Men's NCAA Tournament 2023: Ranking Hottest Teams Heading into Selection Sunday

Momentum can be a valuable weapon during March Madness.

The Kansas Jayhawks won the Big 12 tournament last year and entered the men's NCAA tournament on a five-game winning streak, and they rode that momentum all the way to a national championship.

The North Carolina Tar Heels won five straight to close out the regular season, including a huge win over rival Duke in the finale just to secure their place in last year's tournament field, and they made it all the way to the title game as a No. 8 seed.

For some teams, a late push like that will be necessary just to be part of this year's tournament conversation, and that includes the long list of mid-major standouts from one-bid leagues that have no choice but to finish strong to earn the automatic bid.

Ahead, we've ranked the hottest teams in the nation entering Selection Sunday, based on a combination of performance over the last 10 games, quality of opponent and current trajectory. Included is a look at how each team has fared against projected tournament competition during that stretch, per Bracket Matrix as of Tuesday afternoon.

We'll start with some mid- and low-major programs on a roll that are still trying to clinch a spot and take it from there.

These mid-major teams are playing extremely well of late, but they will be on the outside looking in for the NCAA tournament unless they can run the table in their conference tournament to claim the automatic bid:

• Alcorn State (Last 10: 9-1, Win Streak: 3)
• Colgate (Last 10: 9-1, Win Streak: 8)
• Grambling State (Last 10: 9-1, Win Streak: 9)
• Iona (Last 10: 10-0, Win Streak: 11)
• Montana State (Last 10: 9-1, Win Streak: 7)
• North Texas (Last 10: 9-1, Win Streak: 2)
• Sam Houston State (Last 10: 9-1, Win Streak: 7)
• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Last 10: 9-1, Win Streak: 3)
• Toledo (Last 10: 10-0, Win Streak: 15)
• UAB (Last 10: 9-1, Win Streak: 6)
• Vermont (Last 10: 10-0, Win Streak: 14)
• Yale (Last 10: 9-1, Win Streak: 3)

UNC Asheville Bulldogs (27-7, 16-2 in Big South)

Last 10: 9-1; Win Streak: 9

Led by Big South Player of the Year Drew Pember (21.2 PPG, 9.4 RPG) and fellow first-team all-conference selection Tajion Jones (15.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG), the Bulldogs are the only team in the Big South with a Quad 1 win as they beat UCF on the road back in November. They have gone 18-1 in their last 19 games.

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Drake Bulldogs (27-7, 15-5 in MVC)

Last 10: 9-1; Win Streak: 3

The Bulldogs punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament with a lopsided 77-51 victory over a good Bradley team in the MVC title game. They would have an outside shot at an at-large bid with a Quad 1 win over Mississippi State on their resume and a No. 53 NET ranking, and they are playing their best basketball of the year right now with a 16-2 record in their last 18 games.

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Furman Paladins (27-7, 15-3 in Southern)

Last 10: 9-1; Win Streak: 6

The Paladins are in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1980. They lead the nation with a 60.1 percent shooting percentage on two-point attempts and also rank eighth with 17.1 assists per game, and the offense ranks No. 35 in KenPom.com's adjusted efficiency. The only blemish on their resume over their last 15 games was a road loss to The Citadel on Feb. 15.

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Charleston Cougars (31-3, 16-2 in CAA)

Last 10: 10-0; Win Streak: 10

The Cougars are in the NCAA tournament field for the first time since 2018, and they also briefly found their way into the AP poll, rising all the way to No. 18 during a 21-1 start to the season. They are one of the mid-major teams capable of a legitimate March Madness run this year thanks to a high-powered offense that averages 10.2 made threes and 81.3 points per contest.

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Oral Roberts (30-4, 18-0 in Summit)

Last 10: 10-0; Win Streak: 17

The Cinderella story of the 2021 NCAA tournament, Oral Roberts reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed. Guard Max Abmas led the nation in scoring that year, and he's now in his senior season and still going strong with 22.0 points per game and shooting 37.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles have not lost a game since Jan. 9 and should be one of the higher-seeded mid-major teams.

Last 10: 8-2, 1-2 vs. projected NCAA tournament teams

Win Streak: 6

Despite significant roster turnover and a new head coach, the Duke Blue Devils were still a Top 10 team in the preseason AP poll.

However, an inconsistent 13-5 start to the year eventually left them unranked following a road loss to Clemson on Jan. 14, and that put them squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble with less than two months remaining in the regular season.

