Kansas, Baylor Will Be In Final Four, Says ESPN’s Jay Bilas
Kansas and Baylor will be in the Final Four, says ESPN’s Jay Bilas.
As March Madness creeps closer, the tournament seems very wide open.
Unlike past years where certain teams seem more dominant than everyone they encounter, that is simply not the case this year.
Recently, ESPN college basketball insider Jay Bilas appeared on ESPN’s College Gameday and said that believes there are “nine, maybe ten” programs that have what it takes to go all the way.
That said, while parity is very much a thing in college hoops this year, Bilas still believes there are a handful of teams noticeably better than the rest.
Pressed on selecting which teams he thinks have the best shot at making the Final Four, Bilas selected Kansas and Baylor.
The Jayhawks are currently ranked number one in the AP Poll while Baylor is ranked number four.
Because both teams split the season series, it is impossible to say which would have an edge over the other in the NCAA Tournament.
“I favor Kansas and I favor Baylor to get there [the Final Four],” Bilas said.
“Those two teams have stood out, and then there are other teams, that like Scotty [Van Pelt] mentioned, there’s probably about eight or nine teams that I put in the top tier to be able to get to the Final Four and win the national championship.
“But the difference I see is: I don’t think anybody can win. When people say anybody can win, I don’t agree with that. I think anybody can lose.
“Like anybody can lose a game. But the universe of teams that can win this whole thing is probably nine, maybe 10.”
Kansas and Baylor each bring their own unique strengths and weaknesses to the table. Whereas the Jayhawks are very balanced and have a ton of poise, Baylor is arguably the best defensive squad in the nation.
Aside from the two aforementioned teams, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Dayton Duke and Kentucky all seem like teams to watch in the NCAA Tournament.
Who will ultimately escape this month with a championship? We are just a few weeks away from finding out.
Related: Why Nebraska’s JD Spielman Is Taking A Leave Of Absence
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
