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NCAA Basketball: Arizona State’s rise, flawed San Diego State and other key questions

By Tristan Freeman

WACO, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Devon Dotson #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at Ferrell Center on February 22, 2020 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
WACO, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Devon Dotson #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at Ferrell Center on February 22, 2020 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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NCAA Basketball
WACO, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 22: Udoka Azubuike #35 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at Ferrell Center on February 22, 2020 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

It’s not long before Selection Sunday is upon us. But with so much happening in NCAA Basketball, there are currently more questions than answers.

Once again, there was plenty of movement throughout the NCAA Basketball top-25 rankings, with many towards the bottom once again suffering losses. But for the first time in nearly two months, the teams at the top suffered defeats as well. No. 1 Baylor fell to Kansas, Gonzaga lost at BYU and San Diego State had their first letdown of the year, falling at home to UNLV.

If folks weren’t sure of whom to trust come March Madness, they certainly don’t now after what happened last week. To help answer concerns and questions some may have, we here at Busting Brackets have brought in a group of talented individuals for this week’s roundtable. Here are the folks helping out for these five burning questions:

Jason Kinander – @JasonKinander

Brain Foley – @briandfoley

Cody Larson – @codylarson99

Sydney Chesser – @ssyyddnneeyy23

1. Is Kansas the favorite to win the national championship?

Kinander

Not yet. I still like Baylor and Gonzaga over them, mostly due to the Jayhawk’s lack of a third scoring option.

Foley

It feels dangerous to label a clear favorite in this season of college hoops, but Kansas is as close to a top dog as we are going to find at the moment. Baylor has certainly made a case to join the Jayhawks in that top-tier, but I worry about the Bears’ offense over a full six-game NCAA tournament run. Despite the talented backcourt of MaCio Teague and Jared Butler, Baylor still shoots only 35 percent from three (83rd in the nation), 69 percent from the free throw line (239th), and 48 percent from inside the arc (246th).

Kansas has its own issues from three and the free throw line, but at least they are lights out near the basket. When Udoka Azubuike is engaged – as he was in his 23-point, 19-rebound, 3-block showing against Baylor on Saturday – he is one of the most game-altering forces in the nation.

Larson

I have to say definitely. They pass the Kenpom test, ranking 9th in AdjO and 1st in AdjD. They have the best duo in the country with Dotson and Azubuike, and they are arguably coming off of their best win of the season against Baylor. To me, they check all the boxes.

Chesser

In my opinion, Kansas is the favorite to win the national championship. The overall strength of their non-conference and conference schedule, as well as their most recent win over Baylor who held the top spot for five consecutive weeks, has shown they have what it takes to successfully match up with any opponent come March. However, there are far more favorites this year to win the title as opposed to the past few years.

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