Top 5 NCAA Men’s Basketball Teams That Can Win the Championship Title

Published 01/25/2024, 12:59 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

The spirit for streaks is firing the top guns this season. But hitches and hiccups are also making many of them vulnerable against underdogs. But despite falling down, the top teams are making their intent clear.

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament started in early November. And now we are in the middle of the season. Till now there have been a lot of upsets and also surprising wins. Today, let’s take a look at the top 5 teams that can win the NCAA title this season:-

University of Connecticut Huskies

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The University of Connecticut Huskies have a 17-2 tally and are ranked at the top position in the AP men’s basketball polls. They have lost only one match in the Big East and have a wonderful 7-1 record. Naturally, they are also ranked at the top spot in the Big East. They have defeated top teams like the Indiana Hoosiers, the North Carolina Tar Heels, and the Villanova Wildcats. The defending champions look poised to win the NCAA consecutively for the second time.

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Barring a few contests, most of their games have been moderately scoring and they have relied a lot on their defense to take things forward for them. They have relied a lot on their top three players but their bench strength doesn’t look too good. That can be one of the reasons which can be an issue for them. Apart from that, they look like the perfect team to lift the title. 

Purdue Boilermakers

The Purdue Boilermakers have an 18-2 tally and were recently replaced from the numero uno position in the AP men’s basketball polls by the UConn Huskies. They have undone their walk of shame and have proved their mettle this season. They have only lost two games in the Big Ten and are sureshot contenders of bagging the title this season. They have decimated teams like the Tennessee Volunteers, the Indiana Hoosiers, and the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The team is dependent on their brilliant center and NPOY award contender Zach Edey. But after that all of their starting five players have contributed their part whenever Edey has been contained. Edey is also the alpha for the team who has an astonishing average of 22.9 points per game.

Fans will be curious to see if the Boilermakers are able to come back to the top position in the coming weeks and once again show their unparalleled dominance in the tournament.

Houston Cougars

The Houston Cougars have a 17-2 tally and are ranked at the second position in Big-12. Both of their losses have come during conference games against the TCU Horned Frogs and the Iowa State. But before that, they had a 14-game winning streak starting with the season opener. The Cougars have defeated formidable teams like the Texas A&M Aggies and the BYU Cougars and look to be a top-notch team that can change the direction of the tournament.

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They have reliable top players and most of their wins have come due to an effective team game. Their alpha guard L.J. Cryer has besotted 15.6 points per game. Most of their games have been moderately scoring and it still remains to be seen how they will battle against high-scoring teams like the Purdue. But until that, the Cougars really stand a chance of turning the tables and bagging the national title.

North Carolina Tar Heels

The North Carolina Tar Heels have a 16-3 record and are placed at the top position in the ACC. They won all their eighth conference games till now and hence look to be a team to reckon with. The only games they have lost have come against the top tier teams like the Kentucky Wildcats, the Huskies, and the Villanova. The Tar Heels have players who have contributed on every front and given a chance for their team to stand amongst the biggies.

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Much like many other college basketball teams, the only thing standing between them and their dreams is depth. If they can find the recipe for rotating their players well and get performances from the not-so-reliable players, then they can be sure of winning the title this season. Their alpha RJ Davis has smashed an exorbitant average of 21 points per game which is quite close to Edey. The Tar Heels should make sure to make full use of the opportunity presented to them and make a case for winning the national title.

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Kansas Jayhawks

The Kansas Jayhawks began the season as the top-ranked team in the preseason polls. Though they haven’t lived up to that image, they are surely not a team to be ignored. They have a 16-3 stat and are the second team in Big 12 as of now. They have lost two of their conference games and would be looking to cover up for that. They have found two extremely talented players in guard Kevin McCullar Jr. and center Hunter Dickinson.

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Dickinson is also the frontrunner in NPOY awards competing with Edey. He has thus proven right his decision to transfer to the Kansas. Other than that their freshman guard Johnny Furphy besotted a spectacular 23 points in their recent game which has only amped up their hopes of winning the title. The Jayhawks should pull up their socks a little more and cement their chances of winning the title by performing extremely well from here on.

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Written by:

Ritvan Pande

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Edited by:

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