As the NCAA men’s basketball tournament quickly approaches, here is your one-stop guide to everything about the tournament.  But first, let me explain some of the rankings I will use in this article: BPI, or, Basketball Power Index, is essentially a ranking system 1-100 that takes into account factors such as points per game, points allowed per game, rebounds per game, etc. However, what makes this ranking different is that it takes into account some “immeasurables” like an injured player, playing style, or other factors similar to these. Another rank that may need explaining is the VAR. The VAR rank is basically a number to explain how consistent a team has been by comparing their season BPI as well as their game BPI, so, the lower the VAR, the more consistent a team plays, which normally means that they are a better team. Please take into account that I am not liable for any busted brackets that you may have to deal with, as sometimes the absolutely unexpected happens, but hopefully this article can help you in your prediction of the unpredictable.

Unquestioned Tournament Favorites:

University of Arizona– The Arizona Wildcats continue to show time and time again that they are a force to be reckoned with in College Basketball. Although some may make the case that they have not had a tough schedule, they still did beat a very good Duke Basketball team by six points. Some may also argue that they have two bad losses at Arizona State and at California, however these were both decided by three points or fewer and on the road, also, at the time of the loss, Arizona was missing some of their key starters. Arizona bodes a BPI ranking of 92.0 and a VAR of 5.8, which are the two best scores in the country. Also, Arizona has one of the top power forwards in the country with swingman Aaron Gordon, who is averaging close to a double-double this season with 11.9 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game. All of these factors indicate that the University of Arizona is a definite contender for the NCAA Men’s Basketball championship.

Syracuse University– The Syracuse Orange have surprised many as they emerged as a contender by winning 25 games in a row against top teams such as Villanova, Duke, and Pitt, which are all top 25 teams. Syracuse has hit a bit of a skid recently, which involves losses to a tough Duke team and a worse loss to an unranked Boston College team at home. Despite this bad loss, Syracuse still boasts a BPI rating of 88.3, 8^th in the nation, and a VAR of 9.4, 11^th in the nation. With arguably the best point guard in the nation, Tyler Ennis, one of the top three-point shooters in college basketball, Trevor Cooney, and an always-stingy 2-3 defense, Syracuse will be a very tough team to beat in the NCAA tournament.

Kansas University– The Kansas Jayhawks came into the season with very high expectations, carrying number one overall prospect Andrew Wiggins, and despite some rough patches, have not disappointed. Kansas has a record of 22-7 and a BPI of 89.6. What makes this even more impressive is the fact that they have done this with one of the hardest schedules in all of college basketball. With wins against top teams such as Duke, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Baylor, Kansas always seems to up their game against top competitors. However, Kansas seems to fall asleep against unranked teams, as most of their losses are to unranked teams such as Colorado and Kansas State, so, be careful in picking them for your bracket as they are very upset-prone.

Dark Horses:

Iowa State– The Cyclones from Iowa State surprised everyone by winning their first 14 games, beating teams such as Michigan, Baylor, and Iowa, before losing to a talented Oklahoma team. Since this loss, everyone has forgot about the Cyclones, however, they are still playing at an elite level since the loss, beating Texas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and getting revenge on Oklahoma. What makes Iowa State so good is the fact that they can score a lot of points (83.6 points per game), share the ball very well (18.9 assists per game, which is the best in the country), and dominate the glass, grabbing 29.1 rebounds per game, which is good enough for second in the nation. Not to mention, they accomplished all of these feats with one of the toughest schedules; these factors helped Iowa State gain a BPI of 85.7. With all of these factors taken into account, Iowa State is certainly going to have success in the tournament.

Michigan State– What makes Michigan State such a scary team in the postseason is the fact that they are consistently successful in the tournament. In the past six seasons of the tournament, Michigan State has made it to the Sweet Sixteen every time, and it seems they are bound for the same fate once again this year. Despite injuries throughout the season, the Michigan State Spartans have still garnered a BPI of 85.3 and with their players beginning to get healthy again, Michigan State seems poised once again to make a championship run. Going 22-7 in an incredibly tough Big Ten conference is not something to take for granted and you shouldn’t take them for granted when filling out your bracket.

Virginia– Here is a surprise team that came completely out of the blue in the last month, The Virginia Cavaliers. They will definitely not beat you with a potent offense or overly talented defense, but they will break your will with an incredibly stingy defense. Virginia has only allowed 54.7 points per game, which is the best in the country. However, what makes this even more impressive is the fact they are doing this in one of the most offensively talented conferences in the ACC conference. As the old motto says, and proves to be true time and time again, offense may win games, but defense wins championships.

Sleepers:

Wichita State– Now, it may seem stupid to list a team that will most likely be a number one seed in the tournament as a sleeper, but, since it seems everyone is writing them off since they haven’t played anyone respectable (which isn’t true), that they have to be listed as a sleeper. What people don’t remember is that this Wichita State team made it to the Final Four just a year earlier, and since then, they have really only gotten better. This year, they have an overall BPI of 87.7, so nearly everything on offense and defense is great, and play well as a team. So, here is my message, beware what the experts say, as Wichita State should not be written off as contenders.

San Diego State– San Diego State, a team once thought to be a contender for a number one seed, turned into nothing with one bad loss. This lit a fire under the Aztecs because they have been playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder since then. Nonetheless, San Diego State should not be written off as they have a fairly powerful offense to go along with one of the best defenses in College Basketball. San Diego State only allows 56.9 points per game, third best in the nation, and have beaten some very good teams like Kansas University and Creighton. Similar to Virginia, with a defense like this and a team playing with a chip on their shoulder, be cautious when picking against the Aztecs of San Diego State.

Oklahoma– Boomer Sooner boasts a number of big wins against Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Baylor. Also, they had a very successful season with the second hardest schedule in all of college basketball, so they are very prepared to play tough games in the tournament. With Oklahoma’s ability to put up points, 82.5 points per game, the fact that they have been heavily tested, makes it hard to pick against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Nearly every basketball fan agrees that this year’s NCAA tournament is there for the taking by any team, not just the ones featured in this article. Teams such as Wisconsin, Creighton, Villanova, Louisville, Kentucky, Michigan, and my personal favorite team, The Ohio State University. But then again, every team in this article could also bust your bracket by losing in the first round. Welcome to March.

*All statistics from http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bpi