Top Sporting News

Every assemblage when the NCAA competition redact comes out, there's a team, maybe a pair that defence out as the ones to beat.

Last year, to a destined extent, it was Duke. Kansas, with those fivesome future pros, was the redact heavyweight in 2008 and Florida was the no-brainer the assemblage before.

This year, there doesn't seem to be that digit aggroup that'll be at the crowning of everyone's bracket. It's belike fireman to a dozen. Heck, there are fivesome or sextet teams meet in the Big East that could be thoughtful lawful denomination contenders.

Certainly, feat with digit of the crowning quaternary seeds is a pretty innocuous route, but apiece digit in this year's earth of 68 has sufficiency flaws that it's feat to be arduous to see destined most the test garner at the region of the bracket.

To support out, here's a summary of the favorites, with inaugural ratio to intend the denomination from the folks at Glantz-Culver:

___

OHIO STATE

Odds to intend championship: 3-1.

Why they'll win: The Buckeyes are as deep and precocious as some aggroup in the land and hit a domestic contestant of the assemblage politician in Jared Sullinger. The underclassman didn't play same digit this season, allowing river State not woman a vex after losing terminal year's contestant of the year, Evan Turner. The Buckeyes also hit sharpshooter Jon Diebler, who led the commonwealth in 3-point actuation at 50 percent.

Why they won't: The Buckeyes aren't invincible, as losses to river and Purdue in a movement of eight life showed. river State blew a 15-point advance against the Badgers and allowed the Boilermakers to dispense 51 percent, so they crapper break into lapses of concentration. They're also in a thickened East Regional that includes North Carolina, Syracuse and Kentucky.

___

KANSAS

Odds to intend championship: 9-2.

Why they'll win: If river State is the No. 1 aggroup for talent and depth, the Jayhawks are 1A. Led by twin forwards Marcus and Markieff Morris, river looks same a younger version of the aggroup that won the 2008 title. The Jayhawks hit plentitude of players who crapper intend out on the break, superior spot-up shooters and are thickened to match up inside with the Morrises and Thomas Robinson.

Why they won't: Kansas, same river State had a pair of letdowns during the word season. The Jayhawks allowed Texas to reason 51 points in a high ordinal half to see their nation's-best 69-game bag success streak modify and were separate over on the agency to river State, which had been struggling to that point. river also was at the criminal modify of the biggest status in terminal year's tournament, losing to Northern Iowa.

___

DUKE

Odds to intend championship: 5-1.

Why they'll win: They're the defending domestic champions. Well, it's more than that. The Blue Devils hit digit of the prizewinning 1-2 punches in Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, and plentitude of persona players to sound around them. Duke is also multidimensional, with meet most everyone on the roster healthy to travel out and impact 3-pointers.

Why they won't: Duke still managed to intend the command competition and intend a No. 1 cum in the West Regional despite activity threesome months without Kyrie Irving, but could be in a thickened blot after in the competition if the precocious underclassman protect isn't healthy to return. The Blue Devils also are in a arduous region that includes San Diego State, Connecticut and Texas.

___

PITTSBURGH

Odds to intend championship: 7-1.

Why they'll win: The Panthers earned the No. 1 cum in the Southeast Regional coming out of the brutally thickened Big East. The Panthers, as they hit since Jamie Dixon became coach, fuck to pound on teams defensively and hit digit of the prizewinning shooters in the land in Ashton Gibbs. playwright also has what should be an cushy move in the first digit rounds.

Why they won't: The Panthers are undefendable when Gibbs doesn't intend help. playwright institute that out in the Big East competition when UConn nipped the Panthers on Kemba Walker's last-second shot. Potential matchups with Louisville or Notre Dame New in the regional could be tripping points.

___

SAN DIEGO STATE

Odds to intend championship: 12-1.

Why they'll win: What a separate by the Aztecs this flavour low railcar Steve Fisher. San Diego State sweptwing the Mountain West regular-season and word titles on its artefact to success a school-record 32 games. The Aztecs were sweptwing by BYU during the regular season, but turned the tables with a high action in the competition denomination game. San Diego State also has digit of the prizewinning players in the land in Kawhi Leonard.

Why they won't: The Aztecs had a hornlike instance fastening Jimmer Fredette in the digit losses to BYU and they could grappling a similar, light-up-the-scoreboard contestant in UConn's Walker in the third round. San Diego State, despite its high seeding, hasn't had much success in the NCAA competition lately, either, feat winless its instance sextet trips, including threesome low Fisher.

___

NORTH CAROLINA

Odds to intend championship: 15-1.

Why they'll win: The Tar Heels prefabricated a hurried readying after a piteous 17-loss flavour a assemblage ago. North Carolina won 19 of its test 21 games, including over Duke in the finish to intend the command regular-season crown, and had digit comeback wins in the command tournament. The Tar Heels also are unexploded with precocious players, including underclassman Harrison Barnes, who came on brawny New after some primeval lumps.

Why they won't: The Tar Heels are young, which could yield them a little shellshocked in the gleaming lights of March. North Carolina was panting out in the command competition test by Duke and doesn't hit a particularly cushy agency coming out of the East Regional. The Tar Heels also hit meet eight scholarship players after saucer protect Larry Drew III transferred and underclassman reserve Reggie Bullock suffered a late-season knee injury.

___

FLORIDA

Odds to intend championship: 18-1.

Why they'll win: The Gators won the Southeastern Conference's regular-season denomination and intend to unstoppered the NCAA competition near to bag in Tampa. Florida has digit of the prizewinning protect combinations in the land in Kenny Boynton and forward Walker, and a beatific inside presence with author sociologist and Vernon Macklin.

Why they won't: The Gators haw rely too much on Boynton and Walker. When those digit struggle, so does Florida. That was plain in Florida's digit losses to Kentucky, when the Wildcats utilised tall, athletic guards to manhandle the Gators' digit smallish guards.

___

PURDUE

Odds to intend championship: 20-1.

Why they'll win: Purdue's denomination hopes seemed to verify a huge impact when Robbie Hummel moulding his ACL for a ordinal instance in preseason practice. The Boilermakers not exclusive survived without the hustle-all-the-time forward, they became a top-10 aggroup behindhand JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore. Opening the NCAAs at relatively near Chicago is also a boost.

Why they won't: Purdue was in the running for a No. 1 cum the NCAA competition before faltering New in the season. The Boilermakers ended the regular flavour by getting stupid by Iowa, then were bounced from the Big Ten competition by Newmarket State. A potential second-round mettlesome against port is dangerous.

Source