These ten teams can win the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
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March Madness is finally here. Tens of millions of Americans will fill out brackets over the next few days in the hopes that this is the year they win their bracket pool. These ten teams can win NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Duke Blue Devils
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Why they can win: They have the most talent.
Duke may not be the most experienced team in the field. But, it’s inarguable they have the most talent. It starts with presumptive first-overall pick Cooper Flagg, who is battling an ankle injury but should be good to go. Fellow potential lottery picks in Kon Kneuppel and Khaman Maluach, plus potential first-rounder Isaiah Evans make up an incredible quartet of a freshman class. Add in steadying vets like Tyrese Proctor and Mason Gillis, and this is a complete team that can out-talent anyone.
Alabama Crimson Tide
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Why they can win: The offense can overwhelm you.
Alabama is a typical Nate Oats team, scoring the basketball at will while playing at the fastest pace in the country. Point guard Mark Sears runs the show as well as anyone, and they can simply overwhelm teams with their stellar offense.
Auburn Tigers
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Why they can win: No one is more battle-tested, and battle-proven.
Auburn, which is old enough to fit in in the NBA, won an unbelievable 16 Quad 1 games this year. The tournament’s top-overall seed, led by likely National Player of the Year Johni Broome, is battle-tested, and battle proven.
Florida Gators
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Why they can win: No one is playing better than them right now.
We’ve seen teams get red-hot at the end of the regular season through the Conference Tournament and carry that momentum all the way to a national title. If a team is going to do that right now, it’s Florida. The Gators have won a ridiculous 12 of 13 in a mighty impressive SEC, and they’re playing the best basketball in America as we speak.
Houston Cougars
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Why they can win: They are finally a good shooting team.
Houston has had plenty of good teams in the Kelvin Sampson era. But, ultimately, their lack of ability to shoot and score kept them from cutting down the nets. That’s not the case this year. The Cougars are shooting just under 40% from deep, and they are playing their trademark fantastic defense. That makes them mighty dangerous.
Tennessee Volunteers
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Why they can win: They play the nation’s best defense.
If you believe defense wins championships (that hasn’t necessarily been the case in March Madness lately, as all recent champions have been better on offense than defense according to KenPom), look no further than the Vols. They play the nation’s best defense, according to KenPom, and make life tough on every opponent.
Michigan State Spartans
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Why they can win: They’re remarkably well-coached
One thing is for sure. Tom Izzo knows how to win in March. He has 56 tournament wins and a remarkable 8 Final Four appearances along with a national title, often getting the very most out of his teams. The Spartans are gritty, and Izzo will set them up to succeed.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
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Why they can win: They’re remarkably balanced.
Texas Tech has six players averaging 8 points or more, five averaging 9 or more, and 4 averaging ten or more. It’s hard to shut down a team that has that many options on offense, especially on a team that has great shooting like the Red Raiders do.
St. John's Red Storm
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Why they can win: They know how to win a rock fight.
Coach Rick Pitino loves players with toughness, the kind of players he won the 2013 national title with at Louisville. That’s St. John’s this year. They are physical, they play a chaotic style of defense, and they thrive in the muddy, bogged-down games that many tournament games turn into in unfamiliar venues when shooting may suffer.
Arizona Wildcats:
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Why they can win: When they get hot, they get really hot.
Arizona, much like their talisman Caleb Love, is incredibly hot and cold. But, now, all they need to do is get hot for six games in a row to cut down the nets for the second time in program history. They’ve shown the ability to play at that level for long stretches of time.