For sports fans, March means one thing. NCAA basketball.

March Madness as the event has been labeled, pits 68 of the nation’s top college basketball programs against one another in a single elimination tournament. We’ve seen these teams ranked and filed by all manner of statistics from their records, RPI, and shooting percentage to the age of their starters and experience of their coaches. But what we wanted to know, as a safety advocacy group, was which of these universities is the safest for students. So, we sifted through the all the Clery act campus crime data for tournament bound schools and reseeded the bracket by the crime rate we calculated (more information about our process below). The more dangerous the school, the higher the seed. Download the Campus Crime bracket and tell us who your winner is. *To calculate our student population to crime ratio we first had to find the number of total crimes that occurred on each campus during the 2012 year. To find the total number of crimes we combined the total number of offenses reported for each campus by the Clery Act (including campus property, non-campus property and public property) with the total number of arrests (arrests include weapons, drug and liquor violations). This number gave us our “Total Crimes”. Next we simply created a ratio by comparing the student body population for each campus to the number of total crimes for that campus. Ex: Harvard Student Population: 27,392 : [Total crimes (136) + Total Arrests (29)] = 166:1 Without further ado, the Safer-america.com 2014 NCAA Campus Crime Tournament Bracket.

Rankings

#1 Seeds

School: University of Colorado

Population: 32,558

Total Crimes: 2,002

Student to Crime Ratio: 16:1

Violent Crimes: 26

Sexual Crimes: 14

Our number one overall seed is buoyed by leading the field in both liquor and drug law arrests. In fact, the Buffalos had nearly twice as many such arrests than any other single school. We fully expect the drug arrests to fall dramatically starting in 2014. #legalizedit

School: Mount St. Mary’s College Mountaineers

Population: 2,943

Total Crimes: 153

Student to Crime Ratio: 19:1

Violent Crimes: 3

Sexual Crimes: 3

Our resident giant killer, Mount St. Mary’s overall crime statistics seem to pale in comparison to other schools. That is until you factor in it’s tiny population, making it’s student to crime ratio one to be reckoned with. It’s 141 liquor law arrests equals just about 5% of the entire student body population. It looks like Cinderella has a drinking problem.

School: University of Oregon Ducks

Population: 24,591

Total Crimes: 762

Student to Crime Ratio: 32:1

Violent Crimes: 33

Sexual Crimes: 30

With the 2nd and 3rd highest number of arson and sex offenses respectively, the University of Oregon finds itself clearly entrenched as a 1 seed. The Ducks overall crime profile leaves much to be desired, ranking highly in over half of all categories.

School: Michigan State University Spartans

Population: 48,906

Total Crimes: 1,314

Student to Crime Ratio: 37:1

Violent Crimes: 45

Sexual Crimes: 22

The only university with a recorded case of manslaughter, Michigan State is third in both weapons violations and drug law arrests. The Spartans also recorded the second most liquor law arrests. Sparty, it appears, likes to party. #spartylikestoparty

#2 Seeds

School: Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers

Population: 9,335

Total Crimes: 225

Student to Crime Ratio: 41:1

Violent Crimes: 5

Sexual Crimes: 4

Coastal Carolina University lands a number 2 seed mostly due to a large amount of burglaries, liquor and drug law arrests. Even with a student population of under 10,000 the Chanticleers rank in the upper half of the field in both drug and liquor law arrests, proving they are ready to dance with the big boys.

School: University of Iowa Hawkeyes

Population: 31,498

Total Crimes: 826

Student to Crime Ratio: 38:1

Violent Crimes: 42

Sexual Crimes: 20

In addition to ranking near the top 10 among tournament teams in reported sex crimes, the University of Iowa’s opponents should watch out for the Hawkeyes as they try to shoot down the competition, ranking fourth in weapons violations.

School: University of Nebraska Cornhuskers

Population: 24,207

Total Crimes: 557

Student to Crime Ratio: 43:1

Violent Crimes: 9

Sexual Crimes: 5

With some of the lowest reported instances of violent crimes among larger institutions, the University of Nebraska were handed a 2 seed because of the number of drug and liquor law arrests at the school. Clearly husking corn isn’t their idea of fun. Unless husking corn is a metaphor for partying. #letsgethusked

School: University of Wisconsin Badgers

Population: 42,820

Total Crimes: 883

Student to Crime Ratio: 48:1

Violent Crimes: 27

Sex Crimes: 23

The University of Wisconsin takes the last 2 seed by ranking in the top ten of tournament teams in sexual crimes, liquor law, and drug law arrests. Perhaps the (honey)Badgers should -in fact- give a s@#$.



