#1 Gonzaga Bulldogs (30 - 2)
- The Zags have won 14 straight going into the tournament. They do play in a "weaker" conference, but as mid-majors go, it is one of the better ones. Gonzaga went undefeated in conference play and their only two losses were to teams in the BPI top 50. In my opinion, what Mark Few has been able to do with his group of players makes him the leading candidate for coach of the year. And Kelly Olynyk may have long hair to go along with his girl's name, but he plays like a man. He too is a leading candidate for player of the year. Since Gonzaga has a #1 seed for the first time in school history, maybe this is the year they will advance to their first Final Four. Be aware though, that Gonzaga is largely untested, and may be the first #1 seed to go down.
- Tournament appearances: 16 (were in it last year)
- Tournament result last year: lost in the round of 32 to Ohio State
#2 Ohio State Buckeyes (26-7)
- The Buckeyes have won 8 straight games and have gotten hot at the right time. They remind me of Connecticut from 3 years ago when Kemba Walker inspired the team that finished 8th in the Big East to win the Big East tournament and eventually the National Championship. Could OSU be this year's version of UConn? I would not be surprised if Ohio State makes a Final Four run. Having a Point Guard, Aaron Craft, who has great experience leading his team will benefit the Buckeyes as they try and win their first national title since 1960.
- Tournament appearances: 28 (were in it last year)
- Tournament result last year: lost to Kansas in the Final Four
#3 New Mexico Lobos (29 - 5)
- You gotta cheer for a team that is named after a Shakira song. The Lobos finished the season with only 5 losses. UNM is a quality team that has 4 players who average 10 points or more a game. They do not have a superstar but play strong defense and hold the majority of their opponents under 60 points a game.
- Tournament appearances: 14 (were in it last year)
- Tournament result last year: lost in the second round to Louisville
#4 Kansas State Wildcats (27-7)
- I wonder is Frank Martin is regretting his decision to leave Kansas State for South Carolina. It took me a while to get use to seeing a Kansas State coach who's eyes were not popping out of his head. Luckily for Kansas State, they were able to find the perfect fit for their program, Bruce Weber, who has led a team to the National Championship game before. I was expecting the Wildcats to have an off season as they adjusting to the new coaching style, but what occurred in little Manhattan this year was anything but an off season. K-State finished in a tie for first in the Big 12, but 2 of their four losses were to the team they tied with, Kansas. K-State's Senior star, Rodney McGruder has great experience and was on the elite eight team of 2010. Having Senior leadership will be a great asset as they hope to advance.
- Tournament appearances: 26 (were in it last year)
- Tournament result last year: lost to Syracuse in the second round
#5 Wisconsin Badgers (23-11)
- One might ask themselves, "how can a team with 11 losses be a number 5 seed?" Well that 11 loss team has also beaten Michigan twice, Indiana twice, Illinois twice and Ohio State once. I have no idea how a team with so much talent could have lost as many times as they did. Wisconsin has the talent of a Final Four team. The question is, will this team that looks like a bunch of dairy farmers play like they did when they beat Indiana twice or will they play like they did when they lost to Purdue or Iowa?
- Tournament appearances: 18 (were in it last year)
- Tournament result last year: lost to Syracuse in the sweet 16
#6 Arizona Wildcats (25-7)
- Arizona went undefeated in the non-conference season with victories over Florida, Miami, and San Diego State. Once conference play started, they never looked quite like the team they were at the start of the season. Since the Wildcats don't have the possibility of meeting any Pac 12 team until the Final Four, it is obvious to me that their road to Atlanta will be a breeze. Ok, maybe not. Two years ago Arizona was ranked #3 in the country in 3 point defense and last season they were ranked #5. This year, they have fallen all they way to about 150th. When the Cats shoot well, they are hard to beat. But if they can't knock down their shots and if they can't defend, they will not last long in the tournament. Arizona's freshmen never quite developed into what they were expecting and Mark Lyons, their transfer PG never quite became a true PG. Arizona has some of the best talent in the country, but they may still be a season away from making a run deep into the tourney.
- Tournament appearances: 29 (last appeared in 2011)
#7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (25-9)
- If you are a ND fan, lets hope for your sake that the basketball team shows up to the post season more than the football team did. The Fighting Irish go the way that Jack Cooley goes. If they are able to run their offense through him effectively, they are tough to beat. If not, Iowa State may be able to knock them off in the first round.
