Ok, there's a part I missed - "only two high major teams since 2002 that finished the season ranked 100th in adjusted defensive efficiency even made the NCAA tournament..."
3-seeds
Purdue Boilermakers
Jaden Ivey (17.3 PPG, 36.8% from 3 entering Sunday) is one of the quickest players in college basketball, which is why so many NBA scouts and execs love the potential of projected No. 5 NBA draft pick. He can get to the rim whenever he wants and he's an ace at drawing fouls. He has made 50% of his shots in isolation matchups, per Synergy Sports data. He and
Zach Edey (14.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.3 BPG), a 7-4 star who might be the most difficult matchup in the sport, anchor a team that averaged 80.7 PPG in the regular season, seventh in the country.
But last week, the Boilermakers were 100th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Two things are true with teams hovering around that tier: They don't win national titles and the potential for postseason disappointment is high. Only two high-major teams since 2002 that finished the season ranked 100th adjusted defensive efficiency even made the NCAA tournament -- Temple in 2013 and TCU in 2018. Neither made the second weekend and both were, like Purdue, in the top-30 in adjusted offensive efficiency. Still, the Boilermakers beat Villanova and North Carolina and swept both Illinois and Iowa. This is a good team with NBA talent whose defensive issues should be concerning.
Purdue - Nothing to Worry About