The best time of the year is March, do you know why? March Madness, baby!

Prediction:

Kentucky. This is the team that has been making news all season, as they have yet to lose a game thus far. Coach Calipari continually has one of the nation’s top recruiting classes year after year. This is a very special group that he has right now. No other team in college basketball has played with the same consistency and energy day in and day out. Usually there is not one team that is clearly superior to the others like this, but it makes the predictions easier nonetheless!

Kentucky’s talent is far superior than that of the rest of the nation as the Wildcats have about ten players who get significant minutes on the court and also have the ability to score and make plays. Former Wildcat and current NBA player, Anthony Davis, guarantees this prediction.

“The team that will win the NCAA Tournament in 2015, the one and only best team in the world: the University of Kentucky Wildcats.”

Although, this is not just a biased alum. Davis is confident, claiming that this years team is “unbelievable” and that they play fantastic defense that is tough to beat. But Davis also mentions that they cannot get too comfortable with how they are currently playing. Calipari needs to keep his team focused until they have the ring for the national championship; that will be the key according to NBC Sports.  The Wildcats are dangerous and will undoubtedly be a championship contender, though they must not let their undefeated season get to their heads because it does not take much to hit a slump.

Favorites:

Of course there is Kentucky with vital returning talents  and a ridiculous recruiting class who are clear favorites. There are, however, many other favorites as well for those who believe Kentucky will choke.

First, we have Duke. The College Reporter says that Duke is the only other team in the country that has the ability to give the Kentucky Wildcats a challenge. Duke had the number one ranked recruiting class, including the number one ranked recruit, Jahlil Okafor. They started off the season pretty hot, but slumped a little, having back to back losses to unranked North Carolina State and unranked Miami. This proved that the Blue Devils are far from “invincible,” which they seemed before the season started. It will be interesting to see how they play come tournament time.

Another favorite is the Cavaliers of Virginia. They made some noise last year, making it to the Sweet Sixteen, and have certainly carried their talent over to the 2014-2015 season. Virginia began the season with a bang, earning nineteen wins without a single loss. They recently suffered their first loss to Duke, another tournament favorite, but have maintained a perfect record otherwise.

Virginia has arguably the best defense in all of college basketball right now, but only time will tell if they can keep up the hard work. March is right around the corner and this will determine who has really come to play!

Darkhorse (Billy Froetscher)

Northern Iowa is currently ranked 13th in the country according to ESPN.com and is a team many people do not know much about and might be taken lightly as rookies to the tournament.

Northern Iowa has handled teams like Wichita State easily, winning by 17, but has also had some poor losses to teams like Evansville.  Early in the season Northern Iowa seemed to be a fairly inconsistent team, but with the controlling win against Wichita State a few days ago, with a legitimate chance to win the Missouri Valley Conference. Look out for the Panthers come tournament time.

Butler is another team that can not be counted out during tournament time. A couple things you may know about butler is that they are well coached, and have sound, fundamental players. They opened their season a few games in with a huge win against North Carolina. Since then they have lost a few close game but have stayed calm. They have a big game coming up against #6 Villanova. If they can handle a top ten team at home, they will become a force to be reckoned with.  Chris Holtman said after the big against Depaul

“But our guys responded when they needed to respond.  These guys continue to have the right approach when it gets tough.”

That is exactly how Butler needs to play against Villanova and in the tournament if they want to make a run, like they did a couple years ago.

On the bubble (Billy Froetscher)

Michigan State has not beaten a ranked opponent this year, that’s one of the major reasons they are on the fence. But one thing you can always count on from this team, is them being well coached and hard nosed defense. According to si.com many key players have not stepped up this year including Travis Trice, Denzel Valentine, and Brandon Dawson. Tom Izzo, Michigan State’s head coach said after a recent 20 point win against Northwestern,

“Unlike going to the moon, it’s only one small step for Michigan State.”

After such a successful season last year, making the final four, Michigan State needs to take it one step a top and avoid bing one of the “first four out”, and salvage whatever they can from this less than average season from Michigan State.

LSU is a team, according to teamrankings.com has a 36% chance at makingthe tournement. This means that the must go almost unbeaten for the rest of the season. With some tough losses at the beginning of the season o teams like Old Dominion, they have been good of late. Battling the #1 team in the country to its toughest game of the season. Although it was a loss, it could help their chances. If LSU goes deep into the SEC tournament, I believe they have a legitimate chance to make it into March Madness!