Each week sports reporters Matthew Lambert and Eric Schroeder will face off on a hot topic in sports. The world of sports is changing quickly and constantly, but we want to slow it down and take a better look at the juiciest gossip, scandal, rumor or issue that is making headlines this week. Lambert and Schroeder will take different sides and battle it out, telling you why you they are right.

This week’s topic:  March Madness number one seed picks

March 15 marks Selection Sunday and will begin one of the craziest few weeks of college basketball: March Madness. College basketball analysts have been speculating about who will be the number one seeds in the upcoming tournament. Who will it be? Let’s talk about it…

(Recap by Matthew Lambert, Eric Schroeder and Allison Mueller)

FROM ERIC SCHROEDER

In my mind, it is fairly clear-cut at this point who those will go to. This year’s number ones will be Arizona, Kentucky, Duke, and Gonzaga.

Kentucky is a rather obvious choice for one of the number ones. They will almost certainly finish the regular season undefeated, and there is a fairly good chance they will also run through the conference tournament without issue. If they can enter March Madness without a loss, they will most certainly end up with the overall number one seed.

Arizona has been quietly dominating all season currently sitting with a 22-3 and really no threat exists in the Pac-12 as they head down the stretch of the season and into the conference tournament.

Duke has been playing superbly since they lost to Notre Dame on the road and do not seem to be slowing down anytime soon behind the dominant play of freshman Jahlil Okafor. They don’t have an easy path to the number one seed seeing as they will have to play North Carolina at least once more, the regular season finale, as well as possibly having to play Virginia or Notre Dame again in the conference tournament.

My last number one seed goes to Gonzaga, who some may argue should not even be in the discussion for a number one slot. Sure, playing in the West Coast Conference does not give them the strongest strength of schedule. The thing is, though, a team that has only one loss, an overtime loss to Arizona, deserves to be recognized which is why they are my fourth number one.

March Madness is always exciting and while we may have our top teams, Cinderellas will be there as well. It is only a few weeks away now, so gear up for a wild, wild ride.

FROM MATTHEW LAMBERT

While it is often surrounded by controversy and teams always trying to make their case for their respective team, this year is a little easier for me to pick. My number one seeds are: Kentucky, Virginia, Duke and Wisconsin.

I just want to get this one out of the way: since they will likely finish the season with a perfect record, the Kentucky Wildcats are the team to beat.

Virginia is a curious case. They have quality wins over Notre Dame, Maryland, UNC and Louisville but have lost to Duke at home. They also have another game at Louisville to finish out the season, a game they need to win. Virginia has been dominate against the ACC and is a defensive monster. Watch out for the Cavaliers, they could be gunning for the top seed in the tournament.

Duke is in the same boat as Virginia. They have quality wins against Michigan State, Wisconsin, UConn, Louisville, Notre Dame and Virginia. Unfortunately, they have losses against North Carolina State, Miami, and Notre Dame, but Duke fans shouldn’t worry. Jahill Okafor, Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook will keep them on the right path.

Finally, we are left with Wisconsin. Wisconsin isn’t technically in the drivers seat, for the last number one seed belongs to Gonzaga. With Gonzaga’s lack of quality wins, they will likely be bumped out. Wisconsin has dominated the Big Ten this season, with quality wins over Oklahoma, Penn State, Iowa (twice) and Michigan. Their losses have come from the hands of Duke and Rutgers, which shouldn’t sway voters, especially since Duke is such a quality team.