The best time of the year is upon us, so I’m here to give my predictions for the tournament.
East Region
I have UConn coming out of the East, but not without any challenges. I think the Huskies will face FAU in the Round of 32, which is about as hard of a draw you can get. FAU has Final Four experience, and returns most of its talent from last year. I also have UConn up against the best 4 seed in the tournament, Auburn in the Sweet 16, who ranks in the top 10 of most team metrics. For the Elite 8, I got UConn up against Illinois, led by Terrence Shannon Jr. The Huskies depth gives them the advantage in this one. My only upset in this region is Drake over Washington State, which isn’t much of an upset. Auburn is the biggest threat to UConn, but I’ll take the reigning national champs.
West Region
I’m expecting the West to be pretty wild this tournament, and have New Mexico making it out alive. I haven’t been moved by North Carolina all year, and think they lack consistent offense from everyone but RJ Davis. So, I got Mississippi State beating them in the Round of 32. The Bulldogs have a ton of size and physicality, and two elite talents in Tolu Smith and freshman Joshua Hubbard. I have Grand Canyon going on an Elite 8 run also, because of their consistency on both ends of the floor. GCU also draws fouls at an extremely high rate, plays in a tough mid-major conference in the WAC, and has two high-level scorers in Tyon Grant-Foster and Ray Harrison. My other Elite 8 squad in the West is New Mexico. Similarly, New Mexico has arguably the best backcourt in the country, and is riding high off of an MWC tournament title. In New Mexico against Grand Canyon, give me the Lobos and Richard Pitino. My upsets in the Round of 64 are GCU over Saint Mary’s and New Mexico over Clemson. For the Round of 32, I have Mississippi State over UNC, GCU over Alabama and New Mexico over Baylor. Sweet 16, Grand Canyon over Mississippi State and New Mexico over Arizona.
South Region
In the South, I’ll take Houston. Houston has the best defense in the country, veteran leadership with Jamal Shead, and one of the best coaches in Kelvin Sampson. I have Houston beating Colorado in the Elite 8. Colorado has two great scorers in Tristan Da Silva and KJ Simpson. Cody Williams, Luke O’Brien, and Eddie Lampkin also give the Buffs some more firepower. My upsets here are Vermont over Duke and Colorado over Florida in the Round of 64. For the Round of 32, I have Colorado over Marquette, and for the Sweet 16, I have Colorado over Kentucky.
Midwest Region
Creighton is my pick for the Midwest. Coming off of a last-second loss to San Diego State in the Elite 8 last year, I think the Bluejays have what it takes to advance to the Final 4. Trey Alexander, Baylor Scheierman, and Ryan Kalkbrenner are arguably the best big 3 in the sport, and the squad has been battle-tested in the Big East. I think Purdue gets to the Elite 8 too, but falls to the Bluejays. My only upset in this region is Oregon over South Carolina in the Round of 64. I’m tempted to go with Samford, McNeese, and Akron, but don’t see them happening.
Final Four
Give me UConn over New Mexico in the first national semifinal, and Houston over Creighton in the other. UConn’s size I think would be too much for New Mexico to handle, and I think the Lobos run ends there. Houston against Creighton would be a super fun matchup. Both teams have tremendous guard play, and bigs who can battle down low. Ultimately, Houston’s experience and defensive dominance would get them the win here.
National Championship
I think UConn becomes the first repeat champion since Florida under Billy Donovan this year. They match up well with Houston, and their ability to find consistent offense can offset what Houston does on the defensive end.
Historically, my brackets never do too well, and I don’t think I’ve ever correctly predicted the champ. Just because I watch some college basketball does not mean my bracket will be good. I think that watching the sport hurts my bracket more than it helps it. With that being said, March Madness is my favorite time of the year for sports, and I can’t wait for 12:15 PM. In the words of Jon Rothstein, “We sleep in May.”
