A preseason unranked team is set as my favorite team to win the NCAA March Madness tournament. At the beginning of the season, nobody even considered the Miami Hurricanes as a legitimate contender, but now, they’re just that. The Miami Hurricanes fit three categories that, to me, justify them as the most logical choice to be at the top of your bracket. They have the emotion, the statistics, and the dependability that an NCAA Champion bound team is required to have. I would surely bet that they will be the team dancing at the end of this tournament.

First up, Miami has played with a certain level of passion that almost can’t be described. Many of their players are seniors and this is their final year playing so they know that they have to go out with a bang. In a game against Duke, players slapped the floor while up thirty points to show that they’d be playing their hardest no matter what. Later in the year, while Miami was playing Duke and losing, Duke did the same to them, which you have to believe will light a fire under the Hurricanes in some way. During that same game, Miami trailed by 10 points with just less than two minutes left and ultimately had a chance to tie up the game. This type of never-give-up attitude will come in handy for a single elimination tournament like March Madness. Another showing of their high emotion was in one game, on a fast break, the player could have easily scored himself, but instead he threw the ball off the backboard to another teammate for an alley-oop. This type of high energy play shows that Miami is in it to win it and will fight until the end if they need to.

Back to the Duke games, Miami defeated a #1 seed by 27 points which is a rare feat. In fact, it’s one of the largest losses by a number one seed in the last twenty years. The Hurricanes showed the type of talent that they could unleash in a tournament game by ultimately decimating the Blue Devils in that big game. Later, when they went up against Duke on Duke’s court, they only lost by 3. Both teams won on their home court, but in a tournament game there is no home court. Therefore, if you subtracted the 27 that Miami won by on their home court by the 3 that Duke won by, then you’d come up with a 24 point differential in Miami’s favor. Although I don’t believe The Hurricanes would win by 24 points in a tournament game against Duke, this proves that they’re the better team. Also, Duke only won by three points even though Ryan Kelly scored 36 points and went 7-9 from 3 in the best game of his career. Kelly had just returned from an injury and rode the momentum of his return which wouldn’t be a factor in a third meeting between the two. Literally, it took a career best game from Ryan Kelly for Duke to narrowly defeat Miami.

One more fact is that since 1990 the average amount of losses for a National Champion is 4.5. Miami has 6 losses this season, putting them just over the average amount. If they were to win the National Championship then they’d have a record very easily comparable to other recent champions. On the topic of records, 11 of the last 13 teams to win the National Championship have finished with winning percentages above 82%, which Miami would also meet the requirements of.

Another key factor is an old saying, “defense wins championships.” If you are a firm believer in this statement, then you have to be a firm believer in Miami basketball. Watching them play, I will say that they’ve played some of the best and most energetic defense I’ve seen in a long while. They get a hand in their opponents’ faces and force opponents into shooting 38.9% from the field, among the best in the country for a defense. NCAA has rated Miami #6 in defensive efficiency. The low shooting percentage they allow teamed with their own shooting percentage, 46%, provides them with a solid advantage heading into every game.

Lastly, Miami has a team that they can rely on. By terms of age, they’re one of the most mature teams around this season. Their average age is among tournament leaders and they have an unmatched experience level. And unlike many teams, instead of having a star, Miami has a balanced team. It’s important to be able to go to almost anyone on the floor and ask them to help you win the game because at the end of the day, everyone is human. The best single player can have a bad game and that one bad game could eliminate you. However, when you’re balanced like Miami, one player having an off night can just be made up for by someone else having an on night. The key element here is that Miami understands that one player won’t be able to carry them all the way.

Recently, Miami has hit some struggles losing 3 of their last 5, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, they did start out 13-0 in arguably the best basketball conference in the NCAA. The ACC has produced just shy of 1/3 of the NCAA’s total champions since 1991 and Miami won the regular season title for the ACC. The recent slump of The Hurricanes could easily be just the fuel they need. We’re all very familiar with the teams such as Duke and Kansas who have walked into tournaments feeling that they’re better than some of their opponents only to end up out of the tournament almost immediately. Leigheigh defeated Kansas because of that type of attitude. A #15 seed was able to defeat a #2 seed. That type of upset should never happen because a #2 seed is better than a #15 seed; simple as that. These last couple of losses for Miami could easily serve as a wake-up call that if they want to go all the way then they’ll have to play like they do. Since every team is just as hungry as the next and if you aren’t willing to put it all on the line, then someone else is.

Miami does have a chance at losing because this definitely is a tournament where anything can happen, but if I were a betting man and I had to choose that one team to place my million on… I know who I’d take.