Fatal flaws for 7 national title contenders

According to VegasInsider.com, seven teams have odds of 12:1 or lower to win the men’s college basketball national championship. The small group includes an undefeated team (Gonzaga), one program looking to repeat (Villanova), and another with two lottery picks in its backcourt (Kentucky).

With so much to like about the top contenders, it's hard to nitpick as to why they'd flame out in the Big Dance. Here's a look at the fatal flaws each program is saddled with as the postseason approaches.

Duke (15:2) - No True Point Guard

Duke's offense is far from stagnant (81.7 ppg) yet it does struggle at times without a true floor general. The team's final possession against Syracuse on Wednesday was a great example of how disorganized it can look without a primary ball handler running the show. Only half of the Blue Devils made field goals come via an assist, a troubling statistic that places them in the mid-200s nationally.

Gonzaga (17:2) - Mark Few

Mark Few is Gonzaga basketball. The 10-time WCC Coach of the Year has led the Bulldogs to the Big Dance in each of his 17 seasons as their head coach. For all of his success, however, he hasn't been able to reach the Final Four despite receiving a four-seed or better from the Selection Committee on six separate occasions. He’s also been upset by a lower seed five times, a fact that will likely be referenced ad nauseum during the first weekend of the tournament.

North Carolina (17:2) - No Place Like Home

The Tar Heels have struggled away from home this season, with a few lopsided losses on their resume that are downright ugly. It started with a nine-point loss at Indiana, got worse with a 12-point loss to Georgia Tech in Atlanta, and culminated with a baffling 15-point loss to Miami. UNC was favored by at least 5.5 points in all three contests before laying some massive eggs. The regional sites won't do North Carolina any favors, with the closest landing spot nearly 500 miles away in New York City.

Kansas (9:1) Rebounding

Opponents snag 10.2 offensive rebounds per game away from the Jayhawks and despite Carlton Bragg Jr.'s return to the lineup, their rebounding issues have persisted. Since the 6-foot-10 sophomore has returned, KU is actually allowing opponents to do more work on the glass (14.4). This likely won't bite the Jayhawks on the first weekend but should they collide with a team that has a strong frontcourt later on, such as Purdue, they could find themselves on upset alert.

Villanova (9:1) Falling In Love With The 3

Nova fires up nearly 24 treys per game, and while they connect on a healthy amount of them (37.3 percent) the deep ball can take the Cats out of their regular offense at times. If you isolate the Wildcats' three losses this season, you'll find that they shot just 21.4 percent from long range. The Cats' 18-for-84 stat line from deep during those Ls jumps off the page, including a horrific night in Milwaukee where Jay Wright's bunch connected on just 6-of-34. If they want to repeat, they should try to avoid any 3-point competitions.

UCLA (11:1) Defensive Pressure

The Bruins do a wonderful job of avoiding turnovers. In fact, UCLA leads the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio as a team. What they don't do well, however, is force teams into turnovers on the defensive end. The Bruins have given up more than 85 points in five separate games and that has a lot to do with teams feeling very comfortable on the offensive end. If Steve Alford wants to reel off six wins when it counts, he'll need to coax a bit more defense out of his team.

Kentucky (12:1) Close Games

Big Blue Nation is hoping that the Wildcats can play a bit better in crunch time next month. Kentucky is just 2-3 in games decided by five points or less. Coach Cal has been .500 or worse in tight games in three of the last four seasons, which is often a solid predictor of success in the Big Dance. Saturday's showdown with Florida in Lexington will likely come down to the wire, so if UK is hoping to do a better job closing out games, this SEC East matchup is as good a time as any to turn things around.

(Photos courtesy: Getty and Action Images)