Ah, NCAA Tournament time is here once again. This year’s edition has many compelling storylines. There are your No. 1 seeds (Florida, Arizona, Virginia, Wichita State) that have been the most consistent throughout the entire season, as well as some very hot teams that are considered to be underseeded (Michigan State, Louisville, among others). Even lower seeds like ninth-seeded Oklahoma State and eighth-seeded Kentucky are great teams that can beat anyone, but experienced tough times this season.
This is, as it seems every year, a very difficult year to predict which team will win it all. But I took a shot, so check out my selections:
South Region — At the top, we have the No. 1 overall seed, Florida. The Gators have only two losses this season (to two tournament teams, I might add) and are currently riding a 26-game winning streak. Florida is the most talented team in this tournament, and should cruise to the Elite Eight, with the exception of its potential Sweet 16 matchup against UCLA. The Bruins are playing great basketball right now, and are coming off a win over No. 1 seed Arizona in the Pac-12 title game. But talent wins here, so Florida will advance in my bracket.
My upset here is No. 11 seed Dayton over No. 6 seed Ohio State. The Buckeyes have been living dangerously of late, with each of their last six games being decided by eight points or less, a 3-3 stretch. Dayton, on the other hand, is 4-1 in its last five games, with wins over tournament teams in UMass and Saint Louis. Look for an upset here.
Florida will meet No. 3 seed Syracuse in the Elite Eight. But, like I said, talent wins out here. Syracuse is a great team, but is far too inconsistent for my taste (see losses to Boston College, Georgia Tech). Florida to the Final Four.
East Region — No. 1 seed Virginia is immensely underrated, but is not the most underrated No. 1 seed in this tournament. That award goes to Wichita State. Anyway, Virginia will be presented with a challenge when the Cavaliers face No. 4 seed Michigan State in the Sweet 16. Michigan State showed what they can do when healthy by trouncing in-state rival Michigan in the Big Ten title game.
I have Iowa State and Villanova meeting in the Sweet Sixteen, but I could see either of these teams losing earlier. I will take the Cyclones to advance to the Elite Eight due to their athleticism.
My upset pick here is No. 11 seed Providence over No. 6 seed North Carolina. North Carolina is another team that can beat anyone, but lose to anyone at the same time. The Tar Heels shoot just 62.5 percent from the free throw line. This is troubling. The Friars shoot 78.1 percent from the line. Ah, that’s much better. I’ll take Providence in the upset.
Michigan State is advancing to the Final Four. Iowa State has no shot against the Spartans. None. Not when Branden Dawson and Adreian Payne are healthy.
Midwest Region — Stick with what you know in this region. Wichita State, Louisville, Duke and Michigan are the best teams here. That’s why they make it to my Sweet 16.
I’ll take Louisville and Michigan to the Elite Eight with me. Michigan is full of shooters. If they have an off night like they did against Michigan State, Duke can beat them. But I will put my money on the Big Ten Player of the Year, Nik Stauskas, and his 45 percent shooting percentage from 3-point range.
That leaves Louisville and Michigan State in the Elite Eight. Louisville hasn’t lost to a non-NCAA Tournament team this season. Michigan cannot say the same thing. The Cardinals advance to the Final Four once again.
West Region — I don’t see much upset potential in this region. The top four seeds — Arizona, Wisconsin, Creighton and San Diego State — are all very good teams that should advance.
I do, though, have Doug McDermott and Creighton topping Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. Wisconsin has lost two its last three and has shown vulnerability at points this season. Creighton may have some vulnerability too, but it’s definitely not McDermott. He is ridiculous, if you didn’t already know. Look for Dougie Basketball and his 26.9 points per game to advance to the Elite Eight.
As much as I love Creighton, I don’t see them getting by Arizona. The Wildcats are just too physical and too dominant. McDermott should keep it close, though.
Final Four — In a repeat of last year, I have two No. 4 seeds in the Final Four. But I have No. 1 seeds in Florida and Arizona advancing to my championship game. I chose them because I like the physicality that the two teams bring with them, and they just seem like the more consistent, stronger teams.
In the championship game, I will take Florida all day. Their guard play, led by Casey Prather and Scottie Wilbekin, is unmatched. Nick Johnson and Aaron Gordon are a great duo for Arizona, but the loss of Brandon Ashley will loom large. The Gators are my national champions, racking up the third title for one of the most underrated coaches in college basketball, Billy Donovan.
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