Duke – They’re the defending national champions, they have a possible Player of the Year in Nolan Smith, and a player who is rounding into form in Kyle Singler, a preseason All-America. The Blue Devils have done well without freshman sensation Kyrie Irving, but Seth Curry has stepped up to soften the blow. One knock on the Blue Devils is that you can be physical with them, and if their three-points aren’t dropping, they can be in trouble.
Kansas – The Jayhawks’ depth leaves other teams drooling as they can rotate 10 players and not lose any production. They take good shots, can score inside and outside, they’re active defensively, and like the Blue Devils, they have a coach who has won a national title. Kansas’ major problems is that they can sometimes be undisciplined and they’re terrible at the foul line, but if they can fix those, the Jayhawks should win it all.
Ohio State – The Buckeyes are powered by freshman post extraordinaire Jared Sullinger, and he has a group of three-point shooters on the perimeter that rivals any team in the country. They’re a physical group out of the Big Ten who will bully you if you let them, and they’re a very good defensive team. Don’t be surprised to see a lot of fans make the trip from Columbus to Houston later this month.
