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NCAA Basketball Mailbag: National title pick, favorites in ACC, Big Ten, and more

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 18: Zion Williamson #1 and the Duke Blue Devils bench react to a dunk by the reserves during the second half of their game against the Princeton Tigers at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 18, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 101-50. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 18: Zion Williamson #1 and the Duke Blue Devils bench react to a dunk by the reserves during the second half of their game against the Princeton Tigers at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 18, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 101-50. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – DECEMBER 09: Kyle Guy #5 and Ty Jerome #11 hug beside Braxton Key #2 of the Virginia Cavaliers at the end of a game against the VCU Rams at John Paul Jones Arena on December 9, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – DECEMBER 09: Kyle Guy #5 and Ty Jerome #11 hug beside Braxton Key #2 of the Virginia Cavaliers at the end of a game against the VCU Rams at John Paul Jones Arena on December 9, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)

What are the biggest NCAA Basketball and NBA Draft questions you have this week? We answer them all in this week’s NCAA Basketball Mailbag.

After a few slow weeks due to the holidays, NCAA Basketball came back in full force this week with the start of conference play across the country – and the first head coach opening.

Yes, we all awoke Monday morning to the news of UCLA firing head coach Steve Alford roughly 24 hours after the Bruins suffered an embarrassing loss to Liberty. It was a move we speculated was coming in our last mailbag but I think everyone was surprised at just how quickly the hammer came down.

The start of conference play is also when college basketball starts to take center stage in the national sports scene, and with that comes higher stakes and more questions as the NCAA Tournament gets closer and closer.

Who is the favorite to cut down the nets in early April? That is where we start this week’s mailbag.

Do you have a college basketball or NBA Draft question you want to have answered? Join the conversation on Twitter @brauf33. Thanks as always to those who contributed this week.

Let’s go big right off the bat, shall we?

I picked North Carolina to win the championship at the start of the year because of their talent and how versatile their roster is. They have not played up to their potential for a number of reasons (Nassir Little struggling, poor shooting, poor coaching from Roy Williams) and, if they ever find their groove, I think they’ll be very dangerous.

That said, I’d pick Duke to win it all right now. They have the most talent, go-to scorers, good guard play, and an excellent defense that doesn’t get enough credit. Every top team has their flaws but I think the Blue Devils are more well-equipped to overcome theirs because of how overwhelming they are in other areas.

"Who do you think wins the ACC regular season? What about the ACC tournament? – @hbmiller27"

I’d pick Duke to win the ACC Tournament but not the regular season. They’re still a young team that hasn’t played a true road game and, with their struggles in the halfcourt and poor three-point shooting, can run into situations they won’t be able to overcome in the regular season.

Virginia is going to win the ACC regular-season title again. Yes, there are legitimate questions about their style of play succeeding in the NCAA Tournament but there’s no denying how good they are in the regular season. Their defense travels everywhere and, with an improved offense, UVA might get close to replicating last year’s 17-1 mark in ACC play.

A) No. I think Michigan and Michigan State are clearly head and shoulders above everyone else in the conference.

B) Yes, they could make a Sweet 16 run in the tournament (depending on matchups, of course). I really like what I’ve seen in Romeo Langford’s development and Juwan Morgan is a clutch player who can bail them out of some tough situations. I’d also expect their defense to continue to improve under head coach Archie Miller. As this young team grows up, they’ll look even more well-rounded.

Texas Tech is a really good team that will legitimately challenge Kansas at the top of the Big 12 but they won’t make the Final Four. Chris Beard has done a tremendous job of building this program in a very short time. They can be a second-weekend team again because of their defense but I don’t think they have the offense outside of Jarrett Culver to go much further than that.

Unfortunately, no. I wrote in this week’s Rauf Report that I think we’ll see at least two traditional one-bid leagues send multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament but neither Belmont or Murray State has the non-conference resume to warrant at-large consideration. Whoever wins the conference tournament will go and I’m selfishly hoping it’s Murray State so we get to see more Ja Morant.

I think he goes pro because this is a weak draft class and there’s not much else he has left to accomplish at the college level. Plus, what else can he do to enhance his draft stock? He’s dominating and is one of the sport’s most well-rounded players. I see him going pro and being a late first- or early second-round pick.

I do not but, if he does, it won’t be until the second round. I really like Cook and some of the things Iowa was doing with him early in the season but he doesn’t have a truly elite skill. There are numerous other bigs who are either more athletic, bigger, better shot blockers, or better shooters than him. Iowa will likely have him back for his senior season – and that’d be huge for them.

Louisville is going to be really good next year because of this class and fans should be excited. All six of them can play but I’m really looking forward to seeing what Aidan Igiehon can do. The Cardinals could use an upgrade in the frontcourt and Igiehon looks like he can be physically dominant from Day One with his strength and athleticism.

Sacrifice a lot of sleep.

In all seriousness, I’m lucky to have a very understanding wife (mostly because she gets to control the TV in the offseason – I know way more about Real Housewives than I ever wanted to).

It’s all about making an effort to do things for family when things aren’t going on, and they’ll usually reciprocate that. Plus, getting things done/doing things during the morning on weekends before games get going is clutch.