College Basketball Storylines three weeks from Selection Sunday
Yahoo Sports College Basketball writer Krysten Peek takes you some of the biggest storylines in college basketball just three weeks away from Selection Sunday.
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- March Madness is right around the corner, and there might be a surprising team that won't make the tournament and a couple unexpected contenders emerging late in conference play. Here's a look at a few major storylines heading into the end of the season.
North Carolina might be the first team ever to go from preseason number one overall to not even making the NCAA tournament. The Tar Heels returned four starters from last year's team that made it all the way to the championship game. And this season has been a nightmare for second-year head coach Hubert Davis. UNC doesn't have a single quad one win, have lost five out of their last six games, and have a tough stretch coming up facing number six Virginia and Duke to close out the season.
Number one Houston keeps rolling with only two losses this season. This could be the year for Kelvin Sampson, with the experienced backcourt of Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead, and the do-it-all freshman forward Jarace Walker, who is the real difference-maker in this Cougar squad.
Houston might be favored to win it all, but number 10 Marquette and number 22 San Diego State could be sleeper contenders come tournament time. Marquette's head coach Shaka Smart has had successful runs in the past and have a very talented athletic team that has bought into his system only in his second season. San Diego State has a roster full of juniors and seniors and a ton of experience. The Aztecs are the number one team in the Mountain West and are led by seniors Matt Bradley and Nathan Mensah.
There are two blueblood programs that have struggled this season and had a fair share of up and downs. First-year head coach at Duke, Jon Scheyer, is struggling to find his rhythm with his young squad. And star freshmen like Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively have been dealing with injuries all season.
After Kentucky's embarrassing loss to St. Peters last year, Coach Cal can't seem to return to the old dominant glory days of the past. Teams are figuring out how to defend the best rebounder in the country Oscar Tshiebwe. And the Wildcats need to close out the season strong to avoid an uphill battle come tournament time.
Selection Sunday is less than three weeks away, and for continual coverage on all college hoops news, keep it right here on "Yahoo Sports."