It’s that time of the year again for one of the great events in all of sports; the NCAA Tournament. March Madness baby. With it comes office pools, lack of productivity in said offices and a lot excitement. Who might be the next George Mason, Florida Gulf Coast or VCU? What player will put his team on his shoulders and take them on a deep run? Who will be the next Bryce Drew, Christian Laetner or Kemba Walker?
Lets take a look at this year’s tournament in more detail and give you a preview that you can use to help you fill out your own brackets. Lets go region to region, starting with the South.
South Region
Top four seeds: Florida, Kansas, Syracuse, and UCLA.
Team to look out for: New Mexico
Potential Cinderella: Stephen F. Austin.
Best first round game: No. 5 VCU vs. No. 12 Stephen F. Austin.
The top ranked Florida Gators are many experts pick to win not only their region, but the entire tournament. There’s much to like about Billy Donovan’s squad. This team is deep, balanced and hungry after falling short of the Final Four the last two seasons, losing in the Elite Eight each time. The Gators really have no flaws, led by four players who average double digits, including dominating forward Casey Prather it is going to take a terrific effort to beat this loaded squad.
Even worse for Pitt fans, a potential second-round match up awaits the Panthers if they are able to get by first round opponent Colorado. Not exactly the greatest draw, and the Gators will get to play the first weekend in their back yard.
Kansas is a team with question marks now that star center Joel Embid’s status is very much up in the air with a back injury. Though Embid is far from the only weapon at the Jayhawks disposal, the identity of the team changes dramatically without Embid’s strong inside presence. Super freshman Andrew Wiggins and Perry Ellis give the Jayhawks star power, but the potential loss of Embid looms large.
Depth could be a problem for third seeded Syracuse. The one-two punch of C.J. Fair and Tyler Ennis are as good as any in the country, but can the Orange get the job done playing essentially six players? Its a big question mark for sure.
An under the radar team that might make some noise and advance to the Sweet Sixteen is New Mexico. They could pose serious match up problems in a potential second round game against Kansas, especially if Embid is unable to play or is ineffective. Cameron Bairstow and Alex Kirk are big men very much capable of carrying the Lobos to an upset of the Jayhawks. Bairstow might be the best player you probably have not heard of, he averages over 20 points a game. Watch out for New Mexico.
Potential Cinderella? Stephen F. Austin. The Lumberjacks have won 29 straight and went undefeated in their conference. They are experienced, and every year its a safe bet that at least one or two of the twelve seeds will pull off the upset. This team is really good, and if they can handle VCU’s pressure, they will win their first round game, which looks to be a must watch.
East Region
Top four seeds: Virginia, Villanova, Iowa State, Michigan State
Team to look out for: Michigan State
Potential Cinderella: Harvard
Best first round game: No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 Providence
To be honest, this is potentially the most wide open of any of the brackets, and the two top seeds Virginia and Villanova, are both teams that could exit the tournament earlier than some expect. Virginia has found a way to lock up the No. 1 seed despite a very limited offensive attack and a resume that some might consider to be solid but far from spectacular. Losses to the likes of VCU and Wisconsin Green Bay might be indicators of flaws that might get exposed in the NCAA’s, but few teams play harder, or better defense than UVA.
Was any team more over seeded than Villanova? The Big East was not especially strong this year, and a recent loss to a poor Seton Hall team in the BET was an example of why picking the Wildcats to go far in your bracket might be a big mistake. They might struggle with Milwaukee, another possible upset early. If they do get past Milwaukee, UConn could await, and could be primed to advance in a very generous draw for them.
Iowa State and Michigan State are two teams capable of winning this region. Led by former Schenley High standout DeAndre Kane, the Cyclones can score in bunches, and can beat you with any number of players, including Big 12 player of the year, Melvin Ejim. The Cyclones are a team to watch in this bracket.
Michigan State? Tom Izzo? March? Yep, you better watch out for Sparty. Izzo always has his teams ready for the NCAA’s and his team is finally healthy after dealing with an array of injuries throughout the regular season. Coming off an impressive Big Ten tournament win, Michigan State is going to be a very tough out in this region, and a solid choice to make another Final Four, which would be Izzo’s seventh.
