Can you believe it? We’re less than a month away from Selection Sunday and anticipation is building to a fever pitch for the start of March Madness. Only 68 teams will be afforded the chance to play in this basketball extravaganza, and you can expect the competition to become much fiercer as the national tournament draws ever closer.
Which team has the inside track to grab that coveted spot in the Big Dance? Read on below as we list the 10 teams that are currently the frontrunners to win the national championship this year. While you’re at it, you can check out our previews of West Virginia vs. Texas and Iowa State vs. Baylor.
There’s no hotter team in the NCAA right now than Villanova. The Wildcats just keep rolling through the Big East conference, winning their last five games by an average of 17.8 points. Powering the Wildcats’ run at the top is their smothering defense. Villanova is eighth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 61.0 points per game this season. If they can manage to lock down Temple, Butler and Xavier in their next three games, the Wildcats will probably head into March as the no. 1 team overall.
2. Kansas (22-4, 10-3 Big 12)
Here come the Jayhawks. Kansas grabbed the second spot in our power rankings, thanks mainly to their stellar play last week. Not only did they notch a season sweep of highly-rated Oklahoma in Week 14, the Jayhawks also defeated the ever-dangerous West Virginia Mountaineers at home to reclaim first place in arguably the country’s best conference.
Allen Fieldhouse has been a fortress for the Jayhawks this campaign as they have yet to lose on their home floor this season. Kansas just destroyed Oklahoma State, 94-67, on Monday to extend their winning streak at home to 40 games. That excellent home form will be crucial for the Jayhawks if they are to extend their 11-year reign in the Big 12.
3. Oklahoma (20-4, 8-4 Big 12)
What in the world is happening to Oklahoma? The Sooners stumbled to their second defeat in their last three games with a gut-wrenching 76-72 loss to Big 12 rivals Kansas. It was a disappointing defeat for the Sooners who fell out of a tie for the conference lead.
The Sooners may be struggling for form at the present time but they are still a worthy No. 1 seed in our books. Oklahoma owns four top-25 RPI wins, seven top-50 RPI wins and just one loss outside of the top 25 this season. Add to that the fact that they still have Buddy Hield in their vaunted lineup. He’s averaging a whopping 25.6 points per contest this season, second-highest in Division I.
4. North Carolina (21-4, 10-2 ACC)
North Carolina solidified their lead atop the ACC standings with impressive victories against Boston College and Pittsburgh in Week 14. The Tar Heels were sizzling from the floor in their 85-64 win against Pittsburgh, shooting at a high 59 percent clip. That will serve them in good stead ahead of their critical home games against arch-rivals Duke and Miami. It’s interesting to note as well that only one of their four losses this season has come to a team with a sub-30 RPI.
5. Iowa (20-5, 11-2 Big Ten)
To say that Iowa had a rough week would be a severe understatement. Two days after losing at Indiana, the Hawkeyes returned home and struggled to a four-point win over Minnesota, a team which remains winless in conference play. The Hawkeyes, though, are more than capable of turning their season around especially with Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok playing some excellent basketball of late. Over the last five games, Uthoff and Jok are averaging 20.6 and 20.0 points respectively.
6. Maryland (22-4, 10-3 Big Ten)
Another team that struggled mightily last week was Maryland. The Terrapins had their 27-game home winning streak snapped on Saturday with a 70-57 loss to unranked Wisconsin. Nothing went right for the Terps in that contest, as they shot a woeful 20-of-50 from the field and 12-of-22 from the foul line. That loss proved costly for Maryland as they dropped to No. 6 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. That being said, the Terps can still lay claim to five top-50 RPI wins and only two losses to currently unranked teams this season.
7. Xavier (22-3, 10-3 Big East)
Apart from Villanova, another team that’s making waves in the Big East this season is Xavier. The Musketeers have won six of their last seven games to improve to 22-3 this season, the second-best mark in the conference. Key to Xavier’s resurgence has been the excellent play of James Farr. He has improved this season in points (10.1 from 4.2), field goal percentage (54.6 from 42.7), free throw percentage (79.0 from 46.9) and rebounds (8.4 from 5.3).
8. Virginia (21-5, 10-4 ACC)
The Virginia Wildcats were left to rue their bad luck as they absorbed a heart-breaking 63-62 loss to Duke on Saturday. Grayson Allen hit a last-gasp prayer (some say he travelled) to snap Virginia’s seven-game winning streak. It was a disappointing loss for the Cavaliers who now have four losses to unranked opponents this season. That can be a death blow for some teams but not Virginia. The Cavaliers already have eight top-50 RPI wins this campaign.
9. West Virginia (20-5, 9-3 Big 12)
If there’s one team that can stop Kansas from their Big 12 dominance, it’s got to be West Virginia. The Mountaineers are currently sitting a half-game behind the mighty Jayhawks in the conference standings with a 9-3 Big 12 record. They have surprised pundits this season with their excellent play, recording shock wins over Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas.
For the Mountaineers to continue their hot start this week, they will need to continue their superb play on the defensive end. They surrendered just 42 points to TCU on Saturday to record their largest winning margin in Big 12 play this season. The Mountaineers are 30th in Division I in scoring defense, allowing just 64.8 points per game this campaign. They will need more of the same defensive intensity this week if they are to beat Big 12 heavyweights Texas and Oklahoma.
10. Michigan State (21-5, 8-5 Big Ten)
It was only fitting that Denzel Valentine delivered on Valentine’s Day as he racked up 30 points and 13 assists in Michigan State’s 88-69 victory over Indiana on Sunday afternoon. After a mid-season blip, the Spartans are starting to pick up steam, recording victories over Maryland, Michigan and Indiana in the last three weeks. The Spartans now have six top-50 RPI wins and just one sub-50 loss this season.
