Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Five Teams That Could Win It All

By Shelby Caudill | Feb 19, 2016

Jan 30, 2016; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Alex Poythress (22) dunks the ball over Kansas Jayhawks forward Jamari Traylor (31) during the second half at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas won the game 90-84 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

There is no denying that this year of college basketball is one for the books. It’s been a roller coaster for every team since November. Teams many thought would shine have sunk and teams that looked like they’d have a rough year have shined. Unlike last season, there are even times when three out of the top five take an L on the same day and there isn’t one team just dominating the field, deserving to win the title outright.

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That being said, it’s basically fair game for every team that makes it into the NCAA Tournament. This is a year that can put a smaller university of the map. There will be upsets, a lot of them. The 2016 NCAA Tournament is going to be the one that the little man can win.

Here are the top five teams I think have a chance at winning the National Championship this year.

North Carolina Tarheels
The Tarheels have the best combination of both talent and experience. Roy Williams’ team, when they’re playing together, are capable of running through the tournament. However, they’ve been upset quite a few times this season. They are a team that will make it to the finals or have an early exit. Their NCAA Tournament future relies solely on themselves, this is a team that can beat anyone and lose to anyone on any given day. Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige have the ability to pull the team to the final win, will they do that? I guess we’ll see in March.
Kentucky Wildcats
After the unprecedented loss to the Wisconsin Badgers in the Final Four last season after reaching 38-0, there is a fire in the veterans on this Wildcat team. Led by Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray, this team is coming together in ways that looked impossible until now After the losses to UCLA, Ohio State and Auburn, it looked like this team was destined for an early exit in the NCAA Tournament. However, things started to click after their overtime loss to the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kansas and their 21-point lead turned loss to the Tennessee Volunteers. Since then, the Wildcats have put on a clinic against teams they’ve faced. They’re a whole different team than they were a month ago and the scary thing is, they keep getting better. Now they’ve reached the point that Ulis can have a bad game and they can still pull out a spanking behind other guys.
Michigan State Spartans
Really all I need to say about this team is Tom Izzo. March is always friendly to Izzo. He seems to always get his struggling teams pulled together for an NCAA Tournament run. However, Denzel Valentine has the ability to lead this team to their second-straight NCAA Final Four and can pull off winning it all if they play their best basketball. Similar to the Tarheels, the Spartans have had some struggles against teams they should have blown away. This is another team that can go as far as they want if they play to their best abilities.
Kansas Jayhawks
Many may say that the Jayhawks struggle outside of Lawrence, and I may agree, but Bill Self has himself quite a talent team this season. They do have struggles, but when they’re playing together they are almost unstoppable. While I do believe a team will knock them out during the NCAA Tournament, I do think there is a sliver of hope that the Jayhawks can win the last game of the season. It’s Perry Ellis’ senior season, he wants a ring, he has the ability to push the team to the end.
Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners have something that no other team does, that being Buddy Hield. While Tyler Ulis is just as important to his team as Hield is to his, Hield has more experience. If Hield plays his best basketball during the NCAA Tournament and his team feeds off of him, there is no chance they’ll be beat. However, if he has an off game during the NCAA Tournament, the team is toast.

Do I think there is a chance that a team outside there five win the National Championship? Absolutely. There are plenty of teams with a chance. Indiana, Miami, Texas Tech and their constant upsets, there are many teams that can cut down the nets in March. There five are just the teams that I feel are playing their best basketball and have what it takes to win it all.

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