Isaac Newton once wrote, “I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people.” This quote had to do with society, but in the context of the NCAA Tournament, aka March Madness, it seems to fit perfectly. That’s because regardless of seed or stature, it’s nearly impossible to predict what will happen once the tournament begins. And that’s what makes it so fun. Nonetheless, each year, we fill out bracket after bracket trying to calculate the madness, and it’s no different in RotoPlay’s 8-Team Dash4Cash contest. So we’ll do our best to offer you a little sanity with our preview.

The Favorites

- Kansas: The Jayhawks are the No. 1 overall seed for a good reason. They have the depth and guard play that carries teams to championships in college basketball. Senior Sherron Collins is the glue that holds the team together, and the team’s leading scorer. They don’t have any true-blue superstars – none of their players were in the top-10 in the Big 12 in scoring – but they play together as well as any team in the nation.
Key Stat - The Jayhawks are first in the country in scoring margin.

- Kentucky: The Wildcats are young and talented, led by freshman point guard John Wall. They are a high-scoring team, but what may separate them is their presence near the basket. Freshman DeMarcus Cousins averaged 10.1 rebounds per contest, which was in the top-20 in the nation, and he teams with fellow big man Patrick Patterson to create match-up nightmares. Kentucky does have some potential stumbling blocks in their bracket, however, as they face a potential second-round match-up against Texas, who was formerly No. 1 in the nation, as well as a possible Elite Eight showdown with West Virginia, a team that might be the strongest of the No. 2 seeds.
Key Stat - The Wildcats are sixth in the nation in rebounding margin.

- Duke: The Blue Devils were a surprised No. 3 overall seed in the tournament, as most though that Mike Krzyzewski’s squad would be the fourth No. 1 seed, or a No. 2 seed. Nonetheless, they enter the tournament fresh off an ACC Tournament win, and with a road to the Final Four that may be the least deadly of all No. 1 seeds, especially considering that the No. 2 seed in the South Region is Villanova, who has lost five of their last seven contests.
Key Stat - The Blue Devils are fourth in the nation in three-point field-goal defense.

- Syracuse: The biggest issue facing the Orange is how quickly big man Arinze Onuaku can return from his quad injury. They should get past No. 16 seed Vermont, but then possibly face potential giant-killer Gonzaga in the second round, and if Onuaku isn’t ready to play that game, they could be in trouble. Something else to consider – no team that has lost the first game of its conference tournament has ever gone on to win the national championship.
Key Stat - The Orange led the all of college basketball in field-goal percentage.

Teams Not to Overlook

- BYU: If there’s anything that can buoy an upset in the NCAA Tournament, it’s three-point shooting, which is why the No. 7 seed in the West Region, BYU, is so dangerous. They Cougars were second in the country in scoring offense with 83.0 points per game, second in scoring margin, third in three-point field-goal percentage, and 24th in three-pointers made per game. They also have the Mountain West’s leading scorer in Jimmer Fredette, and their first-round game is against the No. 10 seed Florida Gators, a team that many pundits believed didn’t belong in the proceedings at all.
Key Stat - The Cougars are third in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage.

- Maryland: No. 4 seed Maryland was, to the surprise of some, the co-champions of the ACC, as they sported a 13-3 record that was equal to No. 1 seed Duke. They led the ACC in scoring offense and field-goal percentage, and senior star Greivis Vasquez was second in the conference in scoring. They face a Houston team in the first round that was only 7-9 in Conference USA and surprised everyone with their win in that conference’s postseason tournament.
Key Stat - The Terrapins are 13th in the country in field-goal defense.

- Siena: The No. 13 seed in the South Region, the Siena Saints won the Metro Atlantic Conference with a 17-1 record in league play. They’re a quality all-around team that doesn’t seem to do anything great, but everything very well. That includes shooting the ball, as three of the top four players in the MAAC in field-goal percentage come from the Saints. They also have a good match-up in the first round against a Purdue team that got crushed by Minnesota in the first round of the Big 10 tournament, and is without its best player in Robbie Hummel.
Key Stat - The Saints are 16th in the nation in steals per game.

- Temple: The polar opposite of the aforementioned BYU Cougars, the Temple Owls don’t win with a high-flying offense. In fact, the Atlantic 10 regular season co-champs were 12th in the 14-team A-10 in scoring offense. But they were first in scoring defense, and among the top-five in the entire country in that statistic. The Owls were also in the top-five in the nation in both field-goal percentage defense and three-point field goal percentage defense, while in the top-10 in assist to turnover ratio. They were, in the eyes of some, unfairly given a No. 5 seed in the East Region, but will be a beast to take down.
Key Stat - The Owls are third in college basketball in scoring defense.

- Others to Consider: Butler, Gonzaga, Marquette, St. Mary’s