NCAAB Tournament Preview: Seeds 1-4

Hello everybody, it's nice to be writing again. Sorry for falling off the face of the Earth this past month, I was super busy but should be finding some time soon to start actively posting again. We've entered the month of March, and with the turn of the calendar comes one of my favorite times of the year, March Madness. The insane college basketball tournament where brackets are busted daily, and money is lost/won hourly. I always long for the NCAA Tournament every year, and love sitting around the TV watching basketball all day. Without further ado, let's dive into it.

Gonzaga's Andrew Nembhard leads the offense.

No. 1 (West) Gonzaga Bulldogs

The Bulldogs, surprising nobody, took the overall #1 seed in this year's tournament. Under coach Mark Few and led by Senior Drew Timme, they finished the year an amazing 26-3 and will look to continue their success into the Big Dance. They own the highest scoring offense and FG% in the NCAA. Expect a long run this year for the Bulldogs as they should not run into any big trouble until the Sweet 16, at the earliest.

No. 2 (West) Duke Blue Devils

The Blue Devils of Duke University had a great campaign this year, finishing 1st in the ACC and owning a 28-6 record. Despite being upset in the ACC Championship game to Virginia Tech, they still have proved to be a solid team that could definitely make a deep run this year. They will face the 15 seed CS Fullerton Titans in the first round.

No. 3 (West) Texas Tech Red Raiders

The Red Raiders come into the tournament as a sweet 3 seed. They finished 3rd in the Big 12, with Kansas and Baylor (both No. 1 seeds) ahead of them. They are led by F Bryson Williams who leads the team in scoring with 13.7 PPG. Texas Tech are also own the 7th best scoring defense, so look for them to lockdown opposing offenses. They draw the 14 seed Montana State Bobcats, fresh off a strong conference tournament blowout win over North Colorado.

No. 4 (West) Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas found themselves packing after an SEC Tournament loss to Texas A&M, but they still had a solid season. They finished the year 25-8, ranked 15th nationwide, and 4th place in the SEC. Sr. G JD Notae leads the way for the Razorbacks averaging 18.4 PPG, and will hope to lift Arkansas over the Vermont Catamounts in the first round.

No. 1 (South) Arizona Wildcats

The giants that are the Arizona Wildcats find themselves in a 1 seed this season. They owned the Pac-12, finishing 1st over UCLA and USC and ended the year 31-3. Star G Benedict Mathurin and 7-footer Christian Koloko lead the Wildcats into what they hope to be a Final Four campaign this season. I could definitely see Arizona cutting down the nets this year and will be in my consideration for National Champions.

No. 2 (South) Villanova Wildcats

The other Wildcats, these ones of the Villanova variety, may not be as mean as Arizona, but they still are a force to be reckoned with. Villanova finished the year on a 5-game win streak and ended 26-7. They've got a competent 23rd ranked defense that should shine in the Tournament. Collin Gillespie will hope to lead Nova to a deep run this season.

No. 3 (South) Tennessee Volunteers

The Volunteers had a stellar season and I'm a bit surprised they are a 3 seed in this season's bracket. They finished the season 26-7 and 9th ranked in the AP poll. They could be a bit of a sleeper at this seed and could make some noise late in the tournament. Tennessee also has a strong defense ranked 24th in the country. They drew the Longwood Lancers in the 1st round.

No. 4 (South) Illinois Fighting Illini

The Fighting Illini ended the year 22-9, and despite being at the top of the Big Ten Conference, were sent home early in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal after losing to Indiana. Jr. Kofi Cockburn will try and lead the Illini past Chattanooga and avoid an early 1st round upset.

No. 1 (Midwest) Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawks out of the Big 12 will hope to extend their successes into the Big Dance. They topped Texas Tech in the Big 12 Title game and finished the season with an overall records of 28-6. Kansas' 17th ranked offense will bring loads of firepower to the table and will hopefully lead the Jayhawks down a path to the Final Four this year.

No. 2 (Midwest) Auburn Tigers

Auburn found themselves upset by the Texas A&M Aggies in the SEC Tournament, leaving a sour taste in the Tigers' mouth to end the season. They finished 27-5, and despite losing disappointingly to the Aggies, will hope to rebound in the Big Dance. They have a high-powered offense good for 15th in the nation, led by F Jabari Smith. They face 15 seeded Jacksonville State in the first round.

No. 3 (Midwest) Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin also were a team to take an early exit in their conference championship, losing to the Michigan State Spartans. They finished the season ranked 12th and sport a 24-7 record. Sophomore G Johnny Davis will try and lead the Badgers deep into the field this season, with their first opponent the Colgate Raiders out of the Patriot League.

No. 4 (Midwest) Providence Friars

The Friars were absolutely obliterated by the Creighton Blue Jays in the Big East Semifinal, but their regular season was solid. Providence still finished on top of the conference, and they are 4-2 against Top 25 teams. They could have a tough time in the Big Dance this year, but will hope to avoid a first round exit against the South Dakota State jackrabbits.

No. 1 (East) Baylor Bears

Baylor plays some good basketball. They aren't a 1 seed out of luck, they own a top 30 scoring offense and defense, and finished ranked 3rd in the AP Poll. They did lose in the Quarterfinal of the Big 12 Tournament, but they should be able to turn it around and make a deep run this year.

No. 2 (East) Kentucky Wildcats

The Wildcats are pretty good, finishing 26-7 and 2nd in the SEC. They lost the semifinals in the SEC Tournament, but own high-octane offense that could definitely make a huge splash deep in the Big Dance. They own a sad 3-6 record against Top 25 teams, but they'll hope to turn that around. They draw St. Peter's in the first round.

No. 3 (East) Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue made their way to the Big Ten Final, but came just short and fell to Iowa earlier today. They are a solid team with an extremely potent offense, ranked 6th in the country. They closed the season 27-7 overall, and 14-6 conference. The Boilermakers will clash with 14 seed Yale in the first round.

No. 4 (East) UCLA Bruins

The Bruins, who started the season as a team to match Gonzaga, sort of fell short of expectation this year. Yet, they still are a solid team with talented guys. They closed the year at 13th in the AP Poll, and owned a record of 25-7. They were competitive with Arizona in the Pac-12 Championship game, but ultimately fell short. The Bruins will look to rekindle their March Madness Magic present in last year's run, with their road starting against the Akron Zips.