CBB: Frequently Asked Questions Pt. 3
1. Who will win the Big Ten regular season title? The Big Ten is a three-team race at this point, and it's likely to come down to the final Saturday of the year. Purdue (15-3), Michigan (15-4), and Michigan State (14-4) all have a chance to at least grab a share of the title, and the following two schools will play on Saturday in East Lansing. Purdue has the inside edge since they have the least amount of losses, but they have two games on the road against Minnesota (8-10) and Northwestern (3-15). It wouldn't surprise us if the Golden Gophers pulled off the upset. Michigan State hosts Nebraska (5-13), who they should be handily, and then get the Wolverines on Saturday night. Michigan only has that one game remaining. Our official pick is Purdue, but we're one Minnesota upset away from multiple teams tying for it.
2. Can Duke beat North Carolina without Zion Williamson? Simply put, no they can’t. Zion Williamson adds another dimension to this Duke program, that takes it from a good team to a national title contender. We already saw what happened when the Tar Heels and Blue Devils faced off without Williamson available and it wasn't pretty. Oh, and that game was in Durham. North Carolina came away with an 88-72 victory behind 30 points and 15 rebounds from senior big man Luke Maye. Why would it be any different this time around? Duke can beat teams like Syracuse, Miami, and Wake Forest without Williamson, but it's another type of challenge to go into Chapel Hill and beat the 3rd ranked team in the country without arguably the best player in the country. If he's out, we're rolling with the Tar Heels.
3. How many Pac-12 teams will make the NCAA Tournament? It's looking more and more like there will only be two Pac-12 teams in the tournament, unless a lower seed wins the conference tournament. The two teams that would be in if the season ended today are: Washington (14-2) and Arizona State (11-6). The Huskies have been far and away the best team in the league throughout the year, and the Sun Devils are one of just two teams to beat Washington in the Pac-12. Arizona State also has a win over previously top ranked Kansas to boost their resume. If one of these two teams wins the conference tournament, then it's guaranteed to be a two-bid league. The best case scenario for the conference might be strong finishes from Washington and Arizona State, and then for UCLA (9-7) to get on a run in the tournament.
4. What is the likelihood Kansas wins at least a share of the Big 12 title? The Big 12 race, like the Big Ten, is down to just three teams. However, this one has a little bit more history to it. Kansas (11-5) has won at least a share of the Big 12 title for the last 14 years, but trail by a game heading into the final weekend of the season. It's not looking good for the Jayhawks, who need both Kansas State (13-4) and Texas Tech (13-4) to lose their final game, and to win each of their last two matchups. The Wildcats host Oklahoma this Saturday, while the Red Raiders travel to take on Iowa State. It seems much more likely that Kansas State wins the outright title than Kansas wins a share. The Jayhawks end their year with games versus Oklahoma and Baylor. We'll say there is a 10 percent chance Kansas continues the streak.
5. What four teams are you most confident in right now? There were a number of teams that we considered for this section including Duke (25-4), Kentucky (24-5), Michigan (26-4), and Texas Tech (25-5), who have a combined 100-18 record, but they just missed the cut. We couldn't ignore these four programs: Gonzaga (29-2), Virginia (27-2), North Carolina (24-5), and Tennessee (26-3). Those teams have looked like the best of the bunch and are our favorites to make it to the Final Four. Obviously a lot can change between now and Selection Sunday, and then even more from now until the first week of April. But the way these teams have been playing, it looks like a national title is very possible. Other teams to keep an eye on are Kansas, LSU, Michigan State, and Purdue.
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated.
