With under 50 days left until March Madness, the end of the Men’s College Basketball season is right around the corner. This year’s AP Top 25 poll features a top 3 of UCONN, Purdue, and North Carolina. But in the final two months, a lot can change in the seeding for this year’s tournament.
Starting off with the projected number one overall seed and defending national champs, UCONN is projected to win the Big East and have their first number one ranking since 2009. Coming off of an impressive win at St. John’s, Xavier, and Butler, as well as a shutdown win at number 19 ranked Creighton, UCONN (21-2) is on a eleven game win streak.
ESPN contributor Todd Borzello was impressed with UCONN’s win against Creighton, “The 62-48 win over Creighton was a defensive clinic. “UConn limited Creighton to 0.78 points per possession, the Bluejays’ worst offensive performance in Big East play in two years,” said Borzello.
With a 6-2 record against Quad One teams, UCONN looks primed for another deep run in the tournament.
In the SEC, the current projected winner is the Tennessee Volunteers, with a record of 16-5. Tennessee is ranked number t in the AP Top 25. The team is led by Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht, who has recorded nine games with over 20 points scored this season. Tennessee is a projected number two seed, but there are some questions about their play against better teams. The Volunteers have a 4-4 record against Quad One opponents, including losses to Purdue, Kansas, and North Carolina, which could be a concern judging the fact that they may have to see those teams again down the road.
On the mid-major side, Florida Atlantic is a projected number 6 seed with a record of 18-4. The Owls are projected to win the American Conference and have a Quad One record of 4-1 and an AP Top 25 ranking of 20. Their biggest wins include ranked wins over Texas A&M and Arizona, but they have struggled this year against easier opponents, such as losses to Bryant, Florida Gulf Coast, and Charlotte. This final four team from last year is putting together a solid season, making them a sensible pick to make a run in March.
The ACC, which has only two ranked teams (Duke and North Carolina) is currently led by North Carolina (18-5) who are the projected conference champ and a projected number one seed in the tournament. With wins over #6 Tennessee and Oklahoma (formerly #11) and #9 Duke, as well as close losses to #1 UCONN, and #17 Kentucky (formerly #6), Carolina has shown that they belong among the best. Duke has a record of 16-5, but with conference losses against unranked opponents, and a loss at #3 North Carolina, the Blue Devils still haven’t played their best basketball.
Overall, the teams mentioned have all shown signs of being able to make a run in the tournament. These final 2 months will show what these teams are made of, setting the stage for their March Madness seeding.