<h2id=”3seeds”>#3 Seeds

School: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers

Pop: 29,768

Total Crimes: 593

Student to Crime Ratio: 50:1

Violent Crimes: 9

Sexual Crimes: 2

Not to be outdone by their bigger brother in Madison, the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee grabs the first 3 seed. It may be that field trips to the Miller Breweries helped bolster the Panthers arrest numbers, landing them in the top ten in liquor law arrests. If our seeding was based solely on violent and sexual crimes, the Panthers, with a low rate of both, would be a much lower seed.

School Name: Arizona State University Sun Devils

Population: 73,373

Total Crimes: 1,437

Student to Crime Ratio: 51:1

Violent Crimes: 66

Sexual Crimes: 29

Don’t sleep on the Sun Devils as the school has the most recorded burglary cases of all teams in the field. Arizona State University is also in the top three schools for aggravated assault, drug and liquor law violation crimes. If it weren’t for the staggeringly large student population, Arizona State University would be a number 1 seed.

School: Virginia Commonwealth University Rams

Pop: 31,627

Total Crimes: 626

Student to Crime Ratio: 51:1

Violent Crimes: 25

Sexual Crimes: 7

If you are wondering why there are metal detectors being installed at all arenas, look no further than VCU. The Rams have reported more than double the weapons violations of any other school in the tournament and were in the top five for aggravated assaults, robbery, and motor vehicle theft.

School: University of Arizona Wildcats

Population: 40,223

Total Crimes: 770

Student to Crime Ratio: 52:1

Violent Crimes: 19

Sexual Crimes: 9

The University of Arizona had 28 motor vehicle thefts in 2012, third-most of teams in this year’s tourney. The Wildcats also rank in the top 5 for liquor law arrests. So if your car is stolen from the U of A campus, chances are the thief is drunk.

#4 Seeds

School: North Carolina Central University Eagles

Population: 8,604

Total Crimes: 160

Student to Crime Ratio: 54:1

Violent Crimes: 9

Sexual Crimes: 3

NCCU reported 37 burglaries on campus in 2012 and were among the top ten schools in arrests for weapons violations. While they only recorded 13 liquor law arrests, these are not your typical All-American Eagles.

School: Iowa State University Cyclones

Population: 31,040

Total Crimes: 559

Student to Crime Ratio: 56:1

Violent Crimes: 14

Sexual Crimes: 12

Iowa State rated very well in violent crimes, registering only 14 in 2012. They also didn’t report a single robbery. While student’s backpacks may be safe, their livers may be another story. The Cyclones are home to a hefty amount of liquor law arrests with 376.

School: University of Michigan Wolverines

Population: 43,426

Total Crimes: 745

Student to Crime Ratio: 58:1

Violent Crimes: 65

Sex Crimes: 45

The University of Michigan reported the most sex offenses in 2012 with 45, ten more than the next closest school. The Wolverines also found themselves top ten for aggravated assault, arson, burglary, liquor and drug arrests.

School: University of Massachusetts Minutemen

Population: 28,236

Total Crimes: 460

Student to Crime Ratio: 61:1

Violent Crimes: 23

Sexual Crimes: 15

UMASS Amherst has the 17th most campus crimes in the tournament and a robust student to crime ratio of 61:1. Known by many as Zoomass Slamherst, the Minutemen’s reputation as a party school holds strong as 338 students were arrested for liquor law violations, 12th-most in the field.

#5 Seeds

School: University of Oklahoma Sooners

Population: 31,097

Total Crimes: 432

Student to Crime Ratio: 72:1

Violent Crimes: 15

Sexual Crimes: 12

Oklahoma leads the tournament field in arson cases with 15, more than double the amount of the next closest school. The Sooners may burn with desire but kept their cool with a relatively low rate of aggravated assault with only 3 documented cases. The school had no reported robberies in 2012.

School: Stanford Cardinal

Population: 18,217

Total Crimes: 266

Student to Crime Ratio: 68:1

Violent Crimes: 37

Sexual Crimes: 26

One might think that because Stanford is such a prestigious and renowned University that it would not have much campus crime to report, when in fact this is not the case at all. The Cardinal rank in the top ten highest number of sex offenses and motor vehicle theft crimes. Stanford also has the second highest amount of burglary crimes, so keep an eye on your Macbook Air when you’re on campus.

