March Madness 2015: NCAA Men's Tournament Favorites and Predictions

Selection Sunday is right around the corner, plunging the sporting world into madness.

Thus far, conference tournaments have carried the "madness" label well. Bubbles have both inflated and burst, but a lone constant remains: Kentucky seems untouchable.

Things further descend into madness Sunday. Even before the official NCAA men's tournament bracket goes final, though, the favorites in the Big Dance are obvious.

Let's analyze a few of the top contenders after a look at the tournament schedule.

NCAA Tournament Schedule and Coverage

		TV Info
Selection Sunday	March 15	CBS
First Round	March 17-18	CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV
Second Round (Round of 64)	March 19-20	CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV
Third Round (Round of 32)	March 21-22	CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV
Sweet 16	March 26-27	CBS, TBS
Elite Eight	March 28-29	CBS, TBS
Final Four	April 4	TBS, TNT, truTV
National Championship Game	April 6	CBS

Note: For game locations for each date on the schedule, head to ESPN.com. Viewing info courtesy of NCAA.com.

Predictions for Bracket Favorites 

Duke (29-4)

USA TODAY Sports

With a snap of the fingers, Duke's contender status goes up in smoke.

Not.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils fell victim to a red-hot Notre Dame squad to bow out of the ACC tournament, but it's not the end of the world. In fact, ESPN.com's Gene Wojciechowski may be on to something:

The loss ruins a 12-game winning streak, but these things happen when a team such as the Fighting Irish shoots 50 percent from the field. Even 28 points from Jahlil Okafor weren't enough to swing things in Duke's favor.

It's good-news time: The Blue Devils won't often encounter teams shooting so well. Duke features defensive issues, but it's still a team with road wins against Wisconsin, Virginia, North Carolina and Louisville—and a 7-2 mark against the RPI Top 25, per ESPN's RPI profile.

Duke is still going to secure a No. 1 seed—ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi still has the team there—before going on a strong run. Defensive lapses in the paint will prohibit Krzyzewski's team from winning a title, but an offensive wave of momentum will propel the Blue Devils to the Final Four.

Prediction: Obtains No. 1 seed, loses in Final Four

Virginia (29-3)

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Say hello to another team that didn't do the Selection Sunday process any favors in the ACC tournament.

The Virginia Cavaliers suffered a major upset at the hands of North Carolina despite shooting 44.2 percent from the field and getting a game-high 25 points from Malcolm Brogdon.

Considering that the Tar Heels shot 54.8 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep, a four-point loss isn't some world-ending catastrophe. Moving forward, Virginia head coach Tony Bennett wants to see more productivity on the defensive end of the court:

"They showed great heart and fight to claw their way back into it, to have a chance to maybe tie it or extend the game," Bennett said, per The Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "So I like that. But what we try to hang our hat on was really porous."

Again, it's not the end of the world for a team ranked among the best of the best all season. CBS Sports' Gary Parrish put it best:

One of the most complete teams about to enter the Big Dance, the Cavaliers have lost just three games this season. Aside from Friday, a loss to then-No. 4 Duke and a two-point loss to then-No. 16 Louisville are not things to worry about.

Justin Anderson (12.3 points per game) is still on his way back into form. Virginia's patented defense—which ranks second in adjusted defensive efficiency behind only Kentucky at KenPom.com—will see the Cavaliers deep into the bracket.

Strong team play is key in the Big Dance, so look for Virginia to turn a No. 1 seed into a trip to the Elite Eight before things get difficult. There, a team such as Kansas will be up to the task.

Prediction: Obtains No. 1 seed, loses in Elite Eight

Kentucky (33-0)

At the end of the day, everything else is just white noise.

While meant to be humorous (right?), a note by Grantland's Mark Titus explains the situation well:

Everything in college basketball right now is madness, except for the Kentucky Wildcats. It doesn't matter if head coach John Calipari's team retains the goose egg in the loss column—a No. 1 seed is a sure thing.

Kentucky isn't the platoon it used to be earlier in the season, but the roster is still nine deep and can run any team in the Big Dance off the court.

Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison and Devin Booker in the backcourt are only dwarfed in impressiveness by Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein in the paint—two nearly 7'0" defenders who make slashing just about impossible for opposing offenses.

Never mind the wealth of talent on the bench capable of starting for most teams in the Big Dance.

A gaudy 10 teams in the RPI Top 50 have come forward, and 10 in the RPI Top 50 have lost. The Wildcats showed a brief splotch of weakness at the beginning of SEC play thanks to rebounding issues. Those are the only notes of struggles, and they come from early January—call it a holiday hangover. 

Nobody will beat the Wildcats.

This roster is perhaps one of the greatest of all time, and the Wildcats may even do away with serious contenders such as Wisconsin before the Final Four. 

Prediction: Obtains No. 1 seed, wins tournament

Stats and info are courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.