How 2022's March Madness affected the NCAA rankings
March Madness always brings some incredible stories and interesting matchups, and 2022 was no exception. There were thrills, incredible performances and even a fairytale underdog story to keep us amused, and all of this had an impact on the overall NCAA rankings.
If you like to keep up with the latest basketball and NBA odds, then you might have followed a lot of the stars of the tournament to see who might be coming up to the big leagues in the future.
Let’s dive into the March Madness tournament and how it played a part in the overall NCAA rankings. There were a few big movers at the start of 2022 as the NCAA tournament thrilled us all.
Kansas – From 6 to 3
Kansas ranks highly, which makes their move from 6th to 3rd even more impressive than some of the teams that have moved up through the rankings.
It is little surprise that they have moved up as their overall win of the March Madness tournament came despite being down 15 in the final. Still, they managed to come through to win the tournament overall for the second time since 2008.
Kansas are always contenders in the NCAA, so it is little surprise to see them at the high end of the rankings.
Houston – From 3 to 2
Another relatively small and incremental increase, but at the high end of the rankings it is hard to gain this kind of momentum. Fortunately for Houston fans, they have continued to move forward, but this might not be too much consolation as they didn’t manage to win the tournament overall.
Led by Kelvin Samson, the Cougars did a great job to get to the Elite Eight part of the tournament. This is made even more impressive when you consider the fact that they lost two vital offensive players before the season had even begun. The Cougars managed to beat the top seed in the tournament to win the AAC.
Saint Peter’s – From 124 to 105
Yes, if you watched March Madness, you will have known that this was coming. The underdog story of the whole tournament was Saint Peter’s run. They were the first ever 15 seed to progress to the Elite Eight.
They had to do it the hard way too. They beat second seed Kentucky, seventh seed Murray State and third seed Purdue. Eventually, it was North Carolina that knocked Saint Peter's out. However, the Jersey City school had already made a huge name for itself in the 2022 tournament.
North Carolina – From 31 to 17
North Carolina has had a topsy-turvy recent history, but nobody can deny what an impressive job they did to progress such a long way in the tournament. North Carolina has a rich history when it comes to college basketball.
Nonetheless, they are one of the biggest movers in the entire tournament as they jumped all the way from 31 to 17 in the overall standings.
North Carolina knocked out the early favorites Baylor on their way to the final, so it is little wonder that their ranking has significantly improved.
Providence – From 32 to 24
While Providence didn’t blow us all away in the tournament, they certainly got further than some people would have predicted before the tournament. They were led by Ed Cooley, who actually won the Naismith Coach of the Year award.
Providence isn’t the first name many people think of in terms of the NCAA, but they are moving forwards at a significant rate under the current leadership.
Kentucky – From 5 to 9
Another dramatic move in the top 10, Kentucky’s loss to Saint Peter’s did them no favors at all when it comes to the March Madness rankings. With a record of 26-8, they have fallen to 9th in the rankings and are one of the significant downwards movers after March Madness this year.
Summary
March Madness was absolutely thrilling, and while some people tend to take the net rankings with a pinch of salt, the NCAA definitely looks different as a result of some of the stories to come out of the tournament.
Dramatic moves from the likes of North Carolina and Saint Peter’s were some of the most exciting to watch in the whole tournament, which is all about providing a great environment for young talent, many of whom look certain to make the grade and play in the NBA one day soon.