School: University of Pittsburgh Panthers

Population: 28,766

Total Crimes: 394

Student to Crime Ratio: 73:1

Violent Crimes: 37

Sexual Crimes: 10

The University of Pittsburgh is one of three schools in the tournament that has recorded a murder on campus in the year 2012. While that fact alone makes a strong case for a higher seed, the Panthers had relatively low occurrences of most other offenses, landing the school a 5 seed.

School: San Diego State University Aztecs

Population: 30,841

Total Crimes: 394

Student to Crime Ratio: 80:1

Violent Crimes: 56

Sexual Crimes: 21

San Diego State rounds out the 5 seeds by ranking in the top ten in aggravated assault, sexual offenses, and weapons violations. The Aztecs also find themselves in the top five with 19 reported cases of robbery. Perhaps the student section nicknamed “The Show” stands for “Show Me Your Hands”.

#6 Seeds

School: Wofford College Terriers

Population: 1,568

Total Crimes: 19

Student to Crime Ratio: 83:1

Violent Crimes: 2

Sexual Crimes: 0

Wofford College lands a 6 seed due the high rate of on campus burglary reported in 2012. However, the numbers may be misleading as 8 of the 11 cases were committed by one single student. The Terriers receive high marks for the almost non-existent violent and sex offenses on campus.

School: Texas Southern University Tigers

Population: 7,698

Total Crimes: 93

Student to Crime Ratio: 83:1

Violent Crimes: 21

Sexual Crimes: 3

Look for the Tigers aim to lead this year’s tournament in steals. Even with it’s small student population, Texas Southern University finds itself in the top ten of tournament schools for robbery and top 20 for burglary with 10 and 44 cases respectively. Houston, we have a problem.

School: Western Michigan University Broncos

Population: 24,598

Total Crimes: 285

Student to Crime Ratio: 86:1

Violent Crimes: 30

Sex Crimes: 12

It’s fitting that Western Michigan finds itself a 6 seed as it consistently ranks in the middle of the field for most of the offenses reported. However, watch out for these Broncos to buck you at a moment’s notice as they are in the top ten among tournament schools in aggravated assaults with 15 cases reported in 2012.

School: North Dakota State University Bison

Population: 14,443

Total Crimes: 167

Student to Crime Ratio: 86:1

Violent Crimes: 9

Sex Crimes: 8

North Dakota State ranks among the top half of schools with 120 liquor law arrests in 2012. The Bison only had one reported aggravated assault and not a single incident of robbery. Thundar, the school’s mascot, has clearly been patrolling the NDSU campus.

#7 Seeds

School: University of Dayton Flyers

Population: 11,159

Total Crimes: 126

Student to Crime Ratio: 88:1

Violent Crimes: 19

Sexual Crimes: 7

The University of Dayton comes in as a 7 seed with seven counts of arson, tying them for second among tournament schools. We’ll see how high they can fly come tourney time.

School: Oklahoma State University Cowboys

Population: 25,544

Total Crimes: 276

Student to Crime Ratio: 93:1

Violent Crimes: 19

Sexual Crimes: 13

Oklahoma State has only one recorded motor vehicle theft, possibly due to the overflowing horse traffic. The Cowboys may still be living in the wild West as their rank is carried by a high total of liquor and drug arrests.

School: University of Delaware Blue Hens

Pop: 21,856

Total Crimes: 233

Crimes Ratio: 94:1

Violent Crimes: 9

Sexual Crimes: 2

The University of Delaware only reported 2 sex offenses in 2012. The Blue Hens, however, reported 217 arrests for drugs, alcohol and weapons violations, landing them a 7 seed.

School: University of Connecticut Huskies

Population: 30,256

Total Crimes: 304

Student to Crime Ratio: 100:1

Violent Crimes: 14

Sex Crimes: 13

The University of Connecticut ranked among the top ten in drug law arrests and motor vehicle thefts. The Huskies made strides at controlling their campus safety in other areas, reporting only 20 liquor law arrests, 1 aggravated assault, and zero robberies.

