This NCAA basketball team is predicted to be the best in NJ

College basketball is kicking off in the next few days and it’s all a set up for sports fans’ favorite time of the year, March Madness.

For you non-sports fans, that’s when you fill out that fancy bracket in March.

And that’s the point, you don’t have to be a fan of basketball to get into the thrill of March Madness.

I know so many people that fill out the bracket just for fun and choose the teams by the color of their uniforms.

It’s a fun time for everyone especially here in New Jersey because we have 8 teams that play NCAA Division I.

Now you probably have only seen 2-3 teams on your bracket but believe it or not, we actually have a great athletic league in the Garden State.

I came across an article CBS Sports wrote where they predicted the best teams in each state for the 2022-2023 season.

Some states were easy as they only have one option, but with so many in New Jersey, I was curious if my alma mater would be the top pick (spoiler alert, it was not).

You may remember the greatest Cinderella story ever during last year’s March Madness.

Saint Peter’s (Jersey City) made it all the way to the Elite Eight and lost against North Carolina, but no one thought they would even make it that far.

The problem with seeing them go as far this season is that majority of the team has now graduated and their (former) head coach, Shaheen Holloway, has moved on and back to his alma mater, Seton Hall.

As biased as I am (my alma mater is Seton Hall if you haven’t guessed yet), it makes sense for them to need a year to revamp the team with their new head coach.

That leaves 6 other teams and I bet 5 of them you didn’t even know were Division I teams:

Rutgers (Big Ten)

Princeton (Ivy League)

Farleigh Dickinson (Northeast)

NJIT (Atlantic Sun)

Rider (MAAC)

Monmouth (MAAC)

So, if you already guessed it, CBS Sports is predicting the Rutgers Men’s Basketball team to be the best in the state this year with underrated players and one of the best defenders in the league.

Again, I’m biased, Rutgers is Seton Hall’s rivalry so we’ll have to see how the season pans out.

Go, Hall!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Morning Show Producer Kristen. Any opinions expressed are her own.

Questions, corrections, or comments? Send Producer Kristen an email at kristen.accardi@townsquaremedia.com or follow her on Instagram.