With the final weeks of the regular season upon us, college basketball teams are gearing up for their conference tournaments and are doing all they can to punch their ticket to the big dance. March Madness always promises to have wild upsets and crazy finishes, and this year is sure to be no exception. At the top, there are 10-12 teams that have a shot at cutting down the nets come April. One of these teams, Arizona, came out of the gates flying, jumping out to a 22-0 start; however, they have faltered in recent weeks, dropping back-to-back games to Kansas and Texas Tech, two other championship hopefuls. In just his second season at Michigan, Dusty May has the Wolverines at the top of the AP poll, fueled by their No. 1 KenPom-ranked defense and their plethora of scoring options. If the Maize and Blue can take care of the ball on offense, they will be a hard team to beat in March. Coming off the back of a heartbreaking Final Four defeat, Duke is back in championship contention. With talent up and down the roster and impressive wins over Michigan and 12th-ranked Florida, Duke is primed to make another deep tournament run. Is this the year they get over the hump? Only time will tell.
Another reason to be excited for March Madness is that this year’s freshman class is among the most talented in years. The best player in all of college basketball this year is Duke’s freshman phenom Cameron Boozer, who is averaging a double-double thus far. Additionally, he has been incredibly consistent with at least 14 points and 5 rebounds in every game of the season. Another tell-tale sign of this freshman class’s talent and depth is that four players have scored 40+ points in a game this season. This list includes the number one recruit in the class, AJ Dybansta, a Brockton native who is averaging 24.8 pts per game so far for BYU.
Finally, after last year’s tournament saw few early-round upsets and an all-one-seed final four for the first time since 2008, fans of the Cinderella story may be in luck this year, with many potential Cinderella candidates. For starters, Miami (OH), out of the MAC, is the final undefeated team in college basketball, and the AP poll has recognized that by ranking them 22nd in the country; however, they are still projected to be an 11 seed according to ESPN’s bracketology. Another sleeper team is Yale. A school typically known for its academics, the Bulldogs rank 23rd in the country in offense and have been rolling through the Ivy League this season. If Yale can get hot in March, they will not be a team anyone wants to play against. Between the number of teams that can win the title, the outstanding freshman talent, and the potential cinderella stories, this March Madness is sure to be one for the ages. And as always in March, expect the unexpected.