#8 Seeds

School: University of Tennessee Volunteers

Population: 30,194

Total Crimes: 291

Student to Crime Ratio: 104:1

Violent Crimes: 18

Sexual Crimes: 8

With 18 cases of motor vehicle theft in 2012, the University of Tennessee ranks sixth among tournament schools. Tennessee students were more reluctant to “Volunteer” their personal belongings, with only 5 cases of burglary reported in 2012.

School: University of Kentucky Wildcats

Population: 28,094

Total Crimes: 260

Total Arrests: 152

Student to Crime Ratio: 108:1

Violent Crimes: 12

Sexual Crimes: 1

An 8 seed in both the NCAA tournament and our rankings, the University of Kentucky recorded the fifth-most arrests for weapons violations among tournament teams. The Wildcats were also fifth for motor vehicle thefts. The school did, however, have only 1 reported sex offense in 2012.

School: University of Virginia Cavaliers

Population: 21,095

Total Crimes: 191

Student to Crime Ratio: 110:1

Violent Crimes: 23

Sexual Crimes: 18

18 sex offenses were reported at the University of Virginia in 2012, ranking them 12th among teams in the tournament. Overall, students at the school weren’t overly aggressive or “Cavalier”, with only 4 reported aggravated assaults and 1 robbery.

School: University at Albany Great Danes

Population: 17,316

Total Crimes: 155

Student to Crime Ratio: 112:1

Violent Crimes: 13

Sexual Crimes: 10

The University at Albany had only 1 reported liquor law arrest, while having 3 motor vehicle thefts, 3 weapons violations, and 2 aggravated assaults. The Great Danes can stand tall with their relatively low reported instances of being busted with booze.

#9 Seeds

School: Gonzaga University Bulldogs

Population: 7,690

Total Crimes: 67

Student to Crime Ratio: 114:1

Violent Crimes: 14

Sexual Crimes: 8

Gonzaga University comes in as our top 9 seed despite it’s relatively small student population and recording only 4 drug law arrests and 5 liquor law arrests. The ‘Zags 14 motor vehicle thefts put them in the top third of tournament schools. You might want to think twice before leaving your bulldog alone in the car.

School: University of North Carolina

Population: 29,278

Total Crimes: 257

Student to Crime Ratio: 114

Violent Crimes: 44

Sexual Crimes: 35

The University of North Carolina reported the second most sex offenses of all schools in the field with 35, behind Michigan. With 47 burglary arrests and 13 motor vehicle theft arrests, perhaps UNC has sticky fingers to go along with it’s “Tar Heels”.

School: Baylor University Bears

Population: 15,364

Total Crimes: 135

Student to Crime Ratio: 114

Violent Crimes: 3

Sexual Crimes: 2

While Baylor comes in with a 9 seed, most of those crimes are of the non-violent variety, recording only 3 violent crimes and 2 sexual crimes. In fact most of the Bears’ reported campus crime in 2012 came in the form of liquor law arrests.

School: Saint Joseph’s University Hawks

Population: 8,860

Total Crimes: 78

Student to Crime Ratio: 114:1

Violent Crimes: 14

Sexual Crimes: 12

Saint Joseph’s University is one of only five schools in the tournament that reported zero aggravated assault crimes on campus. While that alone doesn’t exactly qualify the Hawks for Sainthood, the fact that the school only has 2 recorded robberies and no weapon violations on record certainly helps.

#10 Seeds

School: University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Population: 4,092

Total Crimes: 34

Student to Crime Ratio: 120:1

Violent Crimes: 4

Sexual Crimes: 1

The University of Tulsa has 5 reported motor vehicle thefts, tying the Golden Hurricane with University of Oregon. Along with the zero liquor law arrests reported in 2012, Tulsa is also on the low end of violent crimes and sexual crimes leading them to a 10 seed.

School: Villanova University Wildcats

Population: 10,661

Total Crimes: 38

Total Arrests: 51

Student to Crime Ratio: 120:1

Violent Crimes: 12

Sexual Crimes: 9

An otherwise low crime rate at Villanova is bumped up by their 42 liquor law arrests in 2012. The Wildcats also had 9 sex offenses, which is high considering their relatively small population.

School: Duke University Blue Devils

Population: 15,427

Total Crimes: 115

Student to Crime Ratio: 134:1

Violent Crimes: 19

Sexual Crimes: 11

Duke, to their credit, has stayed away from drug and liquor law arrests, ranking near the bottom of the field in both categories. The Blue Devils do however rank 8th in the tournament field for burglaries with 62 reported in 2012 and they tied with Michigan State for 9th in motor vehicle thefts with 16. So students should make sure to lock up their belongings while they are at Cameron indoor stadium getting crazy.

