- With the NCAA tournament fast approaching, contenders are trying to separate themselves from the pack. Here’s a look at who might win the March Madness title.
- The Auburn Tigers have been ranked #1 in the Associated Press poll for six consecutive weeks.
- Other contenders for the title include Tennessee, Florida, Duke and Houston.
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There are a handful of college basketball teams that have displayed a dominant streak this season. Here’s a look at some of college basketball’s big favorites, one month before March Madness begins.
Can anyone slow down Auburn?
The top-ranked Auburn Tigers, a position they’ve held for the past six consecutive weeks, seem to be head and shoulders above the rest of the pack after dismantling arch-rival Alabama, which was previously ranked second in the country. The 23-2 Tigers led from start to finish, with Johni Broome notching 19 points and 14 rebounds, making him one of six players in double figures for the Tigers.
“There’s just a long, long way to go. You look at our league with three number ones, three teams on the one line, couple teams on the two line, good for Texas A&M jumping in there like that in the Sweet 16,” said head coach Bruce Pearl after the win Saturday, Feb. 15. “I don’t know, we just take them one at a time.”
How many bids for the Southeastern Conference?
Like Pearl said, the Southeastern Conference is loaded. The Florida Gators, Tennessee Vols, Alabama Crimson Tide and Texas A&M Aggies are all, like Auburn, ranked in the top seven in the latest Associated Press poll, released Tuesday, Feb. 18. Which is to say, they all have a legitimate shot at the national championship.
Can Duke spoil the party?
That leaves just a few other contenders in the mix. The Duke Blue Devils are certainly worthy of spoiling the SEC party. Led by All-World freshman Cooper Flagg, they beat teams by an average of 20 points per game on their way to a 22-3 record and a #3 ranking. They beat the Virginia Cavaliers Monday, Feb. 17, 80-62.
“They’re big not only at the rim, but they’re long and on the perimeter as well,” said Virginia coach Ron Sanchez. “You know, Flagg is not, he’s not 6’5”, you know, Kneuppel is 6’6”, 6’7”. I mean, they got length at a lot of positions and those guys also have a lot of skill at the rim. I mean, he’s just big, he’s long.”
Does Houston finally have an answer?
The Houston Cougars are another team that will give opponents fits in the final month, especially defensively. In the last four seasons, the Cougars have been to the Sweet 16 twice, the Elite Eight and a Final Four. Saturday, Feb. 15, they pushed their record to 21-4 with a win over the 19th-ranked Arizona Wildcats.
“We have a good team. I don’t know that we have a great team,” said head coach Kelvin Sampson. “We played Auburn, we played Alabama, we played at Arizona, we played at Kansas. Our team’s pretty good at figuring out what’s next and getting ready and focusing on that.”
Crunch time is here, and the Cougars, along with others like Iowa State, Wisconsin, St. Johns and Texas Tech, are focused on making the tournament. We’ll see where they all land in the bracket next month, but it promises to be Madness when it all tips off on March 19.
