10 Struggling Teams Entering the 2018 NCAA Tournament

Nevada Wolf Pack

On the surface, the Nevada Wolf Pack don't deserve to be on this list. They did lose two of their last three games, but both were to the San Diego State Aztecs, which is a quality team, making the NCAA Tournament as an 11 seed. There is some underlying concern to their recent play, though.

This Nevada team had been dominant all season in the Mountain West Conference. They challenged themselves in the nonconference, hanging tough with an excellent Texas Tech team in an overtime road loss, and losing by no more than four points in all other games -- outside of a slip-up against UNLV. It's worth noting that point guard Lindsey Drew tore his Achilles in mid-February, and the rotations had to be shuffled. While Drew doesn't dominate in any one category, he is an all-round contributor, ranking among the top four on the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks per game.

Losing the primary ball-handler for any team is significant, but Drew's ability to block and rebound is key for a mid-major team that doesn't feature a player taller than 6'7". Although the team was able to ease the transition by having Cody Martin as the primary ball-handler, he appears to be best suited as a wing, and it showed up against the only NCAA Tournament competition they faced in the Mountain West Conference.

Nevada lost twice to San Diego State, including a 90-73 drubbing in the Mountain West Semifinal. This is a team they beat 83-58 just a month earlier when Drew was healthy. If the Wolfpack can't adapt quickly, they may not be long for this tournament.