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NCAA Basketball: 4 teams that can absolutely win the 2023 NCAA Tournament

By Cooper Watson

HOUSTON, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Tramon Mark #12 of the Houston Cougars and Marcus Sasser #0 react after a basket during the second half against the Tulane Green Wave at Fertitta Center on February 22, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Tramon Mark #12 of the Houston Cougars and Marcus Sasser #0 react after a basket during the second half against the Tulane Green Wave at Fertitta Center on February 22, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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NCAA Basketball Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Kansas

The last school to win back-to-back national championships was Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators in 2006-07. Not only does Kansas have a reasonable shot at cutting down the nets again this season – they might be the favorite.

For starters, Bill Self is arguably if not undeniably the best coach in men’s college basketball. In 2020, Kansas was on its way to earning the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. In 2022, they won the national championship. In 2023, they are 25-6, won the regular-season title of the best league in the country, and have by far the most quality wins of any team.

In Bill Self’s 20 seasons in Lawrence, the Jayhawks have won at least a share of 17 Big 12 regular-season titles, including the outright league title this season. That’s an absurd accomplishment considering the Big 12 has ranked No. 1 in KenPom’s conference ratings in eight of the last 10 seasons.

Kansas has 15 Quad 1 wins this season – by far the most in the country. Only two other teams have even reached double-digits, with Baylor and Texas sitting on 11 Quad 1 wins. Kansas has played the most difficult schedule of any team in the country and fared well, especially for a younger team. Battle-tested teams tend to stay cool when the madness part of March Madness kicks in.

The Jayhawks are elite defensively, ranking No. 9 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Individually, Dajuan Harris Jr. and Kevin McCullar both earned spots on the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Harris also led the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.4) and has proven to be one of the most consistent point guards in the country.

On the other end of the court, Kansas is led by Jalen Wilson, the unanimous Big 12 Player of the Year. Wilson led the Big 12 in scoring and rebounding, averaging 19.7 points and 8.4 boards per game. Freshman phenom Gradey Dick also earned All-Big 12 honors, averaging 14.3 points and shooting over 40% from 3-point range.

No other team has proven they can beat other great teams as consistently as Kansas this season.

No other team has Bill Self on the sidelines.

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