If last night was any indication, the madness is approaching. March is just around the corner and the college basketball season is rapidly heating up. #18 Duke upended #8 North Carolina in the first meeting of the year in the nation’s best rivalry. We also saw an incredible comeback victory by #10 UCLA over #5 Oregon, while #7 Wisconsin avoided disaster on the road in overtime against Nebraska. With all that excitement, it’s easy to forget that Gonzaga tacked on another win to its undefeated run.

We have a few weeks until the conference tournaments begin and 30 days until Selection Sunday. This Sunday, we are going to get an idea of where the some teams stand when the selection committee reveals a preliminary bracket for the top-16 seeds. It should be a little illuminating, but ultimately there is still a long time between now and the second Sunday in March. There are a lot to learn about all of these teams. The field is wide open right now, so today’s “Heat Check” will be looking who are some of the contenders and pretenders among the top teams in the country.

#1 Gonzaga – 25-0 (13-0 in conference): Pretender

I’m not buying into the last remaining undefeated team in Division 1. Don’t get me wrong the Bulldogs have been steamrolling the West Coast Conference. They also have impressive nonconference wins against #9 Arizona (without Alonzo Trier) and #17 Florida. My concern is whether this team can make a run through the gauntlet in March.

Gonzaga’s strength of schedule ranks 111^th in the country, so while they do have those marquee wins its been awhile since they have seen elite competition. If you look at the RPI, the Bulldogs only rank 12^th. The committee also has a habit of making the top overall seed’s path to the Final Four a difficult one. You are beginning to see that the Zags could be set up for an early exit during the NCAA tournament’s second weekend.

#2 Villanova – 23-2 (10-2): Contender (for now)

The defending national champions are teetering on the edge of contender and pretender. They have pulled out some fantastic wins this season, including a thrilling comeback against #12 Virginia. Villanova has been playing with fire lately, and haven’t been playing its best basketball yet.

I’m keeping them in the contender category now though because these close shaves could give them some valuable experience to tap into come tourney time. You have to be battle tested in March, and with a national player of the year candidate in Josh Hart, the Wildcats could be a tough one or two seed. They are the second ranked team in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index and the NCAA’s RPI so clearly the metrics respect the Cats.

#9 Arizona – 22-3 (11-1): Contender

I wrote about my initial thoughts about Arizona a couple weeks ago, and I still feel the same way despite a blowout loss to #5 Oregon last weekend. The Wildcats are potentially the best team in the country now that Alonzo Trier is back in uniform. They have length in the frontcourt, which makes them a tough team to play defensively, and their guards can make plays in the open court.

This is one of the few teams in the country that can play in just about any type of game. Arizona has won defensive games against California and Michigan State but have also shown they can score with the best in a win at #10 UCLA. A lot of why I like this team is because we have just scratched the surface their potential. Trier is still meshing with freshman sensation Lauri Markkanen. If those two gel, they could be a lethal combination offensively in the tournament.

#10 UCLA – 22-3 (9-3): Pretender

Despite last night’s impressive win against #5 Oregon, I have some serious doubts about the Bruins in March. They used a raucous Paulie Pavilion crowd to fuel its second half run. On a neutral court, I don’t think UCLA has enough defensively to propel them deep into the tournament. Point guard Lonzo Ball is a special talent and can take over games as evidenced last night. That could be enough to get them to the second weekend, but that won’t be enough to get into the Final Four.

The metrics aren’t on the side of UCLA either. They may be the 12^th ranked team in the BPI, but are only ranked 73^rd in strength of schedule and 21^st in the RPI. UCLA might have to hope to land in a favorable bracket because if they end up higher than a four-seed it could spell trouble.

#18 Duke – 19-5 (7-4): Contender (Dark Horse)

Last night’s upset of North Carolina is a potential season-changer for the Blue Devils. They have had some bumps in the road such as Coach K’s absence and anything Grayson Allen related. A big win in a rivalry game of that magnitude could be the spark of a red-hot run at the perfect time in the season.

Duke has one of the most talented rosters in the country and has just needed to put it all together. We got a good glimpse of the ceiling of this team. The BPI has the Blue Devils ranked 7^th, which would make them one of the most underrated teams in the country as of now. This could be a team that top team’s will fear come March

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back on Monday to recap the weekend’s top games and stories. Enjoy the action, this is shaping up to be a good weekend of basketball. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook