1. Kansas Jayhawks – There isn’t a team playing better basketball than the Jayhawks right now. Bill Self’s squad is winners of 11 straight to go along with their 12th straight Big 12 regular season championship. When filling out your bracket, it may be a wise idea to pencil Kansas in your final four.
2. Villanova Wildcats – Jay Wright’s ball club has quietly handled their business throughout Big East play. The Wildcats finished (16-2) in conference play, while going (27-4) overall. Now, folks may be gun shy to pick Nova going far due to their recent tournament failures, but this team seems poised to make a deep run.
3. Michigan State Spartans – Ever since their overtime loss to Purdue nearly a month ago, Sparty has rattled off six consecutive wins. If they’re able to win the Big Ten tournament, there’s a great chance they’ll end up with a number one seed.
4. Virginia Cavaliers – As important as guard play is come March, defense and veteran leadership is equally as vital, which is two qualities the Cavs possess.
5. Xavier Musketeers – Just like Villanova, Xavier has flew under the radar nationally. The Musketeers finished second in the Big East and as long as they continue to get balanced scorer, they’ll be a force to be reckon with in the tournament.