One of my Cinderella picks of the tournament is Harvard. Yes, Harvard. Tommy Amaker has built a team that is not what you would assume, they have considerable talent that in a number of cases chose the Crimson over offers from top programs. Harvard is a squad that has been here before, they are experienced, and they are a team that you don’t want to see in your bracket. Cincinnati has the misfortune of getting that early draw. This is going to be a game to try and tune in to.
Speaking of a game to check out, the UNC-Providence game is going to be an exciting game where the winner might need to score 90 points. Friars guard Bryce Cotton is one of the best players in the tournament, and could carry them to an upset over the talented, but inconsistent Tar Heels.
West Region
Top four seeds: Arizona, Wisconsin, Creighton, San Diego State
Team to look out for: San Diego State
Potential Cinderella: Creighton
Best first round game: No. 5 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 North Dakota State
First off, let me just say I believe this region is the weakest of the four. Of the many questionable over seeds and misses by the NCAA this time around, this bracket is really poor. Thats not to say there are not quality teams in this bracket, but Arizona looks to have the easiest path to North Texas, and its not even close.
The Wildcats should be in good shape early on, though they might want to be careful if they get Oklahoma State in the third round. Though I am not sure a team that did not even go .500 in their conference should even be in the field, the Cowboys have three potential NBA 1st round picks in Marcus Smart, Markel Brown and Le’Bryan Nash. If they get hot in a one game scenario, Arizona could have their hands full.
San Diego State is a dangerous team who prides itself on tough defense and team oriented basketball. Steve Fischer has the Aztecs playing very well, and could also be a team that could cause issues for the Wildcats in a potential Sweet Sixteen contest.
A number three seed a Cinderella? Well, considering a strong argument could be made that one, Creighton was much more of a six or seven seed at best based on their resume, and well, they are Creighton, i’m going to say any deep run by the Bluejays would be a Cinderella story. The Bluejays are led by 3,000 point scorer Doug McDermott, who’s range is anywhere in the gym. A modern day Larry Bird, McDermott also happens to play for his father, Greg. This storyline, how far can Doug McDermott carry his team, will be as good as any going into the tournament.
The best first-round game could very well be Oklahoma-North Dakota State. If you like scoring, this will be a game to watch. NDSU is a very interesting team, and they are led by Taylor Braun, who is the real deal, and could carry the Bison to an upset over the Sooners, another team inexplicably seeded way over where they should have been in my opinion.
Midwest Region
Top four seeds: Wichita State, Michigan, Duke, Louisville
Team to look out for: Louisville
Potential Cinderella: NC State
Best first round game: No. 8 Kentucky vs. No. 9 Kansas State.
You go 34-0 after a Final Four appearance last season, and this is the treatment Wichita State gets? Though the bracket as a whole is not extremely strong, the Shockers are faced with the prospects of a extremely tough test playing the ultra-talented Kentucky Wildcats in their second game, and then a possible Sweet Sixteen test against Louisville, who might be playing as well as anyone in the country right now. Absolutely brutal.
Both Duke and Michigan have relatively easy paths to the Sweet Sixteen, not exactly a surprise. Duke is led by Jabari Parker, who might be the best player in the tournament not named McDermott. In a tournament that often rewards teams with players who can carry teams on their back, Parker is capable of doing that for the Blue Devils.
Louisville might have been the team that got under seeded the most, as many believed they could have been a one or two seed very easily. The defending National Champions have done much to make the case for a higher seed, and this is going to be a very popular choice for many to win the region and maybe even repeat as National Champs. Rick Pitino knows how to get his players to deliver in March, and star guard Russ Smith looks primed to lead the Cardinals back to the Final Four.
I hesitantly named NC State, who might not even get past Xavier in a play in game, as a Cinderella candidate. I really don’t see anyone in this region who has the look of a Cinderella, but hey, NC State did it in 83′ and with T.J. Warren on the squad, anything is possible!
Any bracket that has Kentucky in it should be wary. Few teams have more talent and firepower than John Calipari’s Wildcats, and if they can find their groove and play up to their talent, they could be a very dangerous team in the Midwest. Their match up with Kansas State could be the game to watch in the first set of games.
