Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!
It’s here. March Madness has finally arrived.
We got possible dream matchups everywhere.
Wichita State-Kentucky. New Mexico vs. Embiidless Kansas.
North Carolina-Iowa State. Even Nebraska-Creighton.
This is going to be a lot of fun to watch, but an absolute
nightmare to predict.
Here is my bracket:
Let me break it down what I was thinking here.
South Region
My Pick: Florida doesn’t have it easy. UCLA in particular
will give the Gators fits with the way the Bruins can score. Kansas and Syracuse
are in the bracket's bottom half, but both were top 5 teams at some point this season.
Even with all of that, I still like Florida. The Gators defense is just too
strong. They also have four seniors starting and I have no idea how to beat them. They just don’t beat themselves.
Dark Horse: Kansas is the wildcard in this region. Joel
Embiid really makes them a national title contender, but if he isn’t able toplay in the opening round, I see New Mexico knocking off the Jayhawks. If he
does play, they’ll give Florida a run for its money.
Upset Alert: Watch out for Stephen F. Austin. Any team that wins 30 plus games in a season has got to be confident. And confident teams are
the ones who cause problems for the higher seeds. Plus, I’m not 100 percent sold on VCU
being seeded as high as it is. I thought it would be more of an seven or eight seed.
Needless to say, VCU better be ready to go.
West Region
My Pick: I’m going to call it right now; this region will
have the most upsets. Arizona has quietly had a fantastic season, but it drew
the worse possible second round matchup. A date with red-hot Oklahoma State and Marcus Smart. The Cowboys don’t have the size to matchup with Arizona, but I
love how they mix up their defenses and confuse their opponents. That’s why I
like Oklahoma State in this region. I thought long and hard about picking
Creighton as well. I just have a gut feeling that Doug McDermott won’t let his
team lose. However, Okie State is my pick, behind a brilliant performance by
Smart.
Dark Horse: San Diego State. The Aztecs have been flying
under the radar all season, and it will do so again in this bracket. I think
they will roll through their first two opponents, leaving a Sweet 16 matchup
with either Arizona or Oklahoma State. Both are games that will be must-see TV.
Upset Alert: North Dakota State will beat Oklahoma in the
opening round. I don’t know why, but I have always felt Oklahoma is overrated.
And the Bison always seem to be a tough out against any team from the power six
conferences.
Midwest Region
My Pick: This is the toughest region by far. Wichita State,
Michigan, Duke, Louisville, are the top four seeds. The undefeated Shockers are going to face challenges right from the get go with a possible second-round matchup with
Kentucky. That’s right the Wildcats are an eight seed. How do you figure that? If
Wichita State gets past that nightmare matchup, it’ll likely play Louisville. Yes, Louisville is
the No. 4 seed after winning the AAC and finishing top 5 in the rankings. I
love the Cardinals in this bracket. They have great defense and an
efficient offense that will give teams fits. That Wichita State-Louisville
matchup will decide the winner of the region. And Louisville will get the job done. Duke and
Michigan can make arguments as well for the Final Four, but those teams rely too heavily on the
3-point line. Louisville gets to Arlington, Texas.
Dark Horse: Kentucky. The Wildcats are as talented a team as
anyone in the country. And they started to play like it during the SEC Tournament. Don’t be surprised if they knock off Wichita State and make a run
toward the Final Four.
Upset Alert: I like whatever teams play St. Louis and
Massachusetts. The Atlantic 10 has been insanely overrated all year long, and
every year one or two of these play in teams make a run. Sounds like a recipe
for disaster for both upper seeds.
East Region
My Pick: This one is easy. Michigan State. The Spartans are
finally starting to put it all together. They have the perfect blend of talent and veteran leadership. Not too mention, they are finally healthy enough to
play together. Tom Izzo’s bunch will face a couple tough teams in Virginia and
Iowa State, but I think this one was a pretty easy pick in the least difficult
region in this year’s tournament.
Dark Horse: North Carolina. The Tar Heels can beat anyone in
this bracket. They could also lose in the opening round to Providence by 20 points.
That’s how much of a wildcard they are. North Carolina will give Iowa State
fits in the second round if it can get by the Friars.
Upset Alert: Watch out for St. Joe’s here. It came out of no
where to knock off VCU in the Atlantic 10 Tournament final and it’s riding a
lot of emotion heading into this one. UConn is playing well, but this one will
be interesting.
Hot Reads
-Big night for Nebraska basketball at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Here was some of the reaction. And also, here's my story in the Daily Nebraskan.
-Here's a breakdown of every NCAA Tournament team.
-Will anyone win a billion dollars in Warren Buffet's bracket challenge? Rick Reilly asks just that.
Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of my
bracket.
Reach me at: award6344@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram: @_andrewward
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