The NCAA tournament is rarely as wide open as it seems on Selection Sunday. Upsets will happen, but history suggests that there are a small number of teams that can cut down the nets April 2 in New Orleans. The Dagger identifies the seven teams that have the best shot of winning the national championship and two that don't. 1. Kentucky (No. 1 seed, South) Anthony Davis dominating the tournament is a given. If Kentucky is to win it all, it'll be because freshman point guard Marquis Teague dictates the pace of play and keeps the turnovers to a minimum. Kentucky's bracket is the softest of the four No. 1s. You could argue that Duke, Baylor and Indiana are the worst among their respective seeds. That outweighs the fact that Wichita State (No. 5) and Connecticut (No. 9) are the best of theirs. 2. North Carolina (No. 1 seed, Midwest) The Tar Heels were almost a unanimous preseason No. 1. Some early-season struggles had folks fleeing the North Carolina bandwagon amidst whispers that Roy Williams was having difficulties harnessing the talent of a roster full of McDonald's All-Americans. The team's play over the past month quieted those rumblings and it's looking more and more like the apathy of a team predestined for greatness, rather than a lack of cohesiveness, may have been to blame. 3. Syracuse (No. 1 seed, East) Stars cut down nets. Whether it was Kemba Walker, Tyler Hansbrough, Carmelo Anthony or Juan Dixon, every team to win the title this century has had a go-to player. Syracuse doesn't, but the consistency and depth of the Orange was good enough for a 30-2 record and should propel Jim Boeheim's team deep into the bracket. 4. Kansas (No. 2 seed, Midwest) KU has its star in unanimous Big 12 player of the year Thomas Robinson. If Jeff Withey can keep teams from focusing all their interior attention on Robinson, Kansas should cruise into a potential Elite Eight matchup with fellow college basketball blue-blood North Carolina.