- Tournament appearances: 32 (were in it last year)
- Tournament result last year: lost to Xavier in the first round
#8 Pittsburgh Panthers (24-8)
- Pitt is a very good #8 seed and will likely pose a huge threat to Gonzaga in the second round. They have beaten Syracuse, Georgetown, and Cincinnati this season. They are a very good passing team and when they are able to settle into a half-court offense they can often find the open man. They have 5 players who shoot better than 30% from behind the arc and can be a 3 point threat. Don't sleep on Pitt. They are good and may just become Giant Slayers.
- Tournament appearances: 23 (last appeared in 2011)
#9 Wichita State Shockers (26-8)
- I was honestly surprised that Wichita State got a 9 seed. I think they are good, but there are a lot of teams who received seeds lower than they did who I would consider much better than they are. Their best two wins of the season were against Creighton and VCU. They are a team with great potential, but I would be surprised to see them in the second round.
- Tournament appearances: 9 (were in it last year)
- Tournament result last year: lost to VCU in the first round
#10 Iowa State Cyclones (22-11)
- The Cyclones can score! They have the 4th highest points per game in the country and shoot over 45% from the field. They took Kansas to OT twice this season, so they can hang with the big boys. I think Iowa State has a very favorable match-up against Notre Dame in the first round and should be able to pull off the upset.
- Tournament appearances: 14 (were in it last year)
- Tournament result last year: lost to Kentucky in the second round
#11 Belmont Bruins (26 - 6)
- The Bruins have been to the tournament a few times before and in previous seasons have been chosen by a lot of people as their "upset pick". They have yet to actually upset anyone, but this may be the year.
- Tournament Appearances: 6 (were in it last year)
- Tournament Result last year: lost in the first round to Georgetown
#12 Ole Miss Rebels (26-8)
- Before today, the Rebels were a bubble team and were going to have to wait and see if the committee found them worthy of the tournament. But instead of waiting on the committee, the Rebels decided to take care of business and win the SEC tournament. Guard Marshall Henderson leads the team with 20 ppg and is the white man Reggie Miller. He trash talks, taunts the crowd, and even hits on the cheerleaders during the game. He plays with a lot of emotion and is someone you either love or hate, surprised me he didn't go to Duke, he would've fit right in. I think they have decent upset odds against Wisconsin, but will likely be a one-and-done.
- Tournament appearances: 6 (last appeared in 2006)
#13 Boise State Broncos (21-10)
- Who remembers the game back on January 9th when Boise State knocked off one of the 4 remaining undefeated teams in the country? What a huge win that was for the Broncos against the Cowboys. No, not Oklahoma State, but Wyoming. Ok, so it wasn't that big of a victory and Wyoming only finished with 4 conference wins. The Broncos have an impressive looking Guard from Australia named Anthony Drmic (almost looked like I was about to write Anthony Davis), who averages 18 ppg. If the Broncos can make it past their play-in game, they will have a very tough match-up against Kansas State. But if BSU can win that first game, it will be their first ever tournament victory. As a side note, this is Boise State's first ever at-large bid to the tourney.
- Tournament appearances: 5 (last appeared in 2008)
#13 La Salle Explorers (21-9)
- You know how before every football game Colorado will have a big buffalo and Texas has a longhorn run onto the field. Well what do you think La Salle has on the court before the start of their games? Here is your answer. The Explorers did beat Butler and VCU this year which shows they can win against quality competition. But hey, La Salle has won a National Championship, albeit 59 years ago. I think La Salle is your perfect example of the girl who is just happy to be invited to the dance. They have not been to the tournament in 21 years and have overcome some huge scandals and adversity. Welcome back to the tourney La Salle.
- Tournament appearances: 11 (last appeared in 1992)
#14 Harvard Crimson (19 - 9)
- Harvard goes to their second straight tournament. The Ivy League has given us some exciting first round games the past few seasons. Harvard has some good wins this year, including a victory against the second place Pac-12 team, Cal.
- Tournament appearances: 3 (were in it last year)
- Tournament result last year: lost in the first round to Vanderbilt
#15 Iona Gaels (20 - 13)
- The Gaels gave up a 25 point lead last year against BYU in the play-in round. They will be back for a second season led by Momo Jones who averages over 23 ppg and last season dropped 43 in a game. Momo has some tournament history including an elite 8 in 2011 when he played for Arizona.
- Tournament appearances: 10 (were in it last year)
- Tournament result last year: lost in the play-in round to BYU
#16 Southern Jaguars (23 - 9)
- Southern University has only one tournament win, back in 1993. As a 16 seed, they will most surely not get another one this season. A #16 seed has never beaten a #1 seed, but there's always a first for everything I guess.
- Tournament appearances: 8 (last appeared in 2006)
Best first round game: Notre Dame vs. Iowa State
Possible Dark Horse who could reach the Final Four: Arizona
Final Four Prediction: Ohio State
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