Friday, March 1, the madness begins. Standing 16 days from Selection Sunday, here we are…

Houston Cougars (25-3)

With a 33-4 (17-1) record in last year’s season and a 1 seed in March, the Cougars have shown no signs of slowing down. With a tough loss to final four team Miami (FL) in the sweet 16, they were still a really fun team to watch. They are 16-0 at home this season (25-3 overall) and looking to keep things rolling as March is right around the corner.

Connecticut Huskies (25-3)

As the reigning national champions, the Huskies have dominated this season in remarkable fashion. With big wins over top ranked North Carolina, Gonzaga, and Marquette, UConn seems to be a lock with the number 1 spot. Although there’s a twist. UConn has suffered big losses to Kansas and Creighton. After a win against Creighton in January, the Huskies traveled to Omaha and dropped one to the Blue Jays in a sonic blockbuster.

Purdue Boilermakers (25-3)

Besides a bad loss against the Buckeyes back in February, the Boilermakers have been rollin through the regular season just like they have been for the past three years. Through those 3 seasons, the common denominator has been Zach Edey. The 7’4” Canadian giant leads the nation in scoring and is looking to win back-to-back national player of the year. Their top wins are Tennessee, Arizona, and Illinois.

Tennessee Volunteers (22-6)

Going into Rupp Arena scoring 103 points was pretty incredible. Their biggest wins are Illinois, Auburn, and Alabama. Led in scoring by senior guard Dalton Knecht, Tennessee is averaging 80.7 points per game and 67.2 points against. After getting knocked out by Florida Atlantic in the Sweet 16 last season, the Volunteers are out for blood.