March Madness 2016: Overrated/underrated teams

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March 10, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Utes forward Kyle Kuzma (35) celebrates with forward Dakarai Tucker (14) against the Southern California Trojans during the first half of the Pac-12 Conference tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Utah Utes (25-8)

Seed: 3

vs. RPI 51-100 teams: 8-2

Again, let me make myself clear about picking these overrated teams. I’m not saying these squads aren’t good, but they have been seeded far too high for what they have shown this season. Utah is another example of a team that just didn’t deserve to be slotted so high.

Snagging a No. 3 seed and facing No. 14 Fresno State in the first round, the Utes look like nothing more than a decent Pac-12 team — one that might be third or fourth-best in the conference.

I picked record vs. RPI 51-100 teams because most squads on the overrated list had mediocre marks, but the Utes were actually pretty good. Where Utah struggled, it was against elite teams. In fact, against RPI top 50 teams, the Utes were just 11-6, losing both contests to Oregon in the regular season and then to the Ducks by 31 in the Pac-12 title game.

No. 3 seeds are supposed to be good enough to beat the top teams in their respective conference, but it looks like the Utes just beat up on the middle-of-the-pack teams in their league. They did beat Cal twice, USC twice and Arizona once.

However, a 3-5 record versus RPI top 25 teams just isn’t good enough for three-seed consideration.

Next: SEC overachievers

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