Points seem to be important

No surprise -- There seems to be a correlation between scoring and winning. Of the 17 teams that averaged 79.0 points or more, 13 are in the tournament. They are, with national rank and scoring average:

2. North Carolina 87.1

6. Texas 82.9

7. Davidson 81.7

8. Notre Dame 81.3

9. Memphis 80.1

10. Long Beach State 79.9

11. Tennessee 79.7

12. Florida 79.5

13. Maryland 79.5

14. Texas A&M; CC 79.5

15. Gonzaga 79.1

16. Georgia Tech 79.1

17. Kansas 79.0

Defense first -- There seems to be an even stronger correlation between playing good defense and winning. But note that of the seven tournament teams that ranked in the top 10 in defense at the end of the regular season, three are from the Big Ten Conference. Defensive rank and points allowed:

3. Michigan State 56.3

4. Southern Illinois 56.5

5. Georgetown 56.5

6. Holy Cross 57.1

7. Butler 57.1

9. Illinois 57.3

10. Wisconsin 57.5