They have since gone 10-3 in their last 13 games, including a pair of wins over archrival North Carolina. The Blue Devils' 62-57 victory at Chapel Hill on March 4 might have been the final nail in the coffin for a disappointing Tar Heels squad.

Freshman star Kyle Filipowski had 22 points and 13 rebounds in that regular-season finale, and he is averaging 15.7 points and 9.0 rebounds over his last six games as he gets set for his first ACC tournament.

With five freshmen in Duke's nine-man rotation, it's not surprising it has taken this group some time to jell, but the Blue Devils are riding a wave of momentum at the perfect time.

Last 10: 9-1, 2-1 vs. projected NCAA tournament teams

Win Streak: 9

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are often riding an impressive hot streak into the NCAA tournament after laying waste to West Coast Conference competition, but this season has been a slightly different story.

A stunning Quad 3 loss at home to Loyola-Marymount (NET: 107) on Jan. 19 snapped an 11-game winning streak, and they lost again a few weeks later in overtime to a tournament-bound Saint Mary's team.

That might not sound like much, but it's been seven years since Gonzaga lost multiple conference games in the same season.

With All-American candidate Drew Timme (21.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 62.0 FG%) leading the way for an offense that ranks No. 1 in KenPom's adjusted efficiency, the Bulldogs are rolling once again with nine straight victories, including redemption against Saint Mary's on Feb. 25 in a 77-68 win and a 26-point blowout victory over the Gales in the WCC title game on Tuesday.

This might not be the most talented Gonzaga team we've seen, but the Zags have the offensive firepower to make some serious noise during March Madness.

Last 10: 9-1, 2-1 vs. projected NCAA tournament teams

Win Streak: 6

With leading scorers Justin Lewis (16.8 PPG) and Darryl Morsell (13.4 PPG) both gone from a 19-win team that lost in the first round of the 2022 NCAA tournament, Marquette was picked to finish ninth in the Big East preseason poll.

Whoops.

The Golden Eagles clinched the Big East regular-season title with a 72-56 blowout win over Butler on Feb. 28, and closed out the regular season on a six-game winning streak that included back-to-back victories over ranked Xavier and Creighton.

Sophomore guard Kameron Jones (15.3 PPG) leads the team in scoring, while junior point guard Tyler Kolek (12.7 PPG, 7.9 APG) ranks second in the nation in assists per game while facilitating an offense that ranks No. 4 in KenPom's adjusted efficiency.

If they can run the table in the Big East tournament, they could be in the running for a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance.

Last 10: 10-0, 1-0 vs. projected NCAA tournament teams

Win Streak: 10

Aside from a hiccup in late January, the UCLA Bruins have been virtually unbeatable for the past three months.

Back-to-back road losses to Arizona and USC snapped a 14-game winning streak heading into February, but they went a perfect 8-0 last month and closed out the regular-season slate with wins over Arizona State and Arizona to kick off what should be an exciting March.

The senior duo of Jaime Jaquez Jr. (17.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG) and Tyger Campbell (12.9 PPG, 4.7 APG) were key contributors to the upstart squad that reached the Final Four two years ago, and they will be looking to put the finishing touches on legendary UCLA careers.

That said, it's a swarming team defense that makes the Bruins legitimate title contenders, as they hold the opposition to 40.7 percent shooting and 60.1 points per game while checking in No. 2 in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency.

Currently projected on the No. 2 seed line, the Bruins could make a case for a No. 1 seed if they continue to roll in the Pac-12 tournament.

Last 10: 10-0, 2-0 vs. projected NCAA tournament teams

Win Streak: 11

The last time the Houston Cougars were a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament was 1983 when a pair of up-and-comers by the names of Akeem Olajuwon (later to become Hakeem) and Clyde Drexler were leading the charge.

The AAC ranks No. 10 in conference RPI, with the Memphis Tigers the only other team projected for a spot in the NCAA tournament field, but that does little to water down just how impressive Houston has been the entire season.

The Cougars are the only team that ranks inside the top 10 in KenPom's adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency metrics, and their average margin of victory during a 29-2 regular season was nearly 20 points.

They have not lost since Jan. 22 when Temple (NET: 120) pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season, and after finishing off a sweep of Memphis in the regular-season finale they will be heavy favorites to keep their win streak going and run the table in the AAC tournament.

All-American candidate Marcus Sasser (17.1 PPG, 38.2 3PT%) could be cutting down the nets in April.

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All stats courtesy of Sports Reference unless otherwise noted.