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Every college basketball bettor has a set of beliefs that guides them when picking the NCAA Tourney bracket. I’ve heard people go for teams because they have leadership in the backcourt and they make their free throws. I’ve heard people go for a squad because they’re dominant on the glass and they play great defense. I’ve even heard people choose based on mascots.

But ultimately, it’s probably a smarter move to take whatever theory you cooked up, crumple it into a ball and throw it out the window of a moving vehicle. There’s no finite criteria, especially in college ball.

So instead, print out this sheet come Tourney time and pick off of this, the NCAA Contenders and Pretenders List…

Pretenders

Marquette – The Queen of the Pretenders, Marquette will do just enough to merit a little respect inside your brain. But don’t trust them! They beat West Virginia when one of Huggie’s favorite guards Joe Mazzulla was hurt. They beat Villanova, but as you’ll see soon, they’ve got a bunch of people fooled too. Dominic James has been in school for 13 years now and he gets a ton of love from the press, but Jerel McNeal is by far and away their best player.

Clemson – Even if they’re 16-0, the Tigers haven’t played anybody. They’re about to get blindsided by the passion of Wake Forest and North Carolina in back-to-back games. Last year, they had a defensive game-changer in James Mays, but now they’re only as strong as their three best players, Trevor Booker, K.C. Rivers and Terrence Oglesby.

UCLA – The Pac-10 is a feeble animal this season, and UCLA has made it’s way to No. 9 in the nation by feasting on the conference’s weak. Wins over Oregon State, Oregon and USC shouldn’t convince anyone that they’re worth believing in. Though some human interest piece on John Wooden and the tradition behind the blue-and-gold is tempting, don’t jump on the bandwagon. They’re built around being a half-court team, but they can’t score unless they’re in transition.

UConn – Apologies to the Huskies fans in the Dime office, but there are too many moving parts on this team that simply don’t move together when it matters. Hasheem Thabeet actually disappeared against Georgetown, scoring 4 points in the same game that Jerome Dyson forgot how to shoot (1-10 FG) for 4 points. They’ve cakewalked through a pretty easy schedule so far, but it’s going to get a lot tougher by the end of January.

Villanova – Unfortunately for ‘Nova the Big East is so stacked that everyone can’t be a contender. They’re a fiesty bunch, and Handsome Jay Wright is a great coach, but if Dante Cunningham were to get in foul trouble, everything comes crashing down.

Kentucky – Jodie Meeks is the human fire extinguisher right now. But since coming to Lexington, Billy Gillispie has been the human disappointment. If Meeks has an off night, the Wildcats might as well pack their bags and get on the bus.

Duke – Gerald Henderson is the only player on this team who is truly capable of handling intense pressure. Coach K’s move of pushing Nolan Smith to the point instead of Greg Paulus was a great move, but it’s not going to be enough when they face a team who have five guys who maintain defensive intensity for 94 feet.

Gonzaga – They’re perennially called a team that doesn’t get enough respect. And they’re perennially not good enough to get it done when it counts. This year’s no different. Austin Daye should be their best player, but he’s third on the team in scoring behind Josh Heytvelt and Matt Bouldin.

Notre Dame – As much as it pains me to say, but even if Luke Harangody dominates the first 30 minutes of a game, it hasn’t been quite as easy for him in crunch time.

Contenders

Louisville – With Samardo Samuels playing like a grown-ass man on the block and Earl Clark banging on anyone who steps in his way, Louisville has plenty of offensive firepower. If Terrence Williams can figure out what to do with the ball when he gets into the lane, there might be no stopping the Cardinals.

Syracuse – One of the most balanced team’s in the country doesn’t have the frontcourt scoring that you’d like to see from a national contender, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not physical. However, their best shooter Andy Rautins went out last night against Georgetown – his status could very well determine where ‘Cuse falls.

Wake Forest – They’re the scariest team in the country right now. With Al-Farouq Aminu (a 6-9 gazelle), James Johnson (a 6-9 firecracker), L.D. Williams (a 6-4 jumping jack), and Jeff Teague (a 6-2 superfreak), there’s no one in the country who wants to get in a foot race with these guys.

Pittsburgh – There’s one question mark with the No. 1 Panthers right now: what will they get from their shooting guards? Levance Fields is a seasoned vet at point – he’s competing with Dominic James for who’s been in school the longest – and the frontcourt trio of Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and Tyrell Biggs cannot be outmuscled. So will Gilbert Brown and Jermaine Dixon do enough at the two to help Pitt get past the Big East Championship this year?

California – The Bears are the most accurate three-point shooting team in the nation, as they’re sinking just over 48% from deep. They just need to start shooting more of them.

North Carolina – Despite two losses, the Tar Heels are still the most complete team you’ll find. Their four top scorers are all shooting well over 50% from the floor right now – that’s beautiful team ball. And remember that they’ve had to battle through a tough schedule without their best defender Marcus Ginyard.

Arizona State – The squad with the best guard in college basketball is for real, especially given the Pac-10’s landscape.

Oklahoma – Believe it or not, the Sooners aren’t all about Blake Griffin. Freshman Willie Warren (15.9 ppg) is a sleeper to nab Newcomer of the Year honors in the Big 12 if not the nation.

Georgetown – They might not be quite as talented as they’ve been in years past (see: ’06-07), but they’re battle-tested and it’s only January. Get this – they’ve already played six teams in the Top 15. Even though they’re only 3-3 in those games, this early season experience will serve them well. They bounced back from two consecutive losses with a good win over Providence and then a quality W last night against the Orange.

Texas – You think that A.J. Abrams and Damion James are good? There’s a chance that Gary Johnson might be their best player. Before having an average outing against Oklahoma, Johnson had tallied five straight games with at least 15 points.