March Madness: North Carolina and 5 Teams That Can't Get Too Comfortable

The usual suspects sit atop college basketball's national rankings, but these team cannot be content with their performances so far, or it will mean an early exit in the NCAA Tournament.

Too many talented teams in past years have blown by their regular season opponents, coasted by in the first two rounds of the tournament but then lost in the Sweet 16 to tougher competition.

North Carolina shows many symptoms of a team that may follow this path, as the Tar Heels have some glaring weaknesses.

Here's why UNC and five other teams cannot rest on their laurels and must stay hungry to reach the Final Four.

6. North Carolina (27-4)

North Carolina helped themselves immensely with an 18-point victory over Duke in the final regular season game, but the players cannot let the big win get to their heads.

The Tar Heels inspired performance led to an ACC regular season title. All five starters scored double-digit points, and Kendall Marshall, John Henson and Tyler Zeller all had double-doubles.

UNC has a ton of talent but has not received the expected production from its top-two recruits. Freshman P.J. Hairston and James Michael McAdoo have struggled since arriving at Chapel Hill.

Hairston was touted as an elite three-point shooter but has not found his range while wearing North Carolina blue. McAdoo was supposed to be one of the most versatile forwards in the country but has lacked confidence and been incredibly disappointing this year.

The starting five for the Tar Heels has been consistently good all season, but they will all have to take another step in order to compensate for the team's sub-par bench play.

5. Duke (26-5)

The Duke Blue Devils are talented at every position, and Mike Krzyzewski will get the most out of each of his players.

However, individual performances may not be enough for the perennial contenders to win their second NCAA championship in three seasons.

The Blue Devils have struggled to get open shots through ball movement and rank 182nd in the country in assists per game.

Seth Curry and Austin Rivers are talented perimeter players capable of creating their own shots, and Mason and Miles Plumlee are beasts on the low block.

However, the clock-eating offense may be the team's downfall, and a high-energy underdog may bring Duke's season to an early end in the tournament.  

4. Kentucky (30-1)

John Calipari (again) landed the nation's best recruiting class heading into this season. 

Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague were three of Rival.com's top-five high-school players in the nation.

The talented freshmen have teamed up with sophomores Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones to give the Wildcats the best starting five in college basketball. 

However, Calipari has taken extremely talented teams into the tournament before, most notably his 2010 squad with John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.

For the 2010 Wildcats, inexperience outweighed talent, and they were bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the Elite Eight.

This year's squad will need to learn from the mistakes of its predecessors if it hopes to become the first championship-winning team in Calipari's tenure.  

3. Marquette (25-6)

The Marquette Golden Eagles showed how good they can be with a convincing 83-69 victory over No. 12 Georgetown in the final game of the season. 

However, they showed their inconsistency in the previous game with a 72-61 loss to unranked Cincinnati.

The team is led by senior duo Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder. Both players have been dynamic scorers and team leaders, giving the Golden Eagles a level of maturity that few teams have.

Marquette is projected by ESPN's Joe Lunardi to be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will head into the dance with images of Al McGuire's 1977 championship season in their minds.

However, Marquette does not have much behind Johnson-Odom and Crowder, and the other players on the roster will have to stay focused and not get caught watching their leaders attempt to do it all on their own.

2. Kansas (26-5)

Kansas' Thomas Robinson is a leading candidate for Naismith College Player of the Year. The junior forward is capable of taking his team deep into this year's NCAA Tournament.

Robinson and senior guard Tyshawn Taylor have led the Jayhawks to the top of the Big-12, and the team will likely be a No. 1 seed when March Madness begins.

The Jayhawks have a more experienced team than many of the country's top contenders but are also not as talented from top to bottom. Other than Robinson and Taylor, the team does not have another player who averages double-digit points.

Bill Self will have to make it clear to his team that they will need to step up if they hope to earn their coach his second national title with the school. 

1. Syracuse (30-1)

The Syracuse Orange had an incredibly successful regular season and look poised for a run deep into the NCAA Tournament.

The team only lost one game during the season, and it came during one of the three games that center Fab Melo missed due to academic suspension. Melo is one of the elite shot-blockers in the nation and gives Jim Boeheim's 2-3 defense its anchor.

However, Melo is a raw offensive player, and a balanced effort led by Kris Joseph and Dion Waiters accounts for the team's offense. 

Syracuse is another team that is disciplined and efficient but does not have the same level of talent as other potential No. 1 seeds. No player on the team is expected to be a lottery pick in next year's NBA Draft. 

Boheim's only championship season was in 2003 with Carmelo Anthony. No player on this year's squad has the potential like that of Anthony, and the team will have to dig deep in order for Boehim to earn a second title.