The Four Habits of Highly Effective March Madness Teams

6 min read The Wall Street Journal 20 Mar 2023, 09:08 PM IST

Heading into the Sweet 16, top seeds and massive underdogs alike have a few key traits in common that have helped them survive

ALBANY, NEW YORK - MARCH 19: The Indiana Hoosiers bench looks on late in the second half against the Miami Hurricanes during the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on March 19, 2023 in Albany, New York. Rob Carr/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Rob Carr / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) (Getty Images via AFP) — ALBANY, NEW YORK - MARCH 19: The Indiana Hoosiers bench looks on late in the second half against the Miami Hurricanes during the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on March 19, 2023 in Albany, New York. Rob Carr/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Rob Carr / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) **(Getty Images via AFP)**

Alabama may not appear to have all that much in common with Princeton. One is a major-conference power that earned the top overall seed to the 2023 NCAA men’s tournament. The other survived a dogfight in the Ivy League tournament to earn a bid hours before the brackets were revealed.