College basketball’s best get set for March

Last year’s tournament was one for the ages, with the Villanova University Wildcats’ sensational victory in the final over the University of North Carolina Tar Heels serving as the icing on the cake.

But before people start filling out their brackets, choosing their 12 seed over five seed upsets and picking a team from a Conference they have never heard of to reach the Final Four, there is the drama surrounding which teams will actually see their names on the bracket and how they will be seeded.

Atop the polls are the Gonzaga University Bulldogs, who will more than likely put the finishing touches on an undefeated regular season this week and enter the West Coast Conference (WCC) Tournament with an unblemished record. Barring a catastrophic meltdown in the WCC Tournament, the Gonzaga Bulldogs will enter the NCAA tournament as a number one seed for the second time in five years.

But are the mid-major Gonzaga Bulldogs actually legitimate title contenders? Both its recent history and its performance this season suggest that Gonzaga is for real. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are no ordinary mid-major team, as they have in fact reached the tournament every year since 1999, a streak currently only dwarfed by three college basketball powerhouses — University of Kansas, Duke University and Michigan State University.

This year, they have picked up impressive victories over the likes of the University of Florida, the University of Arizona and twice over Saint Mary’s College of California.

Whether Gonzaga can actually translate its experience and talent into a national championship remains to be seen, but the team that coach Mark Few has assembled this year is as good a bet as any to bring home the trophy.

Villanova is the gold standard of the Big East Conference and is right alongside Gonzaga as another likely number one seed. The Wildcats showed no signs of a post-title hangover following their championship in 2016. They have suffered only two losses — both on the road against quality opponents — while picking up numerous convincing victories along the way.

With most of its core intact from last season, the Wildcats are candidates to return to the Final Four and win another title. Beyond Villanova, the Creighton University Bluejays and the Butler University Bulldogs are the other Big East teams capable of making a deep tournament run.

Creighton’s chances took a major hit when they lost Maurice Watson Jr., the NCAA’s leader in assists, to a torn ACL in mid-January. The Bluejays have played well since losing Watson just over a month ago; However, come tournament time, the absence of such a skillful playmaker will undoubtedly hurt their chances.

Butler, on the other hand, is a healthy team that has played well throughout the season. The Butler Bulldogs are currently in the four or five seed range, which would position them nicely to make some noise in the tournament.

The Big 12 Conference is much like the Big East this year; The Conference has a perennial powerhouse, in the Big 12’s case, Kansas, followed by several other legitimate title contenders, such as the West Virginia University Mountaineers and the Baylor University Bears.

The Kansas Jayhawks are another team that have already all but clinched their spot as a number one seed. Of course, this is nothing new to the Jayhawks, who will set the NCAA record for the most consecutive tournament appearances at 28 this March and are on track to win the Big 12 regular season title for the 13th consecutive season.

Led by senior Frank Mason III, Kansas is playing as well as ever. One of only three Kansas losses came against West Virginia, who has its fair share of impressive victories, but also has several inexcusable losses to subpar teams.

When the Mountaineers are playing at their best, as they were when they beat Kansas on the road, they are as good as any team in the country; Their key down the stretch will be to play well consistently.

The same can be said of Baylor, who is 0-3 against Kansas and West Virginia, but has beaten the University of Oregon Ducks and the University of Louisville Cardinals. The key for the Bears will be dominating inside, as the tandem of big men Johnathan Motley and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. is arguably the best frontcourt in the country. While Kansas is the Big 12’s safest bet to reach the latter stages of the tournament, do not be surprised if West Virginia or Baylor catch fire and contend for a title.

The home to the remaining number one seed will likely be the Pac-12 Conference, where the University of Arizona Wildcats, University of Oregon Ducks and the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins are in a tight three-way battle for Conference supremacy.

The Wildcats, Ducks and Bruins have each shown flashes of brilliance throughout the season and are all built extremely well for the tournament.

Arizona and Oregon have had more experience and success in the tournament the past several years, but UCLA, led by phenomenon Lonzo Ball, has a player capable of taking over the game at any time.

Right now, it is difficult to say which of these teams is the best, but the Pac-12 Tournament should provide some clarity in a few weeks. If one Conference gets two teams into the Final Four though, my money is on the Pac-12.

Much like the Pac-12, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) is also a three-team race; in this case, the University of Kentucky Wildcats, University of South Carolina Gamecocks and the University of Florida Gators are the trio of teams fighting for supremacy.

Kentucky is always the Conference’s predominant favorite and has two future All-Stars in freshmen Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox to carry the team. South Carolina also has a special player in senior Sindarius Thornwell.

Florida may be the best of them though. Despite losing big man John Egbunu, the Gators are on an absolute tear. They are an experienced, balanced team that, under second-year coach Mike White’s leadership, have shown they can run a team right out of the building. Case in point: their 88-66 demolition of Kentucky on Feb. 4.

All three of these teams are well equipped for the tournament, but the Gators very well may be the best of the bunch.

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Big Ten round out the nation’s major conferences, and they each have several teams capable of vying for a title.

In the ACC, the North Carolina Tar Heels and Louisville Cardinals are Championship contenders that are playing as well as ever. Meanwhile, the Florida State University Seminoles and the University of Virginia Cavaliers had strong starts to the season but have fallen off as of late.

The team to watch in this Conference though, is Duke University. The Blue Devils have been dominant since legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski returned to the team after undergoing back surgery. Furthermore there may be no team in the country that has more talent than Duke. With “Coach K” back on the sideline, Duke is in prime position to capture a sixth championship under Krzyzewski‘s leadership.

The Big Ten is having what is considered by many to be a down year. Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin are leading the way, with the University of Maryland not far behind. These teams each have some worrisome losses that have put their abilities in question.

Additionally, the unexpected struggles of schools such as Michigan State and Indiana University have diluted the depth of what is normally one of the most competitive conferences in the nation.

Beyond the frontrunners, Northwestern University’s performance has been a pleasant surprise and will likely qualify for its first NCAA Tournament in school history.

The Wildcats should be happy to win a game or two in the tournament, but should not be expected to make any real noise against the powerhouse teams.

As always, March Madness promises to entertain, due to the aura of uncertainty that surrounds each and every game.

Will Wichita State University play its way into the Final Four again? Can Florida Gulf Coast University have another magical run of its own? We’ll get all of the answers in just a few weeks.