A word of caution to those excited for the N.C.A.A. tournament: Prepare to be a bit disappointed.

The tournament, which begins in earnest Thursday, is still a three-week dopamine rush of buzzer-beaters and school pride. There is an overwhelming favorite (Kentucky), and inevitably a sleeper will emerge and put its university on the map with a stunning upset or a deep run. Millions of fans will fill out brackets, staking their pride — and probably a little something else — on out-predicting their friends and co-workers.

But in many ways, Division I men’s basketball has never been less appealing. Scoring is down, as teams averaged 67.6 points a game through February, according to the N.C.A.A. If that average holds through the end of the tournament, it will be the second-lowest number since 1952 and part of a trend in which scoring has fallen from a peak of 76.7 points in 1990-91.

The game is also as slow as it has ever been. Teams are averaging fewer than 65 possessions per 40 minutes, according to the statistics site KenPom.com. That is easily the lowest since 2002, and probably the lowest since at least the 1940s.

“When the balance between offense and defense gets out of whack and the defense has more of an advantage than the offense, then I think the game’s not in the right place,” said Dan Gavitt, the N.C.A.A.’s vice president for men’s basketball championships. “I would argue personally that right now, we’re not in the right place. The balance is too much toward the defensive side of the ball.”