School: University of Kansas Jayhawks

Population: 23,914

Total Crimes: 165

Student to Crime Ratio: 145:1

Violent Crimes: 14

Sexual Crimes: 6

Kansas, the last 10 seed in our bracket, finds themselves in that position largely due to their hefty number of liquor and drug law offenses, with 68 and 51 respectively. However, the Jayhawks prove they are no jail birds with zero weapons violations and only 5 aggravated assaults.

#11 Seeds

School:Eastern Kentucky University Colonels

Population: 16,062

Total Crimes: 100

Student to Crime Ratio: 160:1

Violent Crimes: 18

Sexual Crimes: 10

Eastern Kentucky starts our group of 11 seeds with a reported 0 liquor law arrests, but 35 drug law arrests, placing them on the low-end for a school that size. The Colonels ranked second among tourney teams in weapons violations with 18, but we doubt that it’s muskets they are packing.

School: Ohio State University Buckeyes

Population: 56,867

Total Crimes: 352

Student to Crime Ratio: 162:1

Violent Crimes: 48

Sexual Crimes: 26

You could say that Ohio State has a fiery student base, the school ranks 2nd among all teams on the tournament for arson offenses. The Buckeyes had the 7th highest instances of robbery and tied for 5th most sexual assault offenses with 26.

School: University of Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns

Population: 16,687

Total Crimes: 101

Student to Crime Ratio: 165:1

Violent Crimes: 13

Sexual Crimes: 2

Louisiana Lafayette had only 2 instances of sexual offenses, putting it near the bottom of tourney teams. The Ragin’ Cajuns were notably one of three schools that had a murder happen on campus, which if weighted would make them a much higher seed than they are now.

School: Harvard University Crimson

Population: 27,392

Total Crimes: 165

Student to Crime Ratio: 166:1

Violent Crimes: 73

Sexual Crimes: 38

Harvard had a surprising amount of violent crimes for Ivy Leaguers as it ranks second in both aggravated assault (28) and robbery (21) among other NCAA Tournament Schools. The Crimson are tied for 15th with 14 motor vehicle thefts, but had only one instance of arson and one weapons violation arrest.

School: University of California, Los Angeles Bruins

Population: 42,163

Total Crimes: 235

Student to Crime Ratio: 179:1:1

Violent Crimes: 64

Sexual Crimes: 22

You do not want to see UCLA angry as the Bruins have the highest amount of aggravated assaults among all tournament schools with 35. The Bruins also had the third-highest number of burglaries, but keeping their stats down was a low amount of liquor law (23) and drug law (23) arrests for that large of a school.

#12 Seeds

School:Syracuse University Orange

Population: 21,029

Total Crimes: 112

Student to Crime Ratio: 187:1

Violent Crimes: 23

Sexual Crimes: 11

For a school the size of Syracuse having only 35 combined liquor and drug violation arrests is impressive, which leads to a 12 seed in our rankings. The Orange reported 50 burglaries, but students may have been tickled pink to find their cars safe with 0 reported motor vehicle thefts.

School: University of New Mexico Lobos

Population: 29,100

Total Crimes: 101

Student to Crime Ratio: 191:1

Violent Crimes: 16

Sexual Crimes: 5

New Mexico is sure to drive the lane in this tourney, but it might be in someone else’s car as the school leads the field in motor vehicle thefts with 40. Despite that total, the Lobos still put up effective safety numbers, highlighted by their low occurrence of sex crimes (5).

School: Kansas State University Wildcats

Population: 24,378

Total Crimes: 119

Student to Crime Ratio: 205:1

Violent Crimes: 10

Sexual Crimes: 6

Kansas State enters this year’s tournament for the fifth season in a row. There’s nothing wild about the cats on this campus, as the school put together a very low crime rate of 205:1. To go along with their consistent tournament appearances, the Wildcats also rank consistently in the top-half of the safest schools across the board in each category reported.

School: University of Texas Longhorns

Population: 52,213

Total Crimes: 235

Student to Crime Ratio: 222:1

Violent Crimes: 28

Sexual Crimes: 18

The total number of crimes at Texas makes the school appear much more dangerous than it actually is. UT boasts the third largest student population, bringing the overall crime rate down. Watch out for the Longhorns to swipe some passes, however, as they combined for 77 motor vehicle thefts, burglaries and robberies, which make up for 33% of all crimes at the university.

