March Madness is here and Last Word on Sports will preview all of the games and report the results leading up to and throughout the tournament. The 68 teams were announced today and here are some initial thoughts and brief analysis based on the seedings in each region.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: Initial Bracket Analysis & Predictions
Midwest Region:
#1 Kentucky v. #16 Manhattan/Hampton
#2 Kansas v. #15 New Mexico State
#3 Notre Dame v. #14 Northeastern
#4 Maryland v. #13 Valparaiso
#5 West Virginia v. #12 Buffalo
#6 Butler v. #11 Texas
#7 Wichita State v. #10 Indiana
#8 Cincinnati v. #9 Purdue
The overall top seed and undefeated Kentucky Wildcats are really the only favorite. It is Kentucky and the rest of the 67 teams. None of the teams in the Midwest can be happy to be in the Kentucky region, especially Kansas Jayhawks, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Maryland Terrapins. All three teams have been playing well recently. Crazier things can happen, but it is hard to see any team in this region knocking off Kentucky.
Prediction: Kentucky Wildcats winner Midwest Region
East Region:
#1 Villanova v. #16 Lafayette
#2 Virginia v. #15 Belmont
#3 Oklahoma v. #14 Albany
#4 Louisville v. #13 U.C. Irvine
#5 Northern Iowa v. #12 Wyoming
#6 Providence v. #11 Boise State/Dayton
#7 Michigan State v. #10 Georgia
#8 North Carolina State v. #9 LSU
It is interesting that the NCAA selection committee forced Boise State Broncos to play Dayton Flyers in Dayton for the play-in game. The East seems wide open with several teams that could rise to the top including the Virginia Cavaliers and Oklahoma Sooners. The Villanova Wildcats are beatable. Michigan State Spartans played very tough in the Big Ten tournament and pushed Wisconsin to overtime. Head coach Tom Izzo has the Spartans playing well at the right time again.
Prediction: Michigan State Spartans winner East Region
South Region:
#1 Duke v. #16 North Florida/Robert Morris
#2 Gonzaga v. #15 North Dakota State
#3 Iowa State v. #14 UAB
#4 Georgetown v. #13 Eastern Washington
#5 Utah v. #12 Stephen F. Austin
#6 SMU v. #11 UCLA
#7 Iowa v. #10 Davidson
#8 San Diego State v. #9 St. John’s
Duke seems to have a fairly easy road to the Final Four. However, Iowa State Cyclones played tough in their Big 12 conference tournament. Gonzaga Bulldogs could also challenge Duke. A Cyclones Bulldogs match up could be a great game.
Prediction: Iowa State Cyclones winner South Region
West Region:
#1 Wisconsin v. #16 Coastal Carolina
#2 Arizona v. #15 Texas Southern
#3 Baylor v. #14 Georgia State
#4 North Carolina v. #13 Harvard
#5 Arkansas v. #12 Wofford
#6 Xavier v. #11 BYU/Ole Miss
#7 VCU v. #10 Ohio State
#8 Oregon v. #9 Oklahoma State
The West region will be a two-horse race between Wisconsin Badgers and Arizona Wildcats. The Wildcats are a dangerous team with the dynamic Stanley Johnson. However, it is hard to see the Badgers losing before the Final Four again this year with Frank Kaminsky and company playing even better than last year.
Prediction: Wisconsin Badgers winner West Region
Final Four:
Kentucky Wildcats over Wisconsin Badgers
Michigan State Spartans over Iowa State Cyclones
Championship Game:
Kentucky Wildcats over Michigan State Spartans
