March has finally arrived, and with that said comes the most exciting and wonderful time of the month, March Madness! College basketball has always been one of my favourite games to watch, and has been a traditional pastime at Betcoin, as a lot of us see ourselves up at the crack of dawn, anticipating that long weekend of first and second round match-ups from noon to midnight. For those who love the game, and those who are just diving in -- College basketball has had one of the most remarkable seasons in a long time, which should anticipate one of the most exciting tournaments in the last decade. From remarkable talent, heavy shifts in rankings, to unpredictable upsets, this season has been nothing short of a fairytale, and it'll all summarize in the coming weeks. As conference playoffs officially begin to kick off this week, the tournament is only a two weeks away, which means all day and everyday we'll be blessed with the game of basketball! We'll have our official bracket on March 16th as Selection Sunday arrives, with the First Four: March 18-19, and the official tournament kicking off the first round: March 20-21. Get your brackets ready, because the good, the bad and the ugly is about to head our way!

THE GOOD: All season long, there have been a few teams that stand out amongst the most -- boys to men, if you will. Auburn, Duke and Florida have been the three most consistent teams of the year. As the season comes to a finish, it's no surprise there are your top three teams in the rankings sitting at 1-3 in said order. Surprising enough, Auburns only two losses of the year come to the hands of Duke and Florida, while still holding the best record in all college basketball at 25-2.

Duke finds themselves eyeing the #1 spot in the nation, being led by one of the best talents we've seen since Victor Wembanyama, and that's no other than Cooper Flagg. If you haven't heard the name, it's about time you start paying attention. Not only has he broken multiple ACC records, he also becomes the first ACC player in 25 years to score 500 points, have 100 assists, and block 30 shots in a regular season. After the loss of Coach K, a lot of people didn't know how well Duke would recover over the coming years, but it's clear as day they're on the right path of contending for a national championship.

Next we have the Florida Gators, a team as resilient as ever. This is the best team Florida has assembled since they 2-peated back in 2005–06, and 2006–07. With some gaps they still need to solve on the defensive end, they're one of the highest scoring teams in the nation, along with being one of the best rebounding teams in the nation. Not shy of playing a fast-paced style, the Gators are also one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation, and process all the necessary skills to take a team far into the tournament. Being led by senior guard Walter Clayton Jr, they have the depth and experience to give teams hell, and possibly end the run of a lot of great teams.

THE BAD: Under the radar but not forgotten, and to quote RUN DMC -- these teams I'm about to mention are not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good. These teams are some bad boys, and they'll have high upset potential, along with some spectacular odds pre-tournament. Houston, Michigan State, and St. Johns. To start, the Houston Cougars currently the longest streak in the AP Top 25 at an impressive 102 weeks and remain a force in the standings. Not being able to get over the hump, there's been multiple times in the last decade they've been ever so close to getting to a National Title game, but couldn't win when it mattered the most. With this said, Houston has one of the best defenses and coaches in the Nation, and when they say "Defense wins championships", this is a team that bleeds that through and through.

Secondly, we have Michigan State being led with one of the best and most respected coaches in all of college basketball, Mr. March himself, Tom Izzo. Being unranked to start the year, not many people had any hope of Michigan State getting back to the power-house they once were, but boy were they wrong. Currently sitting at #8 in the nation, They have a 14-3 conference record while playing in one of the hardest conferences in the nation, along with a 22-5 record overall. Don't let a few of these losses fool you, Michigan State is one of the best second half teams in the nation, and though they continue to start games off slow, which evidently hurts them a lot, if they can find a hot start throughout March, this is certainly an experienced team that can take Tom Izzo all the way.

Lastly, we have St. John's being led by one of the best and most controversial coaches in all of college basketball, Rick Pitino. With two National Championships under his belt, he's been able to turn St. John's into one of the best teams in the nation in only two seasons. Declining an NIT bid last year, he certainly fuels this team with the fire they needed, as they've managed to obtain the #7 spot in the nation to cap off the season, all while only dropping 4 games thus far. They hold a 17-2 conference record, and have only lost one game since December. They're one of the hottest teams in the nation right now, and hold a 3-1 record against teams in the top 25. Don't let the lack of experience fool you, this team can cause a lot of problems depending on where they get seeded.

THE UGLY: To keep it short and sweet, these teams could shock the world again, but they certainly already have with how lacklustre of a season they've had so far. At the start of the year, Kansas started as the #1, Uconn #3, and Gonzaga #7 and if you haven't been able to guess it, none of them reside in the top 25 anymore. To start, Uconn is coming off back-to-back National Championships, and were expected to challenge for a third, but that all seems vast and far now. With so many inconsistencies and lack of offensive execution, it seems as if this team just doesn't have the fire the last two had, and though the talent is there, maybe we're about to get the best price on Uconn ever to win the tournament? Doubtful, but it's a good long shot.

Secondly, This is the worst Kansas team we've seen in the last two years, and it seems like Bill cannot get his team together. Having one of the best big men in the game, Hunter Dickinson, it just seems like this team lacks execution on both ends of the floor. As such a respected and high thought of program, It's almost like they're fighting for their tournament life every game, and they may end up getting one of the worst seedings we've seen in recent history. Can they get it together at the right time? The Talent is there, but it's a long shot.

Lastly, we have none-other than Gonzaga. One of the most consistent teams in the last decade, but having lost two National Championship games in that span, it's surprising to see them fall off of the rankings here. They have some pretty horrific losses, and just cant seem to gel as a team they'd like to. Though we'll see them come March, they're another team that could shock the world if they find a way to mould together as a unit, but maybe we're finally seeing the decline of Gonzaga, as St. Marys currently leads their conference, a team that's been competing with Gonzaga for years.

As we head to the Conference playoffs, we're going to see a lot of 11–16 seeds clinch their birth, and that's some of the most exciting times of the year. Remember, it's not always about the number beside the team, but the heart and pride in and on their chest. I'm exciting for what's to come, and I hope you are all too. With a little insight, hopefully one of us can hit that perfect bracket, or long-shot winner & enjoy your March.