March Madness 2022: Sweet 16: 5 teams most likely to win national title

1. March Madness teams most likely to win the national title – Gonzaga Bulldogs

The road to the Sweet 16 certainly has been bumpy for Gonzaga, which scared everyone by struggling with 16-seed Georgia State for 30 minutes before pulling away late. Memphis was a worthy test for the Bulldogs since Penny Hardaway’s team has the top-end talent capable of sticking with Gonzaga but a huge effort from Drew Timme helped Mark Few’s team survive the upset bid.

Timme has been one of the best players in the NCAA Tournament, scoring a combined 57 points in the Bulldogs’ two March Madness wins. The experience of players who went deep into March a year ago, such as Timme and Andrew Nembhard, has helped elevate younger guys like Chet Holmgren who are experiencing the challenge of one-and-done NCAA Tournament basketball for the first time.

While this year’s Gonzaga team isn’t as strong as last year’s, it is still very difficult to stop. The Bulldogs play at a relentless pace that can wear down even the fittest teams while possessing an excellent defense keyed by Holmgren’s elite ability to block shots and protect the rim.

The target on Gonzaga’s back is huge but it is very hard to envision a team playing a complete game for 40 minutes that will be enough to eliminate the Bulldogs from the NCAA Tournament. The team most capable of beating Gonzaga is themselves, which is a strong place to be in when trying to secure the first national championship in school history.

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