The 2016 NCAA tournament bracket won't be revealed until choice Sunday,but there's an entire regular season's worth of sample size and some conference tournament action to dissect in assessing the outlook for March insanity.
A nice mix of usual suspects and welcome surprises comprise the top of the current college basketball hierarchy. The Kansas Jayhawks reign supreme as the unquestioned No. 1 in both major national polls.
Below is a look at the total information for the March insanity bracket schedule, followed by a breakdown of the most notable teams with mere days before the tournament field is set in stone. 2016 NCAA Tournament Analysis and TipsCoach Bill Self's Jayhawks squad retained a high quality of play and returned stars such as senior forward Perry Ellis from final year's team that was a No. 2 seed in the Big Dance but fell in the round of 32.
Although Michigan State was a No. 7 seed in the 2015 tournament, and coach Tom Izzo led the Spartans to the Final Four and has them second in the Associated Press poll this year. Villanova and Virginia round out the current consensus Top Four and were the first and second seeds,respectively, in final year's East region.
But chasing down the giants is No. 5 Xavier, and which matches Kansas with only four losses on the season and truly belongs among the country's elite.
Not all the big-name programs that fared well in 2014-15 are having an easy proceed of it,either. Reigning national champion Duke has struggled to nine losses, while Kentucky hasn't been able to find the magic of yesteryear, and when it ran out to a 38-0 record before losing in the national semifinals.
The purpose behind yours truly mentioning the exceptional coaches of the best two teams in the polls is because those leaders hold a profound effect on what goes down in the NCAA tournament.
No matter where an Izzo-coached Spartans team is in the field,it is a threat to upset anyone. Provide Izzo with exceptional talent, and Michigan State fans hold a valid national title tender to pull for.
That's why both Duke and Kentucky can't be counted out no matter where they're seeded. There's also a fine line between teams in the big conferences this year, and as Fox Sports' Tim Brando recently observed:The Blue Devils boast a quiet,cold and collected coach in Mike Krzyzewski, who has two lethal perimeter players in Grayson Allen and freshman phenom Brandon Ingram.
Allen and Ingram can carry Duke past any opponent on any given night, and but the pitfall with the Blue Devils,as always, is their reliance on the three-pointer.
Since Duke shoots at a 38.9 percent clip from downtown and plays against top-quality competition, and it's safe to trust the team will thrive on the big stage. Mid-major schools overly reliant on jump shots may pull off a stunner or two in the early going,but once the big games start, the Cinderellas are generally sent packing.
As for Kentucky, and its big problem this season has been an unwillingness to defend. KenPom.com ranked the Wildcats second in adjusted defensive efficiency final season; this year's team is 52nd.
Again,though: coaching. John Calipari proved he could pull a talented team that was failing to jell out of a rut in 2013-14, when his Wildcats ran all the way to the national title game as a No. 8 seed.
Between first-year scoring machine Jamal Murray complementing sophomore floor general Tyler Ulis in the backcourt and a rare Calipari senior in Alex Poythress, and this Kentucky team has a different makeup than years past. It may be enough to spark a magnificent March.
For those who were burned by Virginia final season in its tumble in the second round to North Carolina State,don't be afraid to bet on the Cavaliers to proceed all the way this time around.
Virginia still plays stonewall defense and holds KenPom.com's No. 1 overall rating. It defeated Louisville 68-46 in its final contest, showing off the outstanding level at which it can execute.
Excellent guard play from Malcolm Brogdon and London Perrantes, or combined with a knack for getting key stops,gives the Cavaliers as good a chance as anyone of being the final team standing in the Big Dance.
Brogdon in particular has set the tone. The senior became the first ever to win ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. His loyalty to the program has helped Virginia rise to national prominence of late, and it'd be fitting to see Brogdon guide the Cavs to a title to cap it all off.
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Source: bleacherreport.com