Every year millions of college basketball fans country wide fill out their March Madness brackets confident that this is the year they have picked it exactly right, but most fail. Filling out a bracket is more than just picking teams to win games, its a representation of yourself as a person and as a sports fan. Are you a believer in the underdogs? Can a three point shooting team run the table and find themselves in the finals? Or will the number one seeds take care of business? No matter what, or who you are rooting for, be prepared to see a plethora of wrong picks scattered across your bracket, it’s March Madness!
Starting with this years Southern region portion of our brackets we see a grouping of strong teams. Of course powerhouse #1 seed Kansas is a favorite in many brackets across the country, and were even picked by President Obama to win the tournament. With that being said, the Southern region consists of many familiar tournament teams that might not make it so easy for the Jayhawks to cruise to the finals. Teams such as UConn, Maryland, Iowa, California, and of course #2 seed Villanova, will all give Kansas a run for their money when trying to make their way out of the region. These teams are all capable of the big upset, and with a player like Jared Uthoff of Iowa in this region, nobody is safe. My pick for this region: Kansas Jayhawks. Just like a majority of the country, I believe that this team had too good of a season to allow a big upset in the tournament, and I see them cruising to the Final Four.
Moving to the West Region, we see a grouping of teams that can potentially surprise some people this March. #1 ranked Oregon had one of their strongest seasons in school history, finishing with an impressive 28-6 record with a senior studded roster. To get to the big game they will be tested in a region that consists of Duke, VCU, Baylor, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and St. Josephs. Within that grouping of teams Oregon must deal with players like Grayson Allen, Buddy Heild, and my sleeper pick player of the tournament, DeAndre Bembry. Being fortunate enough to see Bembry play live in person this season, I believe that he is a player that has the ability to shock some people in this tournament. Not only is he dominant in the paint, but he also has the defensive ability that some say makes him ready for the NBA. My pick for this region: Oklahoma Sooners. Although I do believe Bembry and Saint Joes will make it to the Sweet Sixteen by beating teams like Duke and Cincinnati, Buddy Heild will bring their run to an end as the Sooners cruise into the Elite Eight.
In the Eastern, and maybe most controversial region we see a couple of powerhouse teams looking to sneak their way deep into the tournament. North Carolina, Xavier, Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia all have potential to be Final Four teams, but only one will make it. In this region I believe a couple of these teams could of been considered #1 seeds in other regions of the bracket, but I digress. A school I would really look out for while picking your bracket would be the Providence Friars. With players like Kris Dunn, and Ben Bentil, they look like a team that can bust some brackets and upset North Carolina in the second round of play. Another potential upset that i’m sure a ton of people are picking is SF Austin over West Virginia. Although this is a reasonable upset pick, I cannot see it happening. The Mountaineers play a much too fast of a game and have a far stronger back court than the Lumberjacks, and I do not believe that is something that SF Austin will be able to counter. My pick for this division: Xavier Musketeers. Im not picking this team because of any reason other than they had a 27-5 season, and are in position to have what seems to be the easiest path to the Final Four in the hardest region on the entire bracket. With the potential of their most difficult competition being West Virginia, I think the Musketeers will find themselves facing off against tired and beaten up teams late in this region.
Last but not least we have the Midwest region. Overall this region is well rounded, but could consist of many mis-picks for March Madness participants. Games such as Seton Hall vs. Gonzaga, and Dayton vs. Syracuse have red flags all over them. These are the type of games that wont ruin your bracket, but will certainly keep you up at night if picked incorrectly. The two powerhouses of this region are Virginia and Michigan State. Is it just me or is Virginia hyped up for March Madness every year, only to be eliminated in the second or third round? (I guarantee it). Finishing with a better record than Virginia, against what I also believed was a harder schedule, was the March Madness mainstay Michigan State Spartans. It seems like winning the tournament has narrowly escaped Tom Izzo and the Spartans over the passed couple of years, but if there was a time to do it, it would be during star guard Denzel Valentine’s senior year. My pick for this region: Michigan State Spartans. Not only are the Spartans my pick for this region, but they are also my pick to win the tournament. I believe that Izzo’s time has finally come, and with your star senior Valentine averaging 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists a game, it is going to be hard for anyone to stop Michigan State.
In two days I will be sitting on my couch engaged in four games at once ripping both my brackets in half, as well as my hair out of my head. March Madness is not designed to make people feel good about themselves for picking perfect brackets, the magic of March Madness lies within the upsets, buzzer beaters, and cinderella stories that seem to occur each and every year. I encourage everyone to at least make one bracket this March, because to me, this is the best time of the year.