We still have over two months before March Madness tips off this year, but it’s not too early to talk about teams who can get upset early, and teams who are better, or worth, what their ranking says. This is an interesting year in my opinion where there aren’t many schools who definitively stand out as title contenders. That is why March is the best and this year will be particularly interesting.
For teams who can get upset early, I think Auburn stands out the most. Their freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford is one of the most exciting players to watch, but besides him, everyone else is just huge and they overpower teams with their size (Johni Broome is really good too). I think they have the talent to make a run, but if they get the wrong draw and have to play a school who can run the floor and keep up with them scoring wise, they’ll be in trouble.
For teams that can make runs, I think Xavier is a team to keep an eye on. They are definitely a top team in the big east that has a solid backcourt and an experienced team. Beating UConn at home was a staple win that showed they can compete with anyone.
Duke is a boring pick, but clearly the best team in College Basketball right now. Their two losses are solid (at #1 KU, vs #19 UK), and their two key wins are vs #2 Auburn and at #17 Arizona. Arizona currently isn’t ranked but is another team that can make a real run in my opinion. They have veteran transfers in Townsend and Love, along with Anthony Dell’Orso who can shoot the three ball extremely well.
As far as the Big Ten goes, I believe Illinois and Purdue are at the top and are both teams to watch out for come March. Illinois is a younger team, but they are loaded with talent. Kasparas Jakucionis is one of the most NBA ready freshmen in the country right now, as well as Will Riley who’s a projected top NBA pick next year, and comes off the bench for the Illini. Purdue plays basketball in such a fun way to watch with Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer who can shoot the lights out, as well as Trey Kaufman-Renn who is averaging over 18 PPG.
It will be interesting to see how the bracket unfolds. As I mentioned, this is an interesting year because there are a good number of teams with a shot.