With just one week left in the regular season (for the major conferences, anyway), Kentucky and Virginia have clearly secured a pair of one-seeds while Gonzaga’s loss to BYU puts their top-seed prospects in doubt. Here are the 10 best teams as March Madness begins.
1. Kentucky (29–0): At one point in SEC play, Kentucky was playing down to the level of their competition, resulting in narrow victories against several overmatched opponents. But lately they’ve turned up their play several notches, resulting in five straight blowout wins with an average margin of victory of 24.4. John Calipari’s team has just two more regular season games before they enter the SEC tourney with a probable 31–0 record.
This week: at Georgia (Tuesday), versus Florida (Saturday). Previous: 1
2. Virginia (27–1): If the Cavaliers are going to win the ACC, they'll have to earn it this week with road wins at two of the more difficult venues in the conference—at Syracuse’s Carrier Dome on Monday and at Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center on Saturday. Fortunately for Virginia, despite Duke’s recent run of nine straight wins, the Cavs only need one more victory to secure the outright crown.
This week: at Syracuse (Monday), at Louisville (Saturday). Previous: 2
3. Duke (26–3): There are a number of good freshmen out there, but Duke’s Jahlil Okafor is the most dominant. The 6-foot-11 center has scored in double figures every game this season and has nine double-doubles in ACC play. His play has been especially crucial since the team dismissed guard Rasheed Sulaimon in January, thus thinning Coach K’s rotation.
This week: versus Wake Forest (Wednesday), at North Carolina (Saturday). Previous: 3
