March Madness: What 10 teams will bust your bracket this year?

March Madness 2019: 10 teams that will bust your bracket

ANN ARBOR, MI - FEBRUARY 09: Wisconsin Badgers forward Ethan Happ (22) plays defense during a regular season Big 10 Conference game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Michigan Wolverines on February 9, 2019 at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 02: Houston Cougars guard Nate Hinton (11) jumps for a three-point shot during the basketball game between the Tulsa Hurricane and Houston Cougars on January 2, 2019 at Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

No. 10: Houston Cougars

Houston comes into their first NCAA Tournament game on Friday against Georgia State in a match-up that will tell us a lot about the team going forward, if they can survive it and avoid an upset, as is expected.

Houston finished at No. 15 on the KenPom rankings, with top 25 rankings in both adjusted offense and defense. However, neither the rankings of their opposition in offense or defense came in inside of the top 50 (124th, and 66th, respectively). It’s tough to judge this Houston team against a lot of the teams currently sitting in their region of the tournament, despite a successful season in which they finished the season at 31-3.

Their season ended on Sunday with a loss in the AAC Tournament against fellow NCAA-bound Cincinnati. Despite this loss to what would eventually be revealed to be a No. 7 seed in the Bearcats, Houston was slotted in as a No. 3 seed, their highest seeding in 35 years. The Cougars were one of the best rebounding teams in the AAC this year, pulling down an average of 41.2 rebounds per game.

That being said, a No. 3 seed is a bit high for this team, who rely heavily on the performances of senior guard Corey Davis Jr. and junior guard Armoni Brooks, who contribute 16.8 and 13.5 points per game, respectively.

Despite some positives along the season, including two wins earlier in the season over eventual AAC Tournament Champions Cincinnati, I’m skeptical about Houston’s ability to succeed as this tournament unfolds, especially with two of their three losses having come in the Cougars’ last six games.

It’s not every bracket that I can say this, but it’s going to be a tough road for the three seed if they can make it past the first round, and they’ll be fighting to avoid an upset throughout the life of their tournament berth.

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