We are less than one month away from Selection Sunday (3/15).

Over the next few weeks, we will be sending content your way to prime you for the tournament. Today, we will be looking at teams that could win the March Madness Tournament.

Our bracket-building tool will also be returning and features: 

 ✅ Over 80% of champions since 2000 have ranked in the top 21 in Adj. Offensive Efficiency AND top 37 in Adj. Defensive efficiency PRIOR to the tournament. 

Teams That Fit Criteria: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Duke, Houston, Arizona, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Florida, Gonzaga,

✅ 22 of the last 23 National Champions finished top 25 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency

Teams That Fit Criteria: Purdue, Michigan, Duke, Houston, Arizona, Vanderbilt, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Florida, Gonzaga, UConn

✅ Every national Champion since 2004 has been ranked top 12 of the week 6 AP poll.

Teams That Fit Criteria: Arizona, Michigan, Duke, Iowa State, UConn, Purdue, Gonzaga, Houston, Michigan State, BYU, Louisville, North Carolina

Teams That Fit All Three Criteria:

*number in () indicates Recent AP Poll

*Odds to win the tournament from FanDuel

The Michigan Wolverines are the most equipped team to win it all. They are the only team in the country currently ranked in the top 5 in both offensive and defensive efficiency and have the star power to carry them through the tournament.

Yaxel Lendeborg (14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds) and Morez Johnson Jr. (13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds) are the leaders of this team, and the Wolverines have solid guard play with Trey McKenney averaging 5.5 assists per game.

Why Michigan won’t win: Turnovers. Michigan ranks 232nd in turnovers per game (12.2). If the Wolverines draw a tough defense that forces a ton of turnovers in the tournament, they could be undone.

The Arizona Wildcats are built on defense and their ability to attack the paint. They rank 3rd in defensive efficiency, 2nd in two-point field goal makes per game (25.8), and 1st in two-point field goal attempts per game (45.7).

Arizona also has two of the most exciting freshman duos in the country. Brayden Burries (15.7 points) and Koa Peat (13.8 points) have led the Wildcats in scoring all season. Burries just dropped 29 points in a close victory over BYU last month.

Why Arizona won’t win: Lack of 3-point shooting. The Wildcats rank 342nd in three-point field goals per game (5.8) and 359th in three-point attempts per game (16.4). If Arizona falls behind early, its lack of shooting could hurt the team.

The Duke Blue Devils are one of the few teams that rank in the top 7 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. They shoot the ball well with a 62% field goal percentage from two and rank 12th in the country in opponents’ field goal percentage (39.2%).

Duke is led by projected top-5 pick Cameron Boozer. Boozer is averaging 22.8 points, 10 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game and has totaled a double-double in 14 different games in his freshman season.

Why Duke won’t win: Lack of experience. Six of the team’s top seven scorers are all underclassmen, and four of those players are freshmen. With only one upperclassman averaging more than five points (Caleb Foster), the lack of experience is troubling.

The Houston Wildcats are led by their exceptional defense and above-average offense. Houston ranks in the top 10 in both offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency and ranks 1st in field goals allowed per game (20.5).

The Wildcats are led by a freshman-senior duo that has been unstoppable together. Freshman guard Kingston Flemings is averaging 16.6 points and 5.3 assists, while senior guard Emanuel Sharp is averaging 16.5 points per game.

Why Houston won’t win: Lack of free throws. The Wildcats rank outside the top-300 in both free throws made (12.5) and free throws attempted (16.3) per game. Houston’s lack of free-throw shooting hurt this group in the later rounds.

The Iowa State Cyclones are a sneaky team to cut down the nets in April. They are one of the best shooting teams from beyond the arc (39.8%) and have the experience to get them through the tournament.

Four of Iowa State’s top five scorers are upperclassmen. Junior forward Milan Momcilovic (51.3% from three) and senior forward Joshua Jefferson (16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds) are the two leaders of this team.

Why Iowa State won’t win: Poor free-throw shooting. Iowa State is one of the worst free-throw shooting teams in the country at 66.5% (ranked 348th). If the Cyclones get into a close game, this could bite them.

The Purdue Boilermakers have the offensive firepower and experience to win it all. Purdue ranks top-25 in field goal percentage (50.2%), two-point field goal percentage (58.7%), and three-point field goal percentage (37.8%).

The Boilermakers will also be one of the most experienced teams in the tournament. They start four seniors, led by guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Lloyd. Smith averages 14.7 points and 8.9 assists, while Lloyd averages 13.5 points.

Why Purdue won’t win: Three-point defense. Purdue ranks 299th in three-point field goals allowed per game and 334th in opponents’ three-point field goals attempted per game. If a team gets hot from three, the Boilermakers could have a hard time recovering.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are a solid all-around team. They rank 1st in field goals made per game, 1st in two-point field goals made per game, and have a defense that forces 14.8 turnovers per game.

The forward duo of Graham Ike and Braden Huff will also carry this team deep into March. Ike averages 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds, while Huff averages 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds. Both players can take over a game at any time.

Why Gonzaga won’t win: Poor free-throw shooting. The Bulldogs don’t shoot many free throws per game (20.6) and also struggle at the line when they get there (69.5%). If Gonzaga gets in a close game, making free throws could be a problem.