Hurry up, college basketball fans. You have just three days to fill out your 2022 NCAA Tournament brackets. Struggling to pick a champion? Per historical data, there’s three teams you should be choosing from: Kentucky, Arizona and Kansas.
The Wildcats (x2) and Jayhawks check plenty of boxes when you examine the makeup of national champions. There’s a few strong selling points, in particular.
For starters, the three favorites rank in the top 40 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Second, they rank in the top seven in offensive or defensive efficiency. Third, they ranke in the top six of the overall KenPom ratings. And finally, Kentucky, Arizona and Kansas aren’t the No. 1 team in KenPom. Why is that significant? Only three of the last 19 champions has been the No. 1 KenPom team.
Eric Prisbell of On3 has more on the historical data:
“So only basketball blue bloods remain,” Prisbell writes, via On3. “(Disregard public perception; what Gonzaga has accomplished the past two decades qualifies the Zags as a blue blood.) But wait: The No. 1 team in KenPom’s pre-tournament rankings has won just 3 times in 19 tournaments. Given that trend, let’s cross off Gonzaga. Who’s left?
“The big three: Arizona, Kansas and Kentucky.”
Who’s going to win the national title? 19 years of historical data says likely one of three teams: Kentucky, Arizona, Kansas. https://t.co/aIrPte3XqN
— Eric Prisbell (@EricPrisbell) March 14, 2022
Well, there you have it. If you’re not picking Arizona, Kansas or Kentucky you’re probably doing it wrong.
Who are you picking to win this year’s 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament?