Sarah Stier/Getty ImagesUConn, Houston, Purdue, and Arizona are four teams that could roll into this year's tournament and win the entire thing.
The 28-3 Huskies have won nine of their last 10 regular season games and are rolling ahead of the tournament. Their Big East Championship victory was the team's first in a quarter of a century and in a sport where momentum is of the utmost importance, one would be hard-pressed to find a team more suited right now to take the national title than head coach Dan Hurley's team.
Their toughest opposition is the Houston Cougars, who have been as consistent as any team in the last three seasons. With just 14 losses, they have been national title contenders each year, thanks in large part to the coaching of Kelvin Samson, who almost always has one of the toughest and grittiest teams in the country.
The Purdue Boilermakers are one of the best teams in the country. A loss to the Wisconsin Badgers in the semifinals of the Big Ten Conference tournament, though, means the previously dominant squad will have to rely on an at-large bid to make the dance.
Still, once they are in, they will have a legitimate chance to run the table and win the title.
Rounding out the field of legitimate favorites are the Arizona Wildcats, who may have lost to the Oregon Ducks in the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament but like Purdue, should still be considered a favorite.
The aforementioned UConn, the defending national champs, did not win their conference tournament a year ago, proving it is not necessary en route to a title.
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