Sources: China to host Lakers-Nets in preseason

Every national champion except one since 2001 has entered the NCAA Tournament in the top-21 in adjusted offensive efficiency and the top-44 in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. The lone exception was UConn in 2014 when they ranked 19th in defense and 57th in offense.

This season, there are 12 schools with that statistical profile:
• No. 1 Florida
• No. 1 Auburn
• No. 1 Duke
• No. 1 Houston
• No. 2 Alabama
• No. 2 Tennessee
• No. 3 Texas Tech
• No. 3 Wisconsin
• No. 3 Iowa State
• No. 4 Arizona
• No. 6 Illinois
• No. 8 Gonzaga

Three of the top-12 overall seeds didn’t make the list: No. 2 Michigan State, No. 2. St. John’s and No. 3 Kentucky.

This year, you can also compete with other RealGM users by playing our March Madness Bracket Challenge.