2010 NCAA Tournament: Ten teams that can win a title

THE FAVORITES

Kansas:

• Why they can win: Simply put, Kansas is the best team in the country. They are experienced. They are uber-talented. They execute offensively as well as anyone in the country. They are an underrated defensive team. They have an all-american at the point, at center, and when Xavier Henry is hitting his jumpers, they have one on the wing as well. They have role players that are more than capable of producing, but also understand and accept their role on the team. You'd have to dig really hard to find a weakness with the Jayhawks.
  

• Why they won't win: Kansas is in the toughest bracket in the country. Ohio State was in the running for a No. 1 seed and won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles. Georgetown made the Big East finals, has beaten some very good teams, and is playing as well as they have all season long. Maryland won a share of the ACC title.
  
  The other issue with Kansas is that there may be some chemistry issues there. Between the fights in the off-season, the DUI's, and facebook posts, its easy to see why someone could come to that conclusion. As long as it doesn't effect the product on the court -- and it really hasn't all season -- the Jayhawks should be fine.

Kentucky:

• Why they can win: John Wall is the best guard and DeMarcus Cousins is the best big man in the country. Now, that is not always necessarily true. Both have been, at times, inconsistent this season. But when they are clicking, Wall is impossible to stay in front of and arguably the fastest player in the country, while Cousins is an unstoppable force on the block. And keep in mind, they have two other future first round picks in their starting line up.
  


• Why they won't win: Immaturity. It has been a problem all season long. Everyone knows about Cousins antics and the things teams do to try and get him to lose his cool. We've heard about possible issues with John Wall, and anyone that has watched a Kentucky game has likely seen Eric Bledsoe cuss somebody out. And now it appears as if Daniel Orton is getting in on the act as well. Truth be told, with the number of talented freshman with fiery personalities on this roster, Cal has done an excellent job keeping them in line.

Syracuse:

• Why they can win: Syracuse lost their last two games, but they lost to Louisville, who runs a 2-3 zone, and Georgetown, the third time they played the Hoyas, who just may be the most well-coached team in the country. In other words, they lost to the two teams that may be the most well-prepared to beat their 2-3 zone. Playing teams that are not as well-prepared is how the Orange ran through opponent's early in the season. You can scout all you want, practice against it all you want, but there is no way to simulate the length the Orange have or how well each and every player understands his role in that zone. When the zone is right, they are forcing turnovers, they are contesting shots, and they make every pass a challenge.
  


• Why they won't win: The obvious answer is Arinze Onuaku's injury, but it doesn't appear to be all that serious despite the fact that there are now reports that he will be missing the first weekend of the tournament. Syracuse seems to be lacking a go-to scorer that they can get the ball to when they really need a basket. I went in depth about it here.

CONTENDERS

Duke:

• Why the can win: There are two things I really like about this year's Duke team. For starters, there may not be a better 1-2-3 scoring punch than the Blue Devil's Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer, and Kyle Singler. All three of those guys are capable of going for 25 on a given night and carrying the team. The odds of all three of them being off are miniscule. I also like Duke's bigs this year. They have as much length and size up front as they have had this decade. Brian Zoubek has been the biggest surprise, coming on as a rebounding force, especially on the offensive end of the floor, over the last month. But perhaps their biggest asset is that they simply have a very easy path to the Final Four, arguably the easiest in this year's tournament.
  


• Why they won't win: This is Duke. Are we supposed to have faith in them winning a big game late in the season, especially in the tournament, when they haven't shown that ability in recent seasons? They've also struggled away from the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor this year. Forgive me if I have my doubts about the Blue Devils succeeding in March.

West Virginia:

• Why the can win: West Virginia is a difficult matchup for most teams. They normally play with four guys on the floor that are 6'7"-6'9", can post up, can hit a three, and attack the offensive glass. They are physical and they are aggressive. Pretty much exactly what you would expect out of a Bob Huggins' coached team. And if they game gets close, is there anyone you would rather have taking a big shot than Da'Sean Butler right now? The Mountaineers have also implemented a 1-3-1 zone, the same one that John Beilein used in his stay at WVU, which is very effective with the length that the Eers have.
  


