NCAA Basketball is heating up, and we are entering the season’s prime. Some teams will improve their seed exponentially, while others will fall in the rankings leading up to March Madness. Here are the Top 8 teams that will improve heading into the later stretch of this season.  

1. St John’s University

St. John’s is a team flying under the radar and heading into March Madness. The combination of elite coaching, balanced roster depth, and strong metrics make this team a strong contender going into the tournament. With Hall of Fame Coach Rick Pitino leading the way, his experience turning teams into contenders adds an extra edge, especially in high-pressure tournament settings. 

The team boasts a mix of veteran leadership and athletic depth, allowing them to compete against top opponents with versatility on both ends of the floor. Statistically, they may not always stand out in traditional rankings, but their assist-to-turnover ratio and player efficiency ratings show a disciplined and effective squad. Laying in the Big East (a conference known for its competitiveness) has battle-tested them against the best teams, making them an underrated pick capable of pulling off upsets in March.

2. UCLA

UCLA fell out of the top 25 rankings after losing 4 straight conference games to start off the new year. Even when they were ranked, UCLA hardly received much attention, but after that rough stretch, they were enveloped by the shadows of their new conference: the Big Ten. Most people assumed they were one of the many average Big Ten teams. However, recently, UCLA has been on a tear, winning six in a row, including three ranked wins over Wisconsin, Oregon, and Michigan State. 

Part of this can be attributed to the emergence of center Aday Mara, who is averaging 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in the past five games after getting a lot more playing time recently. The 7 ‘3 center gives the team better rim protection and forces teams to gameplan around covering him in the paint, helping their spacing tremendously. Don’t be surprised if UCLA rises in the rankings over this last month of the regular season.

3. Texas Tech

After coming into the season unranked and starting shaky with early losses to St. Josephs and UCF, Texas Tech is an excellent team that has flown below the radar. With a recent 82-81 victory over sixth-ranked Houston, notching their sixth straight win in a row, many people are starting to catch on to them. Led by sophomore forward JT Toppin, Texas Tech has offensive firepower that many teams struggle with, setting them apart from many teams involved. Toppin has been a force in the paint; if teams try to slow him down by sending multiple players to him in the paint, he can transfer it back out to Chance McMillian, who is shooting 42.5% from the three-point line. From here, he can light it up from beyond the arc. Texas Tech is a battle-tested team that will be hard to take down in March.  

4. Oklahoma

Oklahoma started the season blazing hot, going undefeated in their first thirteen battles and rising to number twelve in the AP poll as they headed into conference play. Oklahoma’s hot streak has recently frozen over, as they have been 3-5 ever since. While this adversity has many people giving up on this team, don’t write them off yet.

 When this team gets hot, it can be hard to compete with them. Their offense has proved very dynamic, with good guard play behind crafty freshman Jeremiah Fears. This team could be reminiscent of Alabama’s 2024 or Miami’s 2023 team: two teams with high offensive and low defensive ratings. If we learned anything from those two teams’ final four runs, it’s that if a team catches fire and draws some good matchups, they could cause havoc in March.

5. Maryland

Many people were excited for the Terrapins when they landed five-star freshman Derik Queen, a massive addition to their team. Maryland has been solid the past few years. It is not necessarily a tournament team but an average team that gave the top ten big teams some trouble. This year, however, providing the best teams in the Big Ten some “trouble” would be an understatement. Maryland is currently 17-5, and they’ve looked imposing this season. Derik Queen is leading Maryland in scoring, averaging 15 points and eight rebounds a game on 53.4% field goal percentage.

 Even more impressive is that Maryland has four other players averaging over double digits in scoring. Maryland has had one of the most demanding schedules: nine quad-one matchups, including six ranked matchups. Coming out of this schedule with only five losses after not having many preseason expectations is a testament to how superior Maryland is.

6. UConn

UConn is the reigning champion from last year’s March Madness tournament. However, with the loss of several prominent players, most notably number 6 pick Stephan Castle, UConn is underrated this year due to various factors, including the lingering perception that it is not on the same level as Traditional blue-blood programs such as Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas, despite its strong basketball pedigree. Their dominance in the past has led some to downplay their current success, assuming they are not as tough as before. 

Additionally, while competitive, playing in the Big East does not always receive the same national recognition as power conferences like the ACC or Big Ten, leading to less media hype. However, UConn boasts a deep roster with strong defensive efficiency and elite coaching, making them a legitimate contender. Their ability to dominate on both ends of the floor and strong player development suggest they are more dangerous than their national perception shows.

7. Texas 

Texas has had a season full of ups and downs. Texas is a team that has been hurt by the load of dangerous teams in the SEC. Currently, Texas is unranked, with a record of 15-8. It’s easy for people to consider this team a bit of a letdown with the season they’ve currently had. After starting the season as the nineteenth-ranked team in the nation, Texas has been inconsistent this year. They seem capable of beating all the teams on their level, but they always seem to fall short of the best teams. But don’t let their eight losses fool you.

 Texas is a capable team that can compete with the best. Simply playing in the SEC, they have played one of the most challenging schedules in the nation. To start the new year, they lost a soul-crushing game to Texas A&M by 20. Then they consecutively played Auburn and Tennessee, the nation’s second and first-ranked teams, and lost by less than five points. This team has been battle-tested, and while it makes them look worse now, they’ll reap its benefits in March.

8. Utah State

The Mountain West has emerged as one of the better basketball conferences these past few years, starting with San Diego State making a final-four run in the 2023 tournament as a five-seed. This year, the Mountain West is full of ready teams, and at the top of the conference is Utah State. 

Utah State only has three losses in the season, showing that this team has been consistent overall. This team is disciplined, and it shows in their schedule; they have had close game after close game and still have been able to close games out. They’ve knocked off some of the best Mountain West teams, most notably twentieth-ranked San Diego State and an excellent Boise State team. This team hasn’t matched up against many top-tier opponents yet. Still, so far, they have played well together and shown that they have mental toughness when their games go down to the wire, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they can pull off a shocker when it comes time for the tournament.