Ranking 5 teams with worst records to make the men's 2024 NCAA tournament
Making the NCAA Tournament is a massive accomplishment for any program in college basketball. Upsets are one of the biggest draws to March Madness for sports fans.
When a smaller program or a school with a worse record can make a miracle run past the first round or deep into the tournament, it can take the sports world by storm.
Teams with lower records will earn lower seeds in the NCAA Tournament and, as a result, will have to face the top seeds and best teams in the tournament.
Some can shock the favorites early in the tournament, and some fall devistatingly short. This list will rank the performances of five teams with the worst records based on their performance in the NCAA Tournament this year.
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Ranking the five teams with the worst records to make the men's 2024 NCAA Tournament
#5. Saint Peter's, 19-14
The Saint Peter's Peacocks earned their 2024 NCAA Tournament bid by winning the MAAC championship over Fairfield 68-63. They earned the No. 15 seed in the Midwest region and were matched up with Tennessee in the first round.
St. Peter's attempted to repeat the success they had as a 15th seed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament when they made a run to the Elite Eight.
However, Dalton Knecht, Jonas Aidoo, and Zakai Zeigler were far too much for the Peacocks to overcome. St. Peter's was outscored 46-20 in the first half and failed to catch up. The Vol's stomped St. Peter's and ended their tournament run, which began with an 83-49 blowout victory.
#4. Wagner, 17-16
The Wagner Seahawks punched their ticket to the Big Dance after defeating Marrimack in the NEC championship. They would be placed in the First Four against Howard to battle for the right to face No. 1 seed North Carolina in the first round.
They would defeat Howard in a close 71-68 matchup to earn their spot in the main bracket.
Their NCAA Tournament dream would quickly turn into a nightmare, having to go up against RJ Davis and Armando Bacot in the first round.
Wagner was barely holding on at halftime, down by only 12 points. A 50-point second-half flurry from the Tar Heels would send Wagner home, with the game finishing 90-62.
#3. Long Beach State, 21-15
Long Beach State was the 15th seed in the West region after defeating UC Davis in the Big West tournament championship.
They gave No. 2 seed Arizona a scare in the first half, down just six heading into halftime. They weren't quite able to keep up with the scoring of the Wildcats, led by Kylan Boswell and Caleb Love.
Long Beach performed much better than most expected against a heavily favored Arizona team. However, after a strong first-half showing by Long Beach State, they couldn't catch the Wildcats and would ultimately fall 85-65 in the first round.
#2. Michigan State, 20-15
The Michigan State Spartans earned the ninth seed in the West region after losing to Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal game. Tom Izzo's Spartans showed why they can never be counted out when the NCAA Tournament rolls around, no matter which seed they earn.
Michigan State not only defeated No. 8-seed Mississippi State in the first round, they handily took care of the Bulldogs 69-51. Senior guard Tyson Walker led the Spartans in the opening game, finishing with a game-high 19 points, along with 3 rebounds and 3 steals.
The Spartans would suffer a similar fate as Wagner against the Tar Heels in round two.
The Spartans were within nine points of the Tar Heels at halftime, but the game slipped away from them in the second half, and they would fall 85-69 in the second round.
Still, another impressive NCAA Tournament for Tom Izzo, who has the most wins in March Madness history as a worse-seeded team than the opponent.
#1. Texas A&M, 21-15
The first sign of a potential deep NCAA Tournament run for Texas A&M popped up when the Aggies defeated the Kentucky Wildcats in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal.
Texas A&M would eventually lose to the Florida Gators in the semifinals of the conference tournament, but would impress the selection committee enough to earn the No. 9 seed in the South region.
They matched up against an impressive Nebraska team in the first round, who had high hopes this season. Texas A&M would dominate the first half and hold off Nebraska's comeback attempt in the second half to win a high-scoring 98-83 matchup.
Things didn't get any easier for the Aggies when they met No. 1 seed Houston in the second round. They brought the Cougars to the limit in this contest, taking them to overtime. They would fall just short, losing 100–95.
The Aggies put up an honorable fight against the top seed in their region and got a strong tournament outing from junior guard Wade Taylor IV and senior guard Tyrece Radford.
Taylor finished with 25 points in the first matchup against Nebraska, shooting 7-10 from beyond the arc. He capped off his tournament by recording 21 points and 7 boards against Houston, but shot just 5-26 from the field.
Radford recorded a double-double in both tournament games. He finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Nebraska and 27 points with 15 boards in the loss to Houston.
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