Willie Cauley-Stein and the Kentucky Wildcats are the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament. (Getty)
Since 1975, only 4 teams have entered the NCAA Tournament undefeated – Wichita State (2013), UNLV (1991), Indiana State (1979) and Indiana (1976).
The 2015 Kentucky Wildcats are making it five. At 34-0, John Calipari’s squad comes into March Madness as the favorite.
Only the Bobby Knight-led 1976 Hoosiers finished the season unbeaten, the other four lost along the way during the Big Dance.
So do the Wildcats have what it takes to complete the perfect season?
Final Four Picks
South – Iowa State
West – Wisconsin
Midwest – Kentucky
East – Virginia
Three of our predicted Final Four teams rank in the Top 10 in scoring defense – Kentucky, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Iowa State is the highest scoring team of the four at 78.4 points per game.
National Championship Prediction
Iowa State vs. Wisconsin
Picking against Kentucky probably isn’t a wise decision, considering they are 34-0. But the Badgers have lost just once in the past 2 months.
Wisconsin 7-footer Frank Kaminsky is as efficient and effective as they come and the Badgers are hungry after reaching the Final Four in 2014. It’s a close one, but Wisconsin knocks off Kentucky.
The other semifinal isn’t as sexy – Iowa State vs. Virginia.
It’s defense (Virginia) vs. offense (Iowa State). Defense usually wins, but not this time. Fred Hoiberg’s “Comeback” Cyclones continue their late-season heroics and make the NCAA title game.
National Champion
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is on a mission. After making the Final Four in 2014, Bo Ryan’s Badgers are ready to take the program to the next level.
Iowa State made the Sweet 16 last year and they are certainly battle-tested playing in the extremely tough Big 12.
But Kaminsky and Co. stop the Cyclones’ magical end-of-season run and cut the nets down in Indianapolis on April 6.