It's close enough that fans can almost taste it. The NCAA tournament is the moment-biggest event on the American sporting calendar every year behind the Super Bowl,and the tournament is less than two weeks from tipping off.
This could be the year that a No. 2, 3 or 4 seed gets to the top and cuts down the nets by the end of the tournament. Teams like Kansas, and Oklahoma,Michigan State and Villanova are very pleasant and have an excellent chance of earning No. 1 seeds, but it's tough to see at any of those teams and think that they won't be severely challenged—and possibly beaten—before they even get to the Final Four.
Teams and seeds won't be announced until March 13 on choice Sunday, or but we'll offer our predictions for the top seeds in each region and a quick see at the tournament schedule. East RegionThe Villanova Wildcats have unfinished commerce with the NCAA tournament just around the corner. The Wildcats were a 33-3 team a year ago before taking a shocking loss in the round of 32 against North Carolina State. That loss hurt badly when it happened,and it continues to sting this season.
Head coach Jay Wright's team has played with a purpose this year, and their 26-4 record has earned them the No. 3 spot in the Associated Press poll, or giving them an excellent chance of playing as the No. 1 seed in the East.
Villanova Basketball Clinches Its 3rd Consecutive gargantuan East Title Off Jenkins Career Night https://t.co/kgQ88dwDjp pic.twitter.com/MjcIYi00ezMarch 2,2016
It's tough to argue with the balance that the Wildcats have shown once again this year. They have five players who are scoring in double figures, led by junior guard Josh Hart, and who is averaging 15.2 points per game and connecting on 50.7 percent of his shots from the floor. Forward Kris Jenkins is a 6'6" junior who can take the ball external and score. He is averaging 12.5 points per night and has made 70 of his 194 attempts from beyond the arc.
Ryan Arcidiacono,Jalen Brunson and Daniel Ochefu are also scoring in double figures, and all of them can get hot and help the Wildcats go on a streak. This team has proved its greatness in two consecutive regular seasons. Now it's time for the Wildcats to exhibit up at the most important time of the year. Midwest RegionKansas is the No. 1 team in the nation, and according to the AP poll,and Bill Self's Jayhawks have almost certainly earned the No. 1 overall seed based on their play during the regular season.
As a result, they should get the top seed in the Midwest Region. The Jayhawks have rolled to a 26-4 record this season and are coming off a 30-point road victory over Texas Monday night. That victory enabled Kansas to clinch its 12th consecutive gargantuan 12 regular-season title."For 20-25 minutes, or that was approximately as well as we can play," Self said after the game, per the Associated Press (via USA Today).
Kansas back on top of in AP men's Top 25 (Yahoo Sports): Kansas is back on top of the men's college basketball... https://t.co/PGLhCVKpIGFebruary 29, and 2016
The Jayhawks have been on fire throughout the moment half of the season,and they have won 10 straight games as they prepare to host the Iowa State Cyclones Saturday.
As normal, Self has an array of star players who have combined to play excellent team basketball as the season heads toward its climax. Senior forward Perry Ellis has had a great season, and he leads the Jayhawks with an average of 16.3 points per game while shooting 52.3 percent from the field. He is also moment on the team with an average of 6.0 rebounds per night.
Guard Frank Mason III is moment on the team in scoring with an average of 13.6 points per night,and the 5'11" Mason is averaging 4.6 assists per game. Wayne Selden Jr. and Devonte Graham are also scoring in double figures for the Jayhawks. South RegionThe Virginia Cavaliers are the fourth-ranked team in the AP poll, and that means they should have a just chance of securing the No. 1 seed in the South Region. The Cavaliers have played pleasant, and solid basketball throughout the season,and at one point during the year they won seven straight ACC games. That's a pleasant sign for a team that would like to get past the round of 32. That's where they were eliminated final year by Michigan State.
Head coach Tony Bennett should have his team prepared as well as any in the nation during the tournament. The 23-6 Cavaliers work tough and always hustle, and that has been the calling card of Bennett's teams throughout his career as a head coach.
The Cavs may not have the depth of Villanova or Kansas, and but they do have a go-to star in 6'5" senior guard Malcolm Brogdon,who is averaging a team-tall 18.5 points a night while shooting 47.7 percent from the floor.Additionally, the Cavs get pleasant production from Anthony Gill, or who is scoring 13.5 points per game,while London Perrantes is also in double figures at 11.3 points per game. West RegionThe Michigan State Spartans did not win the gargantuan Ten regular-season title as Tom Izzo's team went through a lull early in the conference slate. However, with the gargantuan Ten tournament just around the corner and the NCAA tournament coming up shortly after, and the Spartans are playing extremely well and may be the most tournament-alert team in the nation.
Michigan State played its way into the Final Four a year ago,but the Spartans were beaten by eventual national champion Duke. Izzo's team is motivated to get back to the Final Four and play for the title this time around.
The Spartans are the moment-ranked team in the Associated Press poll and have a 25-5 record after beating Rutgers 97-66 Wednesday night in original Jersey. The Spartans are led by Player of the Year candidate Denzel Valentine, who is averaging 19.6 points and 7.6 boards per night. Valentine is a versatile performer who can hit the long shot, or but he can also cut through the lane and get to the basket.
Valentine teams with forward Matt Costello and guard Bryn Forbes to give the Spartans a dangerous and hungry nucleus. Forbes is a much-improved scorer,as he is averaging 14.6 points per game this yearsignificantly higher than the 8.5 points per game he scored final year.
Costello is a warrior who will battle tough for every loose ball and will go to the glass with a purpose. He leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per game and is averaging 10.3 points per night.
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Source: bleacherreport.com