March Madness Predictions!
No Big East teams will make the Final Four. That was the prediction I made earlier and I have to say that the matchups did not help that prediction. Similarly, I predicted that no number 1 seeds would make the finals but I'm not sure how that would happen. But let's see how my predictions could come true.
Midwest
If I'm Rick Pitino, I have to wonder how I'm the #1 team in all the land and I somehow have a tougher road to the Final Four than the other number 1's, especially conference rival Pittsburgh. I have Louisville beating Michigan State in the Elite 8 but it's far from a sure thing. If freshman flop BJ Mullens actually shows up and Evan Turner has a great game, OSU could give the Cardinals a run for their money. Of course, if those two don't shine, Ohio State might not even make it past Siena.
Utah and Wake Forest also would be a threat to Louisville's March but Wake's outside shooting is suspect while Utah's defense isn't going to slow down the Cardinals. I'd take either team to upset the Pitt Panthers but I don't think they match up well with the L'ville.
As for the bottom half of the bracket, I'm not a big believer in Michigan State but I believe even less in the other teams. Kansas or USC could lose in the first round or challenge Louisville in the Elite 8 but I'm going to stick with the rankings and have the Spartans face the Cardinals in the Elite 8.
West
If there was one thing that was surprising about UConn's six overtime loss to Syracuse, it was that Jeff Adrian didn't show up for any of the overtimes. If that level of play continues, I can't see UConn even making it to the Elite 8. On the bright side, they won't really have too much of a challenge until then. The one team I can see beating them is Purdue and the Boilermakers have to escape the 5-12 upset special first. I think the upset special would be Washington losing in the first round though, allowing Purdue to head to the Sweet Sixteen where they would upset UConn.
Utah State could be the wild card in the bottom of the bracket. I don't have much faith in Marquette sans Dominic James and Missouri seems like the kind of team that will find a way to lose in the tournament. That, of course, just sets them up for a meeting with Memphis and I don't see that working out well for the Aggies. Memphis is my choice to make it out of the West and set up a Calipari vs. Pitino matchup.
East
I really don't think Pitt is going to make it to the Final Four but this bracket is completely underwhelming. The only team that I could see beating them in their half of the bracket is Xavier.
The bottom half of the bracket is a Who's Who of disappointing squads. Duke, Texas, Villanova, and UCLA should all meet in the second round and who survives out of that lot is anyone's guess. Part of me wants to take UCLA to the 8 and maybe the Four but they are a lot of people's pick to be upset in the first round. Instead, I'm going to go with Duke beating Xavier to make it to the Finals.
South
It doesn't seem like Ty Lawson is healthy so I'm not even sure that UNC can make it past LSU in the second round. I think they will but I'm not having them get past Gonzaga. I'm not sure whether they'll face Syracuse or Oklahoma in the Elite 8 but it doesn't matter. This is their year to make a run to the Final Four.
In the real National Title game, I have Memphis beating Louisville with Duke making it to the afterthought matchup, which Memphis should win somewhat handily.
