The calendar has now officially rolled over from February to March, and that means that the college basketball tournament is right around the corner. The 11th of the month is when March Madness gets underway, with Selection Sunday to come before that. There are still a lot of teams on the bubble, but we have a pretty clear idea of which teams are a lock to be appearing in your bracket.
The reality is that the Power 5 conferences are going to dominate when it comes to the teams that are in, including the NCAAB Odds to win in it all, so we will focus on those conferences for the purposes of this piece.
They will be joined in the tournament by in-state rivals Arizona State, and at least one of the teams currently sitting on the bubble.
2018 March Madness Bracketology: Power 5 Conferences Teams
Bearcats DOMINATE! No. 10 Cincinnati defeats Tulane 78-49 clinching a share of the AAC title! pic.twitter.com/CLiTTwstrr
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) 2 de marzo de 2018
- Season: 2017–18
- Begins: March 13th
- Ends: April 2nd
- Teams: 68
- TV: CBS, TBS, TNT
- Live Streaming: MM Live
- Finals Venue: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
ACC
The big 3 teams in the ACC are Virginia, Duke, and North Carolina, so it’s no real surprise that they are once again going dancing. The Virginia Cavaliers look set to end the season as the #1 ranked team in the nation, with Duke and UNC cracking the top 10. The other teams from this conference who look like a lock to be in are Clemson, Virginia Tech, NC State, Florida State, and Miami. We may yet see one more team from the ACC get in, with Louisville being a possibility.Big 12
This conference has as many teams on the bubble as it does lock in, but that will all take care of itself between the end of the regular season and the conference playoffs. The Kansas Jayhawks are once again the cream of the crop in this conference, and they will be joined in the tournament by Texas Tech, West Virginia, and possibly Oklahoma. The Sooners are struggling right now, but have probably done enough to get in.Big Ten
As it stands right now, it looks as though we will have at least 4 teams getting into the tournament from the Big Ten. Michigan State spent some time in the top 3 this season and need to be given their due. Ohio State also looks like a very solid pick, and they will be joined by Michigan and the Purdue Boilermakers, another team that was near the top of the rankings for weeks before hitting a rough patch.Pac 12
We really only have two potential locks from the Pac 12, with a bunch of other teams sitting on the bubble. The Arizona Wildcats were picked by many as a potential national champion this season, and while they have somewhat underwhelmed, they could still potentially make some noise when March Madness gets underway.
They will be joined in the tournament by in-state rivals Arizona State, and at least one of the teams currently sitting on the bubble.
SEC
This is a conference that has totally cannibalized itself this season, but there are a few teams in there who have done enough to punch their ticket. Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama should all be in, while a handful of teams will be battling it out for one, or possibly two, more spots in the tournament. Missouri and Florida seem like the most likely to be battling it out for those spots. We would be remiss if we did not make mention of the Big East before we close this out, as Villanova is a team that deserves to be recognized. They and Xavier have the potential to do some damage in the tournament.Last 20 NCAA Basketball Champions
- 2017: North Carolina
- 2016: Villanova
- 2015: Duke
- 2014: Connecticut
- 2013: Louisville
- 2012: Kentucky
- 2011: Connecticut
- 2010: Duke
- 2009: North Carolina
- 2008: Kansas
- 2007: Florida
- 2006: Florida
- 2005: North Carolina
- 2004: Connecticut
- 2003: Syracuse
- 2002: Maryland
- 2001: Duke
- 2000: Michigan State
- 1999: Connecticut
- 1998: Kentucky
