March Madness: The true title contenders

The Ides of March bring about various certainties in American life that have become as unavoidable as the next superstar scandal, and one of the biggest advents of the “ESPN Age” is the ever-evolving, inexact science known as bracketology.

Records, RPIs, injuries, etc., are discussed ad nauseam by everyone from Doug “Grandmaster of the Ever-Shifting Bubble” Gottlieb to the cast of writers and pundits that litter afternoon TV. By the time the play-in game kicks off, even my mom thinks she has the bracket that’s going take the pot this year. (With ‘Nova in the final four, let’s be serious.)

So, what else is there to do but talk about it a little more? I won’t touch on the finer points of bracket dissection like the enigma of the 5/12 match-up, but here’s a quick look at the major contenders.

5. Syracuse:

The Orange spent seemingly the entire regular season in cruise control with a few hiccups in conference play being the only blemishes. They boast the Big East player of the year in Wesley Johnson and impact players at the guard slots in the starting line-up and off the bench. They shoot well, defend and take care of the basketball like a national title contender should. However, their play in the Big East tournament left plenty to be desired.

Cuse’s zone defense will help curb the fatigue on the likely six-man rotation to be employed by Boeheim, but an off game from even one of their shooters could spell an early exit for a team who three weeks ago looked like a lock for the Final Four.

The good thing is, they have a fairly easy draw to the regional final, but there they could run into a Pittsburgh team that beat the Orange in their only meeting this season.

4. Georgetown:

West Virginia seems to be the top pick of the Big East contenders, but I like the Hoyas. West Virginia looked inconsistent during the entire Big East tourney. They played themselves out of and back into games so frequently it seemed like their offensive rhythm was on a morphine drip. Plus, it’s hard to trust a team that consistently wins on buzzer-beaters because eventually they do stop falling.

Georgetown, on the other hand, looked every bit like the talented, athletic team we expected to see all season. More than any team during their conference tournament, the Hoyas displayed an ability to adapt their play to best exploit the weaknesses of their opponent. They have athleticism at every position on the floor and pass and share the ball as well as any team in the country.

3. Duke:

The Blue Devils caught a break from the selection committee and have by far the easiest road to the Final Four. A potentially tricky second round match-up against Louisville would seem to be their biggest roadblock to the regional final.

If Duke can make it there, at worst they would face an inexperienced Baylor squad or a Villanova team that hasn’t won back-to-back games in over a month.

The Devils are well coached as always behind Coach K., and everyone on the team seems to know and be committed to their particular role on the team. If you need evidence, check out the smile on Bryan Zoubek’s face after he sets 18 screens on a possession that leads to a Kyle Singler 3-pointer.

Singler and Jon Scheyer will need to be more consistent with their shots than they have been in recent weeks, but barring a major meltdown, which I’ll admit isn’t out of the question, the Blue Devils should be playing in Indy come April.

2. Kansas:

Bill Self fields the most experienced and deep, all-around team in the tournament. The Jayhawks proved throughout the year that they are deserving of the top overall seed in the tournament. They boast a core of experienced players in All-American guard Sherron Collins and senior center Cole Aldrich, while a crew of youngsters lead by super-freshman Xavier Henry add a boatload of scoring and youthful exuberance to the equation.

The Jayhawks, however, have been cursed by their bracket geography. I don’t think their region is as difficult for Kansas in particular as it has been made out to be, but it is the toughest region in the tournament.

The good thing for Kansas is that most of the other teams who have a legitimate shot at beating them are in the bottom half of the region. The main thing Self has to watch out for is complacency within his squad.

1. Kentucky:

The Wildcats feature the most talented squad in the tournament. John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe form the best freshmen trio college basketball has seen in years. All three have the ability to change the complexion of a game with their skills, but Calipari will need all three to play close to their potential if he wants to cut down the nets and return to Lexington as the conquering hero.