Five high seeds in men's NCAA Tournament with no shot at national title

HC Tom Izzo did an exceptional job leading Michigan State to a No. 2 seed after entering the season unranked, but that's precisely what makes the Spartans a cross-off team. According to Ken Pomeroy, 39 teams in the 64-team era entered the tournament as a No. 1 or No. 2 seed after being unranked in the preseason AP poll, and none made the Final Four.

Plus, Michigan State ranks 328th in three-point shooting percentage (30.8 percent), which significantly caps its upside. 

No. 2 seed St. John's Red Storm (30-4) | West Region

What will do them in: Shooting

Unfortunately for St. John's, they're right alongside Michigan State as a preseason unranked team to grab a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. History says these teams overachieved relative to their talent in the regular season and they can't make deep runs in March Madness. 

In another parallel to MSU, St. John's is a terrible shooting team. HC Rick Pitino's group ranks 244th in effective field-goal percentage (49.7 percent), 295th in free-throw percentage (68.9 percent) and 338th in three-point shooting percentage (30.4 percent).

No. 2 seed Alabama (25-8) | East Region

What will do them in: Pace and defense

Alabama is much different in that it has no issues putting the ball in the basket. The Crimson Tide have one of the more high-powered offenses in college basketball (91.1 PPG), but it's the other end of the floor that will spell their demise. 

Alabama plays at the fastest pace in the country and isn't great defensively (81.4 PPG), so games can get away from this group in a hurry if the shots aren't falling. The Tide gave up at least 90 points nine times this season. 

If that doesn't sway you, leading rebounder (7.6 RPG) and second-leading scorer Grant Nelson (11.8 PPG) is battling a knee injury and might not be 100 percent during the NCAA Tournament. 

No. 3 seed Iowa State (24-9) | South Region

What will do them in: Injuries

Iowa State suffered a brutal blow to its title chances when Keshon Gilbert, the team's starting point guard and leading assist man (4.1 APG), went down with a groin injury. The Cyclones have lost three of their past four games with Gilbert out of the lineup. 

This would be a sneaky title contender if fully healthy, but point guard is the most irreplaceable position on the court. It's hard to picture Iowa State making a deep run without its floor general. 

No. 3 seed Kentucky (22-11) | Midwest Region

What will do them in: Defense and injuries

Kentucky also isn't entering the NCAA Tournament at 100 percent. Kerr Kriisa and Jaxson Robinson are out with season-ending injuries, and Lamont Butler (11.5 PPG) went down with a shoulder injury in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

Butler is expected to play through his injury when Kentucky meets Troy in the Round of 64, but there's no telling how effective he'll be. Even without the injuries, the Wildcats rank only 57th in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency and 289th in opponent two-point shooting percentage (43.7 percent).