Printable NCAA Tournament Bracket 2015: Where to Download Complete Bracket

While a majority of the nation is swept up in debates about snubs and questionable committee decisions—as if there is a real difference between the 72nd- and 68th-best teams in the country—smart fans are already delving deep into brackets.

The process for most is so similar it's comical. It starts simply enough: likely sending the national champion straight through their region or advancing all No. 1 seeds. Then the mania sets in a little deeper as you deep-dive some Midwestern school whose buildings you're 99 percent sure are made of cardboard as a front for the basketball program. It culminates with a True Detective-style wall of crazy where you've mapped out every possible scenario.

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It's all fun and games until you've convinced yourself for the 18th time that a No. 16 seed will finally take down a No. 1 this year. (Spoiler: Nah.) But even when you get down in the rabbit hole of hypotheticals, sometimes greatness comes out. 

With that in mind, let's break down some big questions that need answering. 

Biggest Questions Heading into Tournament

Can Kentucky Be Stopped?

Let's be clear about one thing: Kentucky is a beatable basketball team. Despite their incredible point margin and deep coffers filled with McDonald's All-Americans, the Wildcats have flaws.

They remain incredibly thin when it comes to shooting; less than 29 percent of their shots come from outside the three-point arc. Devin Booker and Aaron Harrison are the only Wildcats who have taken at least 100 threes this season, and only the former knocks them down with any reliability. Harrison is almost the collegiate version of Josh Smith at his point, with his proclivity for taking shots he has no business attempting.

While John Calipari has more than enough talent to assuage those concerns over a large sample—there is zero doubt about who would win an NBA playoffs-style NCAA tournament—March basketball is defined by 40-minute spurts. Last season, the Wildcats needed a series of improbable clutch shots to make their deep tournament run. Those shots could very well go in the opposite direction this time.

That said, it's going to take a gargantuan effort.

Kentucky throttles teams inside. The Wildcats are among the nation's best teams in defensive three-point and two-point percentage, owing the latter in large part to their shot-blockers inside. No team can match up with Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein. It's almost unfair that Dakari Johnson, Trey Lyles and Marcus Lee are waiting in the wings.

What's even more impressive is how well Kentucky handles team defensive concepts. Opposing teams consistently find themselves in bad isolations late in the shot clock; only a few teams have a lower opponent assist rate. The Wildcats' length also makes them decent at creating steals, despite their defensive principles calling for few outrageous gambles.

This team is a juggernaut. But it has a glaring flaw that may soon become a defining one.

Villanova or Gonzaga: Which One Is Bowing Out Early?

Because it's happening. Villanova and Gonzaga are currently atop the "it's a nice story, but..." conversation that surrounded Wichita State last season. It's probably a little unfair the Shockers were thrown against an uber-talented Kentucky team in their second game, but I'm speaking to the general phenomenon that occurs almost every year.

The team can come from a mid-major conference, as Gonzaga already did in 2013. It can come from a suddenly ascending major program, as it did with Missouri in 2012. Sometimes the obvious answer winds up being pretty good and losing in the Sweet 16 to the eventual national champion, as happened to San Diego State in 2012.

The question this year is whether that team is Villanova or Gonzaga—or even both. 

Concerns about both teams are at once understandable and mostly unfounded. Ken Pomeroy's rankings have them both among the nation's best teams, and perhaps ahead of some of your favorite sleeper contenders. Losses to Seton Hall and BYU hurt their causes, but the only team without a fly in its ointment this season is Kentucky. Bad days happen to everyone.

That said, there's reason to believe they're more likely to happen to these two teams.

Gonzaga, as always, has the schedule demons to deal with. The Zags took down one ranked team all season, and that was SMU all the way back in November. The most impressive piece of their resume is actually their overtime loss to Arizona. Add in some occasionally leaky defense, and this feels like a slightly better version of their 2013 team.

Villanova went undefeated against an OK nonconference schedule and beat up on a decent Big East, and the Wildcats enter the tournament as a dangerous offensive juggernaut. They're also incredibly reliant on threes. No elite team comes close to matching their number of attempts from distance on a per-shot basis—not even supposedly three-happy Duke.

"I'm sure Villanova will be overwhelming pick as #1 seed not to make Final Four... but you HAVE to give them a No. 1 seed," proclaimed LostLetterman.com on Twitter.

This, on average, is a good thing. We all know now, I hope, that three is greater than two. We also know the proliferation of the three-ball is running rampant across all forms of basketball. The issue is that Nova doesn't have the interior brutes to create easy shots at the basket and can be vulnerable when the shots aren't falling.

One of these teams is losing on the first weekend. I just don't know which.

Mid-Majors to Watch For

Stephen F. Austin

Pulled it off last year; don't be surprised if the Lumberjacks do it again.

They have a ruthlessly efficient offense, led by six players who average at least seven points per game. Team leaders Thomas Walkup and Jacob Parker know how to handle the March spotlight.

Buffalo

One of the best high-seeded teams in the country.

Buffalo plays a fun, uptempo style and manages to stay relatively efficient on both ends of the floor. Justin Moss and Shannon Evans (the former, especially) are among the more exciting players you couldn't possibly pick out of a lineup. Moss might lack for size among big men, but he'll outwork almost anyone.

Valparaiso

Alec Peters is the only competent scorer within miles of campus, but the Crusaders play defense. They like to keep possessions at a minimum and play with a steadiness that makes them dangerous.

Valpo probably isn't making a deep run, but it'll be able to keep games close. That's enough to at least take a flier if you're looking for an unlikely upset.

Georgia State

R.J. Hunter and Ryan Harrow are ready for this stage. The question is whether anyone else on this team is. The two Georgia State stars combine for nearly 40 points per game, and their conscience-less shooting habits can keep them in any game. Or they could both go cold and Georgia State gets blown out.

That's the great fun of picking teams unlikely to win: You never know if you'll look like a genius or a total buffoon. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter 

All advanced stats via KenPom