March Madness 2011 Preview: Five Teams Who Could Cut Down the Nets

Every year around the middle of March, there is a real feeling of excitement in the sports world. March Madness is my single favorite sporting event of the year, and many other sports fans feel the same way about this tremendous tournament. What's so great about the NCAA Basketball Tournament? There is always at least one Cinderella, and every team is going all out because they know one loss and their season is finished. The intensity of the games during March Madness is second to none. No doubt this March will be no different, but which teams appear to have the best chance to cut down the nets this year? Here are the five top candidates, in no particular order.

Five Teams Who Could Cut Down the Nets in March Madness

Duke- There is no doubt that the Blue Devils could repeat as National Champions. Duke's chances are much greater if their sensational freshman point guard, Kyrie Irving, is back in the lineup and healthy during the tournament. This is a team that has several solid shooters on the floor at all times, and the Plumlee brothers do a nice job down low.

Kansas- The Jayhawks are an extremely dangerous team this year. Kansas is great because they know what they are good at, and they won't let their opponent change their game plan. Kansas is great at driving to the basket or posting up with the Morris brothers down low. They have several good three-point shooters as well, but this team shoots 58.8% thus far this year on two-pointers, which is best in the nation.

Ohio State- In the interest of full disclosure, I will let everyone know that I am a big Ohio State fan. Having said that, I think most agree that Ohio State is fully capable of winning it all this year. Jared Sullinger is a beast down low, and he'll be a tough matchup for anyone. David Lighty, William Bufford, and Jon Diebler are all capable of putting up 20 points on any given night. This team is very young, but they have the talent to go all the way.

Texas- Just as you could say about Ohio State, the single biggest question mark surrounding the Longhorns is probably their youth. The Longhorns went into Kansas and beat the Jayhawks by double digits earlier this year in what was an amazing display of talent. Texas is winning games with athleticism and effort on the defensive end. This is a deep team that will guard you for 40 minutes.

Pittsburgh- I think the Panthers have the least chance of these five teams, but they do stand a chance of winning it all this year. The single biggest reason I think Pittsburgh has a chance to do some major damage is their rebounding prowess. This is a team that gets second chance opportunities all the time. They'll need Ashton Gibbs to be healthy, but if he is this is a team to keep an eye on.

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