The NCAA tournament is one of the most exciting times of the year for sports fans, even though it happens in March and April. While most men’s college basketball fans focus on the upsets, it is also interesting to see what teams stand out as potential champions down the line.
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It is easy to guess who the top contenders will be before the tournament, but nothing is certain until the first games are actually played. The NCAA tournament is a different animal than the regular season.
After the opening day of games, here are a few teams that stand out as potential champions, both teams that were clear contenders entering the tournament, and teams that had convincing wins to open the tournament.
Houston Cougars
While Houston was considered a top contender entering the tournament, they may have been viewed as the 1 seed least likely to win out of the four teams.
However, after beating 16 seed SIU Edwardsville by 38 points, maybe that shouldn’t be the case.
Holding them to just 40 points, Houston combined great defense and great offense to win in dominant fashion. That’s exactly what they should have done, but it is still great to see for those who picked them as champions in their bracket.
Houston also had four players in double figures, which is a good sign for scoring in the future. They have multiple options who can get it done for them going forward.
Auburn Tigers
As the top overall seed in the tournament, Auburn is a clear contender, but after struggling down the stretch, brackets started straying towards other one seeds as champions.
After a 20-point victory over Alabama State, it is clear Auburn has an elite offense, putting up 83 points.
Their best player Johni Broome didn’t even have the greatest game, going 4-9 at the line. Guard Miles Kelly picked up the slack, putting up 23 points.
Auburn may have to sure up their defense a bit against better competition, but for now they remain a top contender.
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Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga has had plenty of NCAA tournament success of late, which made them being an 8 seed a surprise entering this year’s tournament.
However, all of the advanced metrics seemed to indicate they were under-seeded, making them a potential dark horse team.
They showed they may be more than just a dark horse team and even can challenge Houston in the next round’s game by crushing 9 seed Georgia 89-68 after they started the game cruising with a 27-5 lead.
Three players scored 18+ points with their leading scorer on the season, Graham Ike, not being one of them.
This 1-8 matchup will be the best game of the second round most likely, with whoever winning being the favorite to come out of the region.
Tennessee Volunteers
The Volunteers entered the tournament as a highly regarded 2 seed from a difficult SEC conference.
In their first game, they faced off with 15 seed Wofford, who has made some noise in the tournament in the past.
However, Tennessee silenced them by dominating them by a score of 77-62.
They were led by scorching hot three-point shooting from Chaz Lanier, who put up 29 points, and Zakai Zeigler’s 12 points and 12 assists.
The elite combination of shooting and defense makes the Volunteers a scary team in the Midwest region, along with the aforementioned Gonzaga and Houston.