Ten Teams in Basketball That Are Almost Impossible to Beat

What teams are almost unbeatable? Here's a rundown of the ten teams no one wants to run into (as of Feb. 7). This list includes teams such as the North Carolina Tar Heels, Duke Blue Devils, and Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Some teams on the bubble include the Villanova Wildcats, Butler Bulldogs, and Michigan State Spartans.

No. 10 Xavier Musketeers

Xavier is No. 9 in the AP poll with a 19-2 record. The Musketeers' only two losses came in an 82-64 loss against then-No. 4 Duke and a 74-65 loss against then-No. 11 Butler. Xavier's key wins were a 63-58 win against then-No. 14 Memphis and a 63-62 win against Virginia Tech. This team doesn't have any star players, but it does have a couple of standouts. One is Derrick Brown, who leads the team with 13 points per game and 47 percent three-point shooting. Next is Jason Love who leads the team with 6.3 rebounds per game and is the co-leader with 1.3 blocks per game (tied with Kenny Frease). Lastly is Dante Jackson, who leads the team with 3 assists per game and 1.2 steals per game.

No. 9 Clemson Tigers

Clemson is No. 10 in the AP poll with a record of 18-2. The Tigers' two losses game against then-No. 7 Wake Forest by a score of 78-68, and a 94-70 loss to then-No. 3 North Carolina. Key wins came against Illinois by a score of 76-74 and against Virginia Tech by a score of 86-82. The unquestioned leader is Trevor Booker, who leads the team with 14.8 points per game, 9.1 rebounds per game, 2.5 blocks per game, and 43 percent three-point shooting. The other team leader is Demontez Stitt, who leads the team with 3.6 assists per game, 2.5 turnovers per game, and 1.5 steals per game.

No. 8 Louisville Cardinals

Louisville is No. 5 in the AP with a 17-4 record. The Cardinals' losses came against Western Kentucky by a score of 68-54, a 70-64 defeat to Minnesota, a 56-55 loss to UNLV, and a 68-51 loss to then-No. 1 Connecticut. Key wins came against then-No. 6 Pittsburgh by a score of 69-63, and against then-No. 17 Villanova by a score of 61-60. This team's leader is probably Terrence Williams. He leads his team with 13.4 points per game, 9.1 rebounds per game, 4.5 assists per game, and 2.3 steals per game. The other team leader is probably Earl Clark—he leads his team with 1.7 blocks per game.

No. 7 Marquette Golden Eagles

Marquette is No. 8 in the AP poll with a record of 20-2. Key wins came against then-No. 17 Villanova by a score of 79-72 and against West Virginia by a score of 75-53. The Golden Eagles’ two losses came against Dayton by a score of 89-75 and against Tennessee by a score of 80-68. Their premier player is probably Jerel McNeal, who leads the team with 20 points per game, 2.1 steals per game, 0.8 blocks per game, and connects on 48 percent of his three-pointers. The second team leader is probably Lazar Hayward, who leads the team with 8.4 rebounds a game.

No. 6 Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Wake Forest is No. 7 in the AP poll with a record of 17-3. The Demon Deacons’ three losses came against Virginia Tech by a score of 78-71, against Georgia Tech by a score of 76-74, and against Miami (FL) by a score of 79-52. Their key wins came against then-No. 3 North Carolina by a score of 92-89, and against then-No. 4 Duke by a score of 70-68. Their best player is probably Jeff Teague, who leads his team with 20.6 points per game, 3.6 assists per game, 2.1 steals per game, 50 percent three-point accuracy, and 82 percent free throw shooting. The second team leader is probably a tie between Al-Farouq Aminu and James Johnson. Aminu leads the team with 8.6 rebounds per game and Johnson leads the team with 1.7 blocks per game.

No. 5 Pittsburgh Panthers

Pitt is No. 6 in the AP poll with a 20-2 record. The Panthers’ two losses came against then-No. 17 Villanova by a score of 67-56 and against then-No. 5 Louisville by a score of 69-63. Their key wins came against then-No. 20 Syracuse by a score of 78-60, and against Notre Dame by a score of 93-80. Their best player is probably DeJuan Blair, who leads his team with 12.7 rebounds per game, he is tied for first with Jermaine Dixon with 1.8 steals per game, he leads with 0.9 blocks per game, and shoots 60 percent from the field. The second leader is probably Sam Young, who leads the team with 18.1 points per game.

No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels

This is my favorite team. The Tar Heels are ranked No. 3 in the AP poll and have a record of 21-2. Their two losses came against then-No. 7 Wake Forest by a score of 92-89, and against Boston College by a score of 85-78. Their key wins came against then-No. 10 Clemson by a score of 94-70, and against then-No. 9 Michigan State by score of 98-63. Their leading player is surprisingly not Tyler Hansbrough, but Ty Lawson. Lawson leads the team with 6.6 assists per game, 2.2 steals per game, shoots 55 percent from the field and 49 percent from three-point range. Hansbrough leads the team with 22.1 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game.

No. 3 Duke Blue Devils

The Blue Devils are No. 4 in the AP poll with a record of 20-3. They were upset by Michigan, 81-73, lost to then-No. 7 Wake Forest by a score of 70-68, and got pounded by then-No. 10 Clemson,74-43. Their key wins came against then-No. 20 Purdue by a score of 76-60, and against then-No. 9 Xavier by a score of 82-64. Their key player is definitely Kyle Singler, who leads Duke with 15.8 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game and 1.7 steals per game. Their second key player is probably Gerald Henderson, who leads Duke with 0.9 blocks a game and connects on 41 percent of his three-pointers.

No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma is No. 2 in the AP poll and has a record of 23-1. The Sooners’ only blemish came in an upset against Arkansas by a score of 96-88. Their key wins came against then-No. 20 Purdue by a score of 87-82, and against Texas by a score of 78-63. Their premier player is without a doubt Blake Griffin. He leads the Sooners with 22.3 points per game, 14 rebounds per game, shoots 63 percent from the field, and shoots 50 percent from three-point range. The second team leader is probably Austin Johnson, who leads his team with 4.4 assists per game and equals Griffin with 1.3 steals per game.

No. 1 Connecticut Huskies

The Huskies are No. 1 in the AP poll with a 22-1 record. This team’s only loss came against Georgetown by a score of 74-63. Their key wins came against then-No. 13 Villanova by a score of 89-83, and against Louisville by a score of 68-51. Their key player is probably Hasheem Thabeet, who leads the team with 10.2 rebounds per game, 4.1 blocks per game, and shoots 65 percent from the field. The second team leader is probably Kemba Walker, who leads the team in free throw shooting (78 percent) and three-point accuracy (41 percent).