"You play, what, 36 games, and you try to put yourself in this situation as often as you can. I think every team that's here knows that this weekend is probably the biggest weekend of the year."
Last year's men's tournament produced only 13 outright underdog wins -- tied for the fewest since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The Elite Eight comprised only top-3 seeds, tying it with 2007 as the chalkiest quarterfinal round in tournament history. Additionally, for the first time in modern tournament history, we have witnessed three straight tournaments without multiple double-digit seeds reaching the Sweet 16.
Ament has missed the past two games with a leg injury that he suffered against Alabama on Feb. 28. He is listed as questionable on the SEC availability report. According to a source, there is no certainty in how much he will play against Auburn, but there is an expectation that he will play.
The SEC was considered one of the best conferences during the regular season, and the tournament will likely be a bloodbath. Florida was the regular-season champion with a 16-2 record in the conference and a 25-6 overall mark. ESPN Bracketology has the Gators as a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance.
Ball State averages 79.3 points per game (18th in college basketball) while allowing 66.0 per contest (220th in college basketball). It has a +411 scoring differential overall and outscores opponents by 13.3 points per game. The Cardinals are averaging 79.3 points, 13.4 more than the Falcons give up.
Murray State is outscoring opponents by 7.2 points per game with a +179 scoring differential overall. It puts up 86.3 points per game (18th in college basketball) and allows 79.1 per outing (309th in college basketball). The Racers are averaging 86.3 points, 26.3 more than the Panthers give up. Murray State knocks down 4.2 more threes per game than the opposition, 9.8 (46th in college basketball) compared to its opponents' 5.6.
Chattanooga has a +158 scoring differential, topping opponents by 5.8 points per game. It is putting up 64.4 points per game to rank 210th in college basketball and is allowing 58.6 per outing to rank 43rd in college basketball.