The month of March means one thing and one thing only: madness is on tap for 68 colleges across the country.
Perhaps the most interesting story line in college basketball is the utter lack of a prohibitive favorite to win it all this year. No team currently in the AP Top 25 has fewer than 2 losses, and not a single team from the major conferences has less than 4 (Duke). Last year everyone touted (and rightly so) the dominance of perennial powerhouse Kentucky. This year? Gonzaga is the #1 team in the nation and Kentucky is struggling to even make it to the Big Dance.
Currently, Joe Lunardi has Duke, Indiana, Gonzaga, and Louisville as #1 seeds in his latest brackets. With the tournament nearly upon us, these predictions seem pretty likely to play out, but there are plenty of likely lower seeds primed to make a run as well. Kansas, Miami, Ohio St., Michigan, and Michigan State have all played exceptional basketball in stints this year and are all teams nobody wants to face in March.
Notice the inclusion of four different Big 10 teams into that shortlist of early favorites. For those who have been following college basketball closely this year, it comes as no surprise. The Big 10 has undoubtedly fielded the best basketball play since the beginning of the year, and it's practically expected that several teams from the conference will make deep runs in the tournament. All in all it's likely that 7-8 teams from the Big 10 will make the tournament this year, and it would not be surprising to see at least four of them make the Sweet 16.
Then of course, there are the dark horses among the field that everyone loves to root for. Every year countless office bracket pools are won and lost due to the fates of colleges many people have never even heard. St Bonaventure, George Mason, and Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) have all played the giant slayer in March, and there are sure to be more this year. VCU is once again in the mix after pulling off another upset in the tourney last year, and Butler is another mid-major that's proven it can go deep in recent years.
Given the depth of talented contenders this year, the 2013 NCAA Tournament should undoubtedly be one to remember. The fact that the mid-major Gonzaga will enter as the number one team in the land should only add to the suspense and intrigue. Expect some stellar play, heart-wrenching losses, and perhaps a couple of friendships lost to improbable bracket busters. As for me, I'll be rooting for my alma mater Michigan State, "Go Green!"
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