Ranking 12 teams that can make run for national championship in March

Just a few regular-season games remain before the madness begins as the calendar turns to March and the games become that much more important. College basketball as a whole has been wide open this season, as plenty of teams will enter the NCAA Tournament thinking they have a legit shot to win the national championship.

CBS Sports picked 12 teams they think to have a legit shot at a title and ranked them from top to bottom. Plenty of different conference are represented as this year’s bracket sets up to be one of the best in recent memory.

Ranking 12 national championship caliber teams

Check out the rankings below.

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs
2. Purdue Boilermakers
3. Auburn Tigers
4. Arizona Wildcats
5. Kentucky Wildcats
6. Kansas Jayhawks
7. Duke Blue Devils
8. Baylor Bears
9. Illinois Fighting Illini
10. Villanova Wildcats
11. Wisconsin Badgers
12. Texas Tech Red Raiders

As usual, Gonzaga is making their way through the WCC with relative ease, waiting to get to March to prove they can finally win a national championship. Falling short last season to Baylor in the final game, the experience of Drew Timmie and the talent of Chet Holgrem make the Bulldogs the overall favorite at the moment.

The reigning national champions have not played to the level they did last season but are still positioned well to defend their crown. Injuries have plagued Baylor as well, with LJ Cryer missing some time during the stretch part of Big 12 play. Scott Drew now understands what it takes to win a national championship and there is still plenty of talent on the roster to do so.

When you sit atop the Big Ten, it’s clear you’re one of the best teams in the country. Purdue will enter the NCAA Tournament battle-tested, running through a rigorous conference schedule on a weekly basis. Having an elite scorer such as Jaden Ivery will help as well, as Matt Painter searches for another deep tournament run.

Looking at Auburn, arguably two of the best players in the country reside on the Plains in Walker Kessler and Jabari Smith. The two have carried Auburn through the season and are contending for an SEC regular-season championship. While the results may be a bit shakier more recently than before, if the Tigers are playing their best basketball, there are only a handful of teams that can compete, let alone get a win.

From a storyline perspective alone, Coach K walking into the sunset with a national championship would be amazing. With the talent Duke has, it’s not too far out of the equation. Five different Blue Devils average double figures and anyone can lead the team on any given day. Projected lottery pick Palao Banchero will be the key if Coach K steps away from the game by cutting down the nets.