Eli: UConn vs. Arizona (East vs. West); Duke vs. Tennessee (South vs. Midwest)
With UConn largely expected to dominate their region, there are really 3 picks to be made. In the West, I see Arizona and UNC barreling towards the Caleb Love game. There, both teams will battle all the way through with Arizona eventually coming out on top.
In the South, Duke should have a fairly easy first two rounds, playing a 13 seeded Vermont, and either Wisconsin or James Madison, a game that could be closer than many think. In the Sweet 16, they will face off with a 1 seeded Houston squad. It will likely come down to defense, as both teams are sure to have strong offensive performances. However, I believe Duke at their best can beat anyone in the country.
As for the Midwest, I have Tennessee and McNeese (yes, McNeese) squaring off in the Elite 8. I fully expect McNeese's hypothetical cinderella run to come to a crashing and burning halt facing off against the Volunteers, who will have one of the easiest paths to the Final Four.
Finals: Arizona vs. Duke
UConn, not having faced a challenge, will have a slow start against Arizona that they will ultimately not be able to recover from. The Wildcats will move on to face Duke. In their matchup, Duke will get the luck of the draw, catching a streaky Tennessee team at their worst and coming out victorious. Against Arizona in the finals, the game will be close the entire way through, with Arizona pulling away at the end to give star guard Caleb Love his 1st championship win in his second appearance.
Alex: UConn vs. North Carolina (East vs. West); Kentucky vs. Tennessee (South vs. Midwest)
Even with the tough path to Phoenix, I believe UConn is the best equipped team to do so in the entire field. Despite being viewed as the worst 1 seed by the committee, UNC somehow gets the easiest path to the Final Four. Between UConn and UNC, I have UConn winning this in a one-possession offensive duel.
If Kentucky cannot make the Final Four with this clear of a pathway then they will never make it again. I view them as the most talented team in the tournament, with their 2 best guards coming off the bench in Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham. Their offense will be too much to handle in the South Region. Tennessee may have the best path for a 2 seed in this tournament. Purdue has proven to crumble during March the past 2 seasons, and I do not see a world where Purdue beats Tennessee if that matchup arises. Kentucky vs. Tennessee would be a thriller rematch, and Tennessee ultimately wins it for me.
Finals: UConn vs. Tennessee
UConn's depth with arguably 4 NBA ready players on their team is a massive advantage, but Dalton Knecht has single-handedly carried this Tennessee team all year long. But, Tennessee's lack of post defense and experience will be exposed as UConn will repeat for the first time since Florida in the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
Tyler: Iowa State vs North Carolina ; Houston vs Tennessee
Seen strongly during the Big 12 championship game, Iowa State has demonstrated dominance in the past weeks and I believe they will continue this pace. Although North Carolina is strong on the big stage, the loss to NC State proves to me that they do not have the consistency to win the big games, and that could be costly. I believe Iowa State will come through in this matchup.
Houston and Creighton are two teams which have had a ton of success all year, and I believe both teams will go through their competition throughout the tournament. Houston has had a great season, and the loss in the Big 12 championship is a fluke. However, Tennessee is also a hungry team looking for redemption, and I believe they will pull through when April comes around.
Finals: Iowa State vs. Tennessee
In the championship, Iowa State and Tennessee will face off in a great basketball game. The speed will be intense and they will play harder than all season, yet Iowa State will come through with dominance in the championship.
Brendan: Auburn vs Arizona; Houston vs Purdue
While UConn is a vastly popular pick among many brackets throughout America, I believe that their attempt at a consecutive championship will be cut short as they face Auburn. Lead by dangerous Forward Johni Broome, the Tigers have momentum coming off their victory in the SEC Championship.
Arizona has a relatively easy early draw facing Longbranch and either Dayton or Nevada in the second round. I see the Wildcats powering their way to the Elite Eight, where they reach the inevitable Caleb Love Game. UNC appears to be one of the more beatable one seeds in the tournament and can be the perfect matchup for Arizona.
Despite their loss in the Big 12 final, Houston has looked promising, and could certainly go all the way in this year's tournament. They will face their first challenge in the second round in their potential game matchup Texas AM. However, Jamal Shead has proven his ability to help this team prevail in difficult games. Houston will eventually have to face Duke, Kentucky, or Marquette. All of which are inconsistent teams that Houston should have no problems beating.
