by Jonathan Hunter

Created on: March 09, 2010   Last Updated: March 18, 2010

March Madness is one of America's favorite sporting events, ranking way up there with the Super Bowl. It allows people to get involved in the fun. Well, the traditional bracket of 65 teams has been set and the hype is at its peak. Which of those teams have the best chance of surviving the Dance and winning the NCAA championship? Here is a look at the top ten teams according to the final rankings after the regular season ended.

1. Kansas (29-2)
Receiving 63 of 65 first place votes, Kansas is the undisputed favorite to win the NCAA tournament. The Jayhawks have dominated their opponents this season winning most of their game by large margins. They cruised to the Big Twelve title by compiling 15-1 record within their conference with Kansas State, Baylor, and Texas A&M all tied for second at 11-5. With their #1 seed, they will not get upset in the early rounds, and look for Kansas go deep into the tournament.

2. Kentucky (29-2)
Kentucky enters March Madness with a reputation of winning. They have made 50 appearances in the NCAA tournament, winning it seven times. But they haven’t been champions since 1998, so they are eager to bring another one home. Led by John Wall who averages 16.8 points-per-game, double-double machine DeMarcus Cousins, and Patrick Patterson who chips in another 14.9 ppg, the Wildcats will make a lot of noise as they dance along.

3. Syracuse (28-3)
A devastating 78-68 loss to Louisville on Saturday dropped Syracuse from the #1 spot, but they are nonetheless a force to be reckoned with when the tournament starts. Led by newcomer Wesley Johnson and his 15.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, the Orangemen have proven that they are hungry for a national title. They have several scoring threats making them hard to defend. They chances of them being upset in the early rounds are slim to none.

4. Duke (26-5)
Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Duke’s win over rival North Carolina on Saturday showed just how far the defending-champion Tar Heels have digressed since last March. The Blue Devils are now the class of the ACC, but even that is not enough to make them content. They have blown away opponents for most of the season, and Saturday’s demolition of North Carolina served as a momentum builder that will propel Duke through the playoffs.

5. Purdue (26-4)
Purdue won a close game in Saturday’s season finale against Penn State to earn a share of the Big Ten title. Unfortunately, one of the Boilermakers’ top three players

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