• Why they won't win: Point guard play. Truck Bryant has simply not been that good this season, and Joe Mazzulla's bum shoulder has essentially left him as a one-armed player. Mazzulla is as tough as they come, and he has been a leader for this team, but that doesn't change the fact that an opponent can play their point guard in the paint and not have to worry about it.

Ohio State:

• Why the can win: Evan Turner. He's the best player in the country, and if you didn't believe it heading into the Big Ten Tournament, he either convinced you or you didn't pay attention. Turner's presence on the court makes everyone on this team so much better. He creates open looks for the Buckeye shooters and gives their slashers room to operate. He is good enough to carry this team to the title.
  


• Why they won't win: The Buckeyes just are not all that deep. Its not uncommon to see their four perimeter players all go for 40 minutes. It worked in the Big Ten Tournament, and wasn't an issue during the regular season, but eventually all those minutes will catch up to them. If their is a silver lining to Turner's back injury, however, it saved his legs for a month in the middle of the season.

THEY GOT A SHOT

Georgetown:

• Why the can win: The Hoyas three headed monster of Greg Monroe, Chris Wright, and Austin Freeman isn't all that far behind Duke's. Georgetown also runs a difficult offense to defend. When they are clicking offensively, they are a difficult team to stop. And when their offense runs through Monroe, who may just be the best passing big man in the country, it becomes even more of a nightmare for opposing coaches.
  


• Why they won't win: The Hoyas problem has been that their offense isn't always clicking. When they get behind or when they get frustrated, they have a tendency of breaking off and trying to do too much 1-on-1 stuff. That's why they are capable of beating teams like Duke, Villanova, and Syracuse but losing to the likes of Rutgers and South Florida.

Kansas State:

• Why the can win: Frank Martin has done a good job of capitalizing on the weapons he has at his disposal. Kansas State has two great guards in Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente, and then a slew of athletes in the front court. K-State is a very aggressive team, and they may be at their best when Pullen and Clemente are allowed to gun, while guys like Jamar Samuels and Curtis Kelly are tasked with cleaning up the misses.
  


• Why they won't win: Overaggressiveness. The Wildcats aren't just aggressive going to the offensive glass, they are also very aggressive on the defensive end of the floor. While that results in a good number of turnovers and an intimidating defense, it allows makes the Wildcats one of the most foul prone teams in the country. There is no easier way to lose a game than to allow your opponent to get to the free throw line 30 times in a game.

Baylor:

• Why the can win: The Bears are a very good offensive team. Tweety Carter has developed into one of the better point guards in the country, Lace Dunn is as good of a pure shooter/scorer on the wing as you will come across, and Ekpe Udoh is a matchup problem inside. They have size, length, and athleticism in their front court that can clean up any misses as well. But the single biggest season I think the Bears have a chance is, like Duke, they are playing in a wide open region.
  


• Why they won't win: On paper, the Bears look like they should be a very good team playing a zone, but the results just aren't there. They don't force turnovers, they allow teams to get too many good looks on the perimeter, and they don't rebound the ball all that well. Those aren't exactly ideal qualities for a team with one of the top three seeds and Final Four aspirations.
  

Villanova:

• Why the can win: The Wildcats have an excellent back court. Between Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, and Maalik Wayns, Villanova is always going to have two guys on the floor that can create for themselves and for their teammates. Jay Wright coaches this team to their strength, running the floor and putting his guys in a position to be successful. Villanova can put up points with the best of them.
  


• Why they won't win: Villanova is an aggressive defensive team. They pressure the ball and try to force you out of what you want to do. The problem is that this team just isn't as good as last year's group was on the defensive end. Whether is it a lack of size (at all positions, really) or the simple fact that they just don't have as many good defenders, as in the past, the result of Villanova's pressuring defense is a foul far too often. The free throw line is the most efficient place on the court to score, and Nova gives up too many free throws.