Top 5 Teams Heading Into March Madness

It’s the best time of the year! The snow from the northeast has finally melted and college basketball teams are gearing up for the best tournament in sports. Here are my 5 favorites heading into March Madness.

1. Duke

The Blue Devils dominated the ACC and ended the regular season with a 28-3 record. Cooper Flagg was named ACC’s Rookie of the Week a record 12 times and was the only player to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. The 6 foot 9 freshman is impossible to defend because if you try to double-team him, he will inevitably find the open man.

Aside from having the consensus number 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, Duke relies on guards Kon Kneuppel and Tyrese Proctor who both average double-digit points and are effective from downtown. Kneuppel has found his stride as of late, ending the season with 6 straight double-figure performances and earned a spot on the All-ACC second team. Proctor was named to the All-ACC third team and has become a leader in the locker room. Jon Scheyer is ready to take the next step in his third season as head coach for the Blue Devils. The sky's the limit for Duke.

2. Auburn

The only reason the Tigers aren’t at number 1 is because they just lost back-to-back games. The good news is those were against teams that are good enough to win the national championship. The losses dropped Auburn down to number 3 in the AP Top 25 after 8 weeks at number 1.

Coach Bruce Pearl was named AP SEC Coach of the Year on Tuesday and is hungrier than ever to win his first championship. Auburn leads the nation with 16 Quad 1 wins this season. Johni Broome has been phenomenal this year and is a finalist for the Wooden Award. He led the Tigers in points, rebounds, assists and blocks while shooting over 50% from the floor. Regardless of what happens in Nashville at the SEC tournament, Auburn is in an excellent position to be a 1 seed in the bracket.

3. Alabama

It’s been a wild week for the Crimson Tide. They lost a heartbreaker to Florida followed by an overtime thrilling victory vs. top-ranked Auburn. Alabama is currently ranked 5th in the Associated Press and 6th in NET rankings. The reason why I have them ahead of others is because they are battle-tested. The SEC is easily the hardest conference in the nation and they went 13-5 in it.

The Tide are led by senior Mark Sears who was named to the 2025 Wooden Award Watch List in February. He is the only SEC player to rank top 5 in scoring and assists and became the 82nd player in Division I history with 2,500 career points. Alabama has six players who are a threat to score and will be a nightmare for whoever they play.

4. Houston

For the second year in a row Houston’s Kelvin Sampson has been named the Associated Press Big 12 coach of the year. Additionally, the Cougars have won the Big 12 regular season in both seasons since joining the league. Senior L.J. Cryer leads the Cougars with 15.3 points per game and a deadly 43.1 % from 3-point range.

Emmanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan and Mylik Wilson are also shooting over 40.0 % from long-range which makes them extremely difficult to defend. Year after year, Houston’s defense is widely recognized as one of the best in the nation. They are excellent on the boards, force turnovers at a high rate and use multiple defensive looks to confuse offenses. I expect to see them in San Antonio for the Final Four.

5. Florida

Look what we have here! Another team from the SEC made the list! The Gators are up to number 3 in the latest AP Top 25. I would be remiss not to mention UF since they went 27-4 in the regular season and are playing their best basketball right now. Todd Golden’s squad finished the season defeating Texas A&M by 19, Alabama by 5 and Ole Miss by 19. The reason I point this out is because all 3 of those teams are expected to make the Big Dance.

The Gators are so hot right now that on Tuesday a bettor at BetMGM wagered $100,000 on them to win the National Championship at +900 odds. The bettor would win $1,000,000 if Florida can run the table. If the Gators led by Walter Clayton Jr. can take care of business in the SEC Tournament, you may see them get a 1 seed on Selection Sunday.