Oh how sweet it is: the NCAA tournament has trimmed from 68 to 16 teams in a push to finish the season on top.
This March has been as mad as usual with no perfect brackets left out of the 11 million entries in ESPN Tournament Bracket Challenge. Including my bracket, I’m completely done giving myself any hope of winning my friends tournament bracket challenge. Although I’ve given up on my bracket, I still believe some things will happen to give the obvious choice, the Kentucky Wildcats, a run for their money from cutting down the nets for the ninth time.
In my bracket, I picked Kentucky to win it all: big surprise. In my opinion, I think it is foolish to not pick them because they could be one of the best college basketball teams to ever be assembled. They are truly an honor to watch 10 NBA caliber players on one court, let alone, one team.
I think the experience of the Harrison Twins and Willie Cauley-Stein will push the Wildcats to the top.
Anything can happen in March though, right?
No doubt in my mind. Anyone of the 16 remaining teams can give Kentucky a run.
In the Midwest bracket, where Kentucky is the undisputed one seed, is where I will start.
The Wildcats have to face a hungry West Virginia team, but they won’t have a problem beating Bob Huggins’ Wolverines.
If I had to choose a team that could beat Kentucky, it would be the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
If the Irish beat the Wichita State Shockers, (which will be a tough game considering that the Shockers just came of an emotional game in the battle of Kansas to beat the Jayhawks), they will face the unbeaten Wildcats in a battle of two of the hottest teams in the country.
Notre Dame has been playing great basketball the past two weeks. After winning the ACC tournament by beating Duke (in the Sweet Sixteen) and North Carolina (also in the Sweet Sixteen), Notre Dame has won their last seven games.
In the West bracket, Wisconsin continues to play sound basketball and impress America. The Badgers will compete against the North Carolina Tar Heels. The winner of that game will face off against the winner of Xavier and Arizona.
I believe that Wisconsin is the second best team in the tournament, behind Kentucky. The style of play that the Badgers have, with 7-foot stud, Frank Kaminsky taking care of business in the paint, will pursue them to Final Four for the second straight year.
The East bracket, unlike the other three, caused the most havoc to peoples brackets. I could have seen right through the one seed, Villanova.
I just had a gut feeling that they wouldn’t make it, but I didn’t think they’d go out so early to the EIGHT seed North Carolina State.
If I had to predict an outcome for the East bracket, I would say that Michigan State, would outlast Oklahoma, and beat Louisville in the Elite Eight. I think Michigan State is poised to play in the big stage.
Last but not least, the mighty South region bracket. I predicted Duke to make it to the Final Four and I still believe that will happen.
Duke must beat the Fighting Utes out of Utah, whom came off a surprising victory against Northern Iowa. I think Duke will get it done with no problem.
Duke will face off against the two seed Gonzaga and the surprising 11 seed UCLA.
I think Gonzaga will beat UCLA and then battle freshman, Jahlil Okafor, and the Duke Blue Devils. This game will be extremely close, maybe even overtime, with the Devils coming out on top.
My prediction is for Duke to play Kentucky in the National Championship Game. I think the depth of Kentucky will be too much to handle for Duke, and Kentucky will win it all.