive and Defensive Adjusted Efficiency, according to KenPom. ShotQuality thinks they may be even better on defense, ranking BYU third nationally.
If you’re into sharing the rock, no team does it better than BYU. It leads the nation in assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio.
A common play for the Cougs is getting the ball to the top of the key, running zoom action and having a cutter dive towards the basket. The result has been so many uncontested layups in the half court, you’d think it’s some kind of magic trick.
They shoot nearly 60% from the field on 2-point attempts and take and make the most 3s in the country.
Mark Pope’s team is balanced, but it's not without a superstar to boot. Jaxson Robinson has blossomed after not panning out at A&M and Arkansas as a four-star prospect. He's one of the most improved shooters in America, flirting with the famed 90/50/40 line.
In previous years, BYU would be headed for obscurity buried in the WCC. But as full-fledged Big 12 members, the Cougars have the opportunity to strut their stuff in the coming weeks. Baylor, Iowa State, Texas Tech and Houston all await them in short order.
If they keep playing their brand of basketball and climb to the top of the conference, the secret will be out.
Arizona Wildcats
They play fast (3rd in tempo), they dominate on both ends of the floor (5th in Adjusted O, 3rd in Adjusted D), and they have everything you’d want in a starting lineup.
A facilitator in Kylan Boswell. A combo guard who can take over games in Caleb Love. A versatile defender in Keshad Johnson. And a burly seven-footer who keeps teams off the offensive glass.
Statistically, this team has no weaknesses.
But this list isn’t about teams destined for the Final Four, it’s about teams that are fun to watch. And Tommy Lloyd knows how to orchestrate enjoyable basketball.
The Cats run-and-gun and don’t slow down until their opponents quit. They have a +18 Kill Shot margin this season (20-2, 1st), which means that teams get run off the floor and rarely put together big runs of their own.
Recent losses to Florida Atlantic and Stanford have raised some questions about their defense, but Stanford shot 16-for-25 from 3-point range and Arizona suffered its worst shooting night against FAU in a one-point loss.
In the end, Arizona’s A-game is just better than anyone else’s. The Cats are high-scoring, but not three-point dependent, and they play fast but they’re not careless on the defensive end.
You get all of the sex appeal of high-flying play and you don’t have to sacrifice efficiency on either end of the floor.
That’s the dream.
ESPN Bet is now live! Make sure you're ready for all the action with our exclusive ESPN BET promo code TANBONUS.