School: North Carolina State University Wolfpack

Population: 34,767

Total Crimes: 155

Student to Crime Ratio: 224:1

Violent Crimes: 33

Sexual Crimes: 6

It’s been 21 years since the great Jimmy V led NC State to an improbable National Championship. This year’s team boasts a pro-caliber roster, and the school’s safety record isn’t too shabby either. The Wolfpack’s overall crime rate of 224:1 is impressive considering their large population, but they rank in the top ten for aggravated assaults and motor vehicle thefts.

#13 Seeds

School: Saint Louis University Billikens

Population: 13,505

Total Crimes: 55

Student to Crime Ratio: 246

Violent Crimes: 8

Sexual Crimes: 3

Saint Louis comes into the tournament with one of the smaller student populations (13,505) and an even smaller crime rate (246:1). Boasting some of the lowest number of violent crimes in the field, the Billikens are a good luck charm to their school’s safety.

School: University of Florida Gators

Population: 49,589

Total Crimes: 92

Student to Crime Ratio: 255:1

Violent Crimes: 38

Sexual Crimes: 14

The top overall seed in the NCAA tournament, the University of Florida measures up well in campus safety too. However, while the overall crime rate is low, the Gator’s campus security put in extra time chomping down on 38 violent crimes, one of the highest totals of any school. Given the school’s large population, the crime rate remains extremely low.

School: American University Eagles

Population: 12,724

Total Crimes: 48

Student to Crime Ratio: 265:1

Violent Crimes: 16

Sexual Crimes: 16

American University, based in Washington D.C., has a strong crime ratio of 265:1, totaling only 48 crimes. Unfortunately, 67% of those crimes were sexual crimes (16), one of the highest rates in the field. The Eagles reported zero aggravated assaults and zero robberies.

Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjacks

Population: 11,917

Total Crimes: 41

Student to Crime Ratio: 295:1

Violent Crimes: 3

Sexual Crimes: 2

Having one of the smaller student populations helped SFA enter the tournament with a low crime count of 41. To go along with that, the Lumberjacks only reported 3 violent crimes, 2 of which were sexual crimes, a low total even for a smaller institution. With numbers like that they’ll chop down the competition with ease.

#14 Seeds

School: University of Louisville Cardinals

Population: 22,293

Total Crimes: 73

Student to Crime Ratio: 305:1

Violent Crimes: 15

Sexual Crimes: 6

The reigning tournament champions, Louisville comes into this year’s madness riding a hot streak having just won the first-ever American Athletic Conference Tournament. Flying high off their recent success, the Cardinals’ low crime rate is highlighted by having only one reported weapons violation and one reported sexual assault.

School: University of Memphis Tigers

Population: 22,365

Total Crimes: 73

Student to Crime Ratio: 306:1

Violent Crimes: 5

Sexual Crimes: 1

Memphis backs up it’s consistent appearances in the NCAA Tournament with an impressive low crime rate. While their mascot may have tiger stripes, don’t expect to see much of the student body wearing inmate stripes as the school only reported 73 crimes in 2012. If there’s something to look out for it’s the school’s 45 reported burglaries, which was 18th-most in the field.

School: The George Washington University Colonials

Population: 25,269

Total Crimes: 81

Student to Crime Ratio: 312:1

Violent Crimes: 31

Sexual Crimes: 14

Based in our Nation’s capital, The George Washington University reported only 81 crimes, an impressive, low total for a significant student body of over 25,000. However, 38% of all crimes were violent in nature. Perhaps that is a reflection of the high crime rate overall in Washington D.C.

School: University of Cincinnati Bearcats

Population: 33,329

Total Crimes: 99

Student to Crime Ratio: 337:1

Violent Crimes: 17

Sexual Crimes: 8

The University of Cincinnati brings a large student body and an even more impressive safety rank to this year’s tournament. Despite the Bearcat’s dense population, campus security has been very efficient with a crime rate of only 337:1, the 12th-ranked crime rate of all participating schools. Hurting the school’s overall safety rating are the 10 recorded robberies, ninth-most in the tournament.

