Talent, Not Teamwork, Is the Key to March Madness Success

During NCAA tournament broadcasts, much is made about teams with veteran leadership and experience be able to succeed where others fail.

But, as it turns out, that’s really much ado about nothing.

According to an Associated Press analysis, the key to going deep in the annual NCAA tournament is having players who are good enough to leave school early for the NBA.

Out of 79 teams that made the tournament at least 10 times over the last 30 years or advanced to the Final Four at least once, Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, and Connecticut were the only schools that averaged almost three wins in the tourney.

This year is no different as Texas Tech (Jarrett Culver), Virginia (DeAndre Hunter) and Auburn (Chuma Okeke, injured) all have players who have a good shot at being picked in the first round of the NBA draft.

The fourth team in this year’s Final Four, Michigan State, appears to be the exception to the rule as the Spartans don’t appear to have any NBA-ready underclassmen.

According to Gonzaga coach Mark Few, who saw his team lose before reaching the Final Four, it’s well-known NBA-caliber talent trumps all.

“It’s not a big secret,” he said. “If you want to win and advance in this tournament, you have to have NBA talent. You can get the NBA talent through recruiting one-and-dones, or you can do it through development. But whether it’s one-and-dones or two-and-dones, you have to have it.”