In the past few years Purdue has been nothing but disappointing in March. However, they have been gifted with an extremely easy first few potential matchup. I have no doubt that Purdue can make its way to the Elite Eight. Here, they may matchup against either Creighton or Tennessee. However, both the Bluejays and Volunteers have demonstrated concerning weaknesses. The dominating force of Zach Edey will be too much for the Midwest Region to handle.
Finals: Arizona Vs Houston
Despite the experienced coaching from Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, the Tigers’ thrilling run will end as they face Arizona. The Wildcats will be hungry to make a statement from last year's disappointing first-round exit. Arizona will maintain their exciting offence and prevail to the championship. In a battle of the one seeds, Houston will ultimately beat Purdue. In the final I expect to see yet another electrifying performance from Jamal Shead, leading Houston to a comfortable victory. Coming from what I believe to be this year’s best conference in college basketball, the tournament is set up for Houston to come out on top.
Will: UConn vs New Mexico; Marquette vs. Creighton
Connecticut has a powerful team that can repeat their outstanding win from last year. Tristen Newton current hold their most averaged point and he is believed to continue his team support during the tournament. A huge factor in their success is Donovan Clingan. The final condition of their players is the most important to this team. New Mexico is entering the bracket as an 11 seed. This gives them the opportunity to play their conferences 6 seed who is Clemson. Jalen House is going to sneak his way into a great game to continue the New Mexico underdog story. He is averaging 16.1 points this year and could raise that number very much during the tournament. Another win condition they have acquired is the guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. He averaged 19 points in his junior year and is averaging 14 in this current season. New Mexico has a very talented team this year and may make it to the final four. The matchup between these two will be a great game but New Mexico will make their statement by beating the reigning champions
Coming into the bracket as the second seed, Marquette has high hopes for march madness this year. Senior Tyler Kolek has big expectations, as he is averaging a career high of 15 points per game and 7.6 assists. He leads their team to victory almost always. If they can continue the way that they are playing, they can easily cruise their way into the final four. The head coach, Shaka Smart, has done a great job with the team this season and it would be great to see them take home the trophy. Coming off of a tough loss to providence, Creighton needs to pull it together in order to do well in the postseason. They are being classed as the three seed this year and must be able to show they belong there. They face off against Akron for the first match of the tournament. The Center Ryan Kalkbrenner is a tall standing scoring machine weighing in at seven foot one and 270 pounds. He averages 17 points during this season and should give his team the shot at winning it all. The season will come to an end for Creighton when Marquette beats them by twenty.
Final: Marquette Vs New Mexico
I believe that Marquette will come out on top against Creighton and New Mexico will find their way to beating the former champs in UConn. Marquette will make the flawless victory against New Mexico leaving them with the ring.
Ben: UConn v. Arizona; Kentucky v. Creighton
The Huskies are certainly a dangerous team to face this year. Coming off their championship win last year, their teams seems as good as ever. Player's like Tristen Newton and Donavan Clinger, will make this team an unstoppable force. Out of their three losses, all of them were out of outstanding games from individual players, meaning that if they are able to prevent this, UConn will fly through the bracket. Arizona has a pretty easy bracket facing either Dayton or Nevada, with their first difficult match being against UNC. However, UNC seems to be a pretty weak one seed that I could see losing before they even play Arizona. Caleb Love and Oumar Ballo seem almost too good to beat. Despite their run though, and a good fight, UConn will manage to take them down leading to their second NCAA championship in a row.
Kentucky is a team with solid history in this tournament, and have a reputation as a team you would want to face as late as possible. The Freshman pair Rob Dillingham and Reed Shepard have a will cause immense trouble for any team that Kentucky faces with his their 15.4 points per game with 3.9 assists per game and 12.8 points per game with 4.5 assists per game respectfully. However, they still do not have an easy match up against Marquette, as they have also been a very solid team this season. Creighton is the hidden powerhouse of the south and I could easily see them go to the final four. Their matchup against Tennessee will be tough, however Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander will be too much for Tennessee to handle. As long as they shut down or at least prevent a lot of scoring from Zach Edey, which is easier said then done, I can see Creighton comfortably beating Purdue, if Purdue even gets that far. When Kentucky and Creighton meet in the final four it will be a close game but Creighton will pull through and meet UConn in the NCAA championship.
Final: UConn v. Creighton
This matchup has all the right to be one of the best NCAA championship games of all time as both these teams have excelled this season. Creighton has fought long and hard to reach the championship; however, UConn will pull through and win the game for back to back NCAA March Madness championships. Their clear dominance displayed through out this season gives me reason to believe that they will be an extremely hard team to beat when all is said and done
InSzn Sports Team
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