#15 Seeds

School: Providence College Friars

Population: 3,852

Total Crimes: 9

Student to Crime Ratio: 428:1

Violent Crimes: 2

Sexual Crimes: 2

Providence has the second-smallest student population of all teams in the tournament, so it’s no shocker that this is the school’s first appearance since 2004. Given the low crime ratio of 428:1 and minimal number of total crimes (9), the Friars mascot fits right in with the school’s Puritan-level of crime.

* Reports have surfaced that two Providence players are being accused of sexual assault stemming from an incident in November, 2013. While this data was collected for 2012, we felt -given the nature of the report- that these accusations should be mentioned here.

School: Creighton Blue Jays

Population: 7,730

Total Crimes: 18

Student to Crime Ratio: 429:1

Violent Crimes: 4

Sexual Crimes: 2

Creighton brings sharp shooting and a pristine criminal record to this year’s tournament, giving them a great chance to make a deep run at the safety and basketball titles. You won’t find these Blue Jays flying high on anything other than a victory as the school recorded zero liquor and drug law violations.

School: Manhattan College Jaspers

Population: 3,675

Total Crimes: 6

Student to Crime Ratio: 613:1

Violent Crimes: 2

Sexual Crimes: 2

Manhattan College’s victorious run through the NEC Tournament landed them their 5th spot in the NCAA Tournament. Aptly dubbed the Jaspers after Brother Jasper of Mary, FSC, the school also brings with it one of the lowest crime rates (613:1) and crime totals (6) of all tourney teams.

School: Wichita State University Shockers

Population: 14,898

Total Crimes: 24

Student to Crime Ratio: 620:1

Violent Crimes: 3

Sexual Crimes: 2

Wichita State completed it’s undefeated run through the regular season and conference tournaments as the school looks to build it’s name. On top of that, their crime rate is one of the best in the country at 620:1. Shockingly, they do not report any liquor law, drug law or weapons violations. Still, you may want to keep an eye on your car keys as the school reported 15 motor vehicle thefts, 13th-most in the field.

#16 Seeds

School: Weber State University Wildcats

Population: 26,681

Total Crimes: 36

Student to Crime Ratio: 721:1

Violent Crimes: 3

Sexual Crimes: 3

Weber State’s ranking as one of the safest schools in the tournament comes as no surprise with Utah’s dominant presence in this list. Combining for zero cases of aggravated assault, manslaughter, motor vehicle theft, murder and robbery, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more consistent school across the board.

School: California Polytechnic Institute, SLO Mustangs

Population: 18,679

Total Crimes: 25

Student to Crime Ratio: 747:1

Violent Crimes: 4

Sexual Crimes: 1

After an improbable run landed them a 16 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, Cal Poly finds themselves in a similar position in our rankings. However, in our case it’s a good thing as the Mustangs have one of the safest campuses in the tournament. With only 25 total crimes reported in 2012, students and parents can rest easy at night.

School: Xavier University Musketeers

Population: 6,945

Total Crimes: 7

Student to Crime Ratio: 992:1

Violent Crimes: 6

Sexual Crimes: 5

Xavier has been a mainstay in the tournament since the late 90’s and their safety rating has seen equal levels of success, boasting a 992:1 crime ratio. However, 6 of their 7 reported crimes were of a violent nature. Watch out for dueling Musketeers next time you’re on campus.

School: Mercer University Bears

Population: 8,329

Total Crimes: 8

Student to Crime Ratio: 1,041:1

Violent Crimes: 0

Sexual Crimes: 0

It’s safe to say Mercer University won’t be predicted to win the NCAA Tournament by many. But putting their safety rating to the test, the Bears are favorites to upend the competition and rank as one of the safest schools in America. While their athletic presence will likely never reach powerhouse status, having the third-best crime ratio in the field at 1,041:1 will put parents at ease.

New Mexico State University Aggies

Population: 17,000

Total Crimes: 4

Student to Crime Ratio: 4,250:1

Violent Crimes: 0

Sexual Crimes: 0

With a consistently low crime rate, New Mexico State University ranks as one of the safest schools in the field. Clearly Breaking Bad didn’t urge students to make a quick buck as the school reported 0 drug crime violations. And you don’t have to worry about an Aggie being accused of aggravated assault, that didn’t happen once in 2012.

School: Brigham Young University Cougars

Population: 16,262

Total Crimes: 0

Student to Crime Ratio: N/A

Violent Crimes: 0

Sexual Crimes: 0

WBrigham Young University did not register a single crime in 2012. Did someone miss BYU’s address when collecting this data or is this Mormon University really the safest place in the world?