March Madness

The word for March Madness this year is "parity."

There is no clear favorite to win the big dance this year and I think any of the top ten teams could win the NCAA basketball tournament .  Those I see to be the real contenders: Syracuse and Kansas.  I believe Syracuse is loaded with talent and Kansas is, well...Kansas.  Kentucky and Duke might tear down the nets, but both have struggled through some poor nights when they were beaten by inferior teams, i.e., South Carolina and Oklahoma St.  I wouldn't be surprised if top ten teams like Kansas St., Ohio St., and Purdue make early exits.  The two most overrated teams are certainly Villanova which is burning out at the wrong time and New Mexico which plays a soft schedule.  Most underrated team that could pull off the upset or at least serve as Cinderella?  West Virginia.  The Mountaineers are well balanced but young with three sophomores and one senior leading their team.

Michigan State?  Forget it.  The Spartans may end up in the sweet sixteen because Izzo is good enough to get them there.  Butler, Vanderbilt, BYU and Wisconsin are high on fundamentals and short on real athletes.  Bruce Pearl and Tennessee will go as far as Wayne Chism can lead them; look for an early exit or deep run.

In the end, it's all about brackets.  Right now, I would suggest Syracuse, Kansas and West Virginia to be the teams to beat.