Our 2017 March Madness preview is in. With Selection Sunday taking place on Sunday, March 12 (that’s less than two weeks from this post) this is the good point in the season to start determining which teams are serious contenders and which teams are serious pretenders heading into March Madness.

By now, all of the teams have shown whether they have the composition and composure to be a championship team, so we should be able to truly separate the great teams from the good teams to the bad teams in the fray. And we have a few choices for our projected NCAA champion

Of course, any early analysis can change as more games pass but here’s a look at some of the serious teams vying for the NCAA championship, the ones that look good, the ones that will likely falter and some other projections for teams in the top 25 rankings.

Projections: True Contenders

No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks (27-3)
The Kansas Jayhawks are one of the most battle tested teams this season, which will help them in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas just won an unprecedented 13th consecutive Big 12 regular season championship outright and they have victories against Duke, Kentucky, West Virginia and Baylor.

Kansas has been in many close games but they keep finding ways to win because Frank Mason III and Devonte’ Graham are the best backcourt in the nation when it comes to closing out games and they’ll be reliable for the rest of the season, which makes this a team to consider when perusing the betting odds for NCAA and when you finally get around to filling out your blank March Madness bracket.

No. 2 Villanova Wildcats (27-3)
Villanova coasted to their fourth Big East Title in a row. The defending National Champions have an impressive 27-3 record, which should make them contenders in any book. Villanova has been one of the most consistent teams in the nation and they’re loaded with experience, which is one of the keys in the tournament. With Josh Hart leading the way (18.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists), the Wildcats will put up a fight against anyone.

No. 4 Gonzaga Bulldogs (29-1)
Despite playing in the relatively sub-par West Coast Conference, Gonzaga has dominated most of their opponents and there’s a reason why they were undefeated until suffering last Saturday’s 79-71 setback against BYU.

Even after that loss, Gonzaga has what it takes to make a deep run in March Madness. Nigel Williams-Goss (16.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists) has helped lead them to wins against Iowa State, Florida, Arizona and Saint Mary’s, so this team is not here because of good luck.

No. 6 Oregon Ducks (26-4)
The Oregon Ducks are tough to read but their resume is solid, with wins against UCLA, USC and an impressive 85-58 beating against Arizona. The Pac-12 is one of the most competitive conferences, with Oregon, UCLA and Arizona currently in the top 10 and whoever wins this conference can be real scary in the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks have a real shot to win the Pac-12 and they deserve to be considered contenders right now.

Projections: March Madness Pretenders

No. 23 Virginia Cavaliers (19-9)
The Virginia Cavaliers had lost five of six games before winning their last two, including a 53-43 home victory against North Carolina. Still, I don’t see this team turning things around at the ACC Tournament because they’ve been extremely inconsistent.

No. 22 Wisconsin Badgers (22-7)
The Wisconsin Badgers are really struggling, losing four of five games in the past two weeks. The ship is sinking to say the least and it’s happening at the worst time possible. Wisconsin has a lineup stacked with experience and talent but they haven’t hit their stride heading into March.

No. 15 Florida State (23-6)
The Florida State Seminoles have been able to beat very good teams like Florida, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Louisville but they also have losses against three teams that are outside of the top 50 RPI like Temple, Georgia Tech and Syracuse, which tells me that despite losing only six games this season, that Florida State could suffer an upset early. That’s because the Seminoles have played poorly on the road, suffering five double-digit losses away from Donald L. Tucker Center. The Seminoles haven’t been dominant when grabbing defensive boards and they haven’t shot well from the free-throw line in ACC play, which is concerning.

Projections are Just… Predictions

You know I watch a lot of college basketball and I think I have a good eye for what makes for a team primed for a long journey once the regular season is is over. I’m sure there were contenders and pretenders that you didn’t agree with and that’s okay. These are just predictions after all and all of above can be tossed out the window once the first found comes to a close. However, if I’m right — I’ll be the first one to tell you I told you so.