During the college basketball season there were plenty of analysts who believed that there were not going to be any dominant teams in this year’s tournament field. No one really challenged those analysts and many agreed with them. But, after watching the field this weekend I think there are three teams that have really separated themselves from the rest of the field. I believe those three teams that have a great shot to win the National Championship. With that said, the analysts that mentioned parity were not wrong. In fact, there are 65 teams that were in this year’s tournament that are the definition of parity. There are no dominant teams and the number of upsets on opening weekend back this theory up. Among the teams that advanced to play in the round of 16, five of them were an 8 seed or higher. If you exclude the Butler magic, there are four double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16. That means that 25% of teams left are double digit seeds, which is just an amazing stat that I think shows how close most of the teams in the NCAA are. But, three teams separate themselves from an average NCAA Tournament field. Kansas, Ohio State and Duke seem to be the real deal and ready to make the Final Four.
If your a Kansas fan you should feel really good about your chances. Kansas will have to play a 12 seed Richmond to advance to the Elite 8 and then play the winner of Virginia Commonwealth and Florida State to get to a Final Four. That means Kansas will play THREE double-digit seeds and their game against a single seed was last night against a nine-seeded Illinois team who is average at best. Kansas has a great shot to make the Final-Four and will be a huge disappointment to fans and bracket pickers everywhere if they do not advance. I do think Ohio State is the most dominant team out of the big three teams in the nation (Duke, Kansas, Ohio State). But, they also have the toughest road. They have to play a young and very talented Kentucky team and if they advance will likely face the two-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels and freshman phenom Harrison Barnes. Ohio State should win both games, but the road is tough and it is going to be a challenging weekend for Ohio State. Duke also faces a challenging road when they play Derrick Williams and Fifth-Seeded Arizona. If the Blue Devils get by them they will play a San Diego State team with loads of talent or a Connecticut team lead by a man named Kemba Walker. Duke and Ohio State's schedule is tough and even though I believe both will advance to the Final Four, there is always a chance that a pretty good team like UConn or UNC could knock off one of these great teams.
No matter what happens this weekend I know we will all be able to enjoy ourselves. Are we going to watch greatness from a team like Ohio State or will Cinderella's slipper still fit and Butler continue to advance? The Sweet 16 is going to be great and I am sure we all "Can't Wait" (Courtesy of Jets Linebacker Bart Scott) for this weekend.
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| The Big Three? Ohio State, Kansas and Duke should continue to separate themselves from the rest of the field like they have all season and advance to the Final Four. |
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