By JACKSON WANGE
Executive Editor
Let me start off by saying there are no clear favorites to win the national championship in Atlanta this April.
If this college basketball season has taught us anything, we know that any team can be beaten on any given day. It doesn’t matter if it’s a one seed against a 16 seed or a nine against an eight, every team in this year’s tournament is on upset alert.
We could see history happen this year, with either a number one going down, or a mid-major program making a run to the final four. Anything can happen, and this proves true after at least a half dozen number ones going down in the regular season, bringing madness earlier than expected.
With such a wide opened field, there are at least 25 schools en route to winning the national title. And like I said in the beginning, there is no favorite to win it all, but here are my top five programs with the best shot at bringing a title home:
5. Miami Hurricanes
The boys from South Beach have proven to the country the U is more than just a football school. Miami has earned solid wins against Michigan State, North Caroline State, and Duke this season. Sophomore point guard Shane Larkin has led the way for the Canes, leading in points and assists per game. But the Hurricanes have cooled off a bit towards the end of the season, which is why they sit at number five on my list. Still, I see Miami as a very dangerous team in the tournament, like they were for the most part in the regular season.
4. Gonzaga Bulldogs
The Bulldogs have once again risen to the top of the college basketball standings. They’ve played nearly perfect throughout the entire season besides a slip up at home again Illinois and a bad turnover at Butler, which lead to losing at the buzzer. Bulldogs could easily have just one loss right now. But Gonzaga hasn’t played an incredibly difficult schedule, but they’ve gotten solid wins against Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and Saint Mary’s. I can see Gonzaga winning it all, but they’ve have to sit at four in my rankings for now because of their conference.
3. Michigan State Spartans
It doesn’t matter what records the Spartans show, as long as they make the tournament, they’ll be a dangerous team. Michigan State looks like they’ll be a third seed in the tournament, but they will play like a one seed because of their coach Tom Izzo, who will push them to play that way. Coach Izzo is the number one reason why they are number three on my list. He will make sure his team is prepared and ready, so they don’t get upset in the first two rounds and have a legit shot at playing in the Georgia Dome.
2. Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana entered the season as the number one team in the country with high expectations. Well, coach Tom Crean has not let the nation down. He’s pushed his team to the top of the college basketball standings multiple times and now a possible number one seed in the tournament. Sophomore forward Cody Zellar has dominated in the paint for the Hoosiers, while junior guard Victor Oladipo has been a terrific scorer for Indiana. Even though the Hoosiers aren’t perfect and could be sent home early, I don’t see Crean letting that happen to his team this year.
1. Duke Blue Devils
Duke has been very dominate on offense and defense all year long, beating conference opponents by large margins. With great scorers like senior guard Seth Curry, senior forward Ryan Kelly, and senior forward Mason Plumlee, the Blue Devils are going very deep into the tournament this year. Plus, they have a great coach in Mike Krzyzewski. But there’s two reasons why I don’t see Duke getting knocked out early. One, they have senior leaders, which many teams lack. Two, with Ryan Kelly, Duke has only lost one game. If Kelly stays healthy, the Blue Devils have a great chance of playing for the national title on Apr. 8th in Atlanta.
