Breaking Down Brackets on Selection Sunday
If you want your brackets to be completely wrong, listen to ESPN by all means. If you want a decent bracket going into the second round, listen to me. Let's break it down:
East:
1 OSU
16 UTSA/ALST
Make your life easier, just pick OSU for this one.
8 GMU
9 VILL
Remember that magical run for way back when George Mason stormed to the final four being the lowest seeded Cinderella to make it there? It won't happen again but Villanova has just found a way to continually lose games down the stretch and these southern teams come to play. I'd take George Mason.
5 WVU
12 UAB/CLEM
Ho ho ho, this is gonna be very close! If WVU plays Clemson, Clemson doesn't have the shooting to compete. If WVU plays UAB? Look out! WVU lives by the 3 and UAB is long and athletic. If WVU can't knock down their shots UAB will kill WVU on the glass and in transition. This team can be deadly at times. I'll still take WVU though.
4 UK
13 PRIN
Not even going to be close. Princeton isn't athletic in the least and UK will likely run them out of the court.
6 XAV
11 MARQ
There is something about this game I am just weary about, yet Xavier always plays its hardest in the big dance. Marquette doesn't have that good outside perimeter play like they have in the past.
3 SYR
14 INST
This could be another dandy. Teams from Indiana can be really tough to put down. I'll put Syracuse but not by much.
7 WASH
10 UGA
UGA's shooting is abysmal but they can run it. Washington plays at a more smooth pace but they're not an incredible shooting team. If they can't knock it down UGA's frenetic pace will see this upset through.
2 UNC
15 LIU
UNC with an easy win, what more can be said?
West:
Charlotte
1 DUKE
16 HAMP
Duke easily beats Hampton.
8 MICH
9 TENN
Do not trust Michigan - at all. Tennessee is equally as inconsistent but you can bet Bruce Pearl will have this team ready to play.
Tulsa
5 ARIZ
12 MEM
This is a pick I'm comfortable with. Put this on your radar. Arizona is very streaky and Memphis knows how to run it and gun it. It has a good system in place and I am shocked they weren't placed any higher.
4 TEX
13 OAK
I have this upset keyed in. Something about this game just tells me to pick Oakland. They have a history of taking elite teams out back, especially during late games, and beating the daylights out of them. Texas has fallen quite a bit and I think this is an ambush that will be sprung.
6 CIN
11 MIZZ
Gotta take Mizzu. This is Cinci's first time in awhile and Mizzu, although not great, can put it past Cinci quite easily due to experience.
3 CONN
14 BUCK
Kemba won't let UCONN fall but don't let the seedings fool you, this is going to be a game and a half.
7 TEM
10 PSU
Have to go with PSU here. Temple just too risky to pick and PSU has been hungry for a birth for a long time. Enough NIT talk, this team is out to dance.
2 SDSU
15 UNCO
Anyone see SDSU respond against an overrated BYU team led by Fredette under extreme criticism? Nothing more to be said. Colorado's run to come to an end.
As you can tell the West is going to be an upset bracket so be alert here.
Tulsa
1 KU
16 BU
Need an explanation? Didn't think so.
8 UNLV
9 ILL
The Illini play a better brand of ball, don't think this will be that close.
5 VAN
12 RICH
Vandy plays a very clean style of ball - Richmond can be downright gangster. Richmond got beat as a 7 by St. Mary's as a 10 (I called that one btw) and I think Richmond is about to put the hurt down on goodie two-shoes Vanderbilt. Should be a great game.
4 LOU
13 MORE
People are saying this will be close, I don't see it. Morehead is usually that mid-major team that gets dismantled, I don't expect much difference.
6 GTWN
11 USC/VCU
I can't pick one. If Georgetown plays USC, I'll take Georgetown. If they play VCU.. Cinderella's going dancing!
3 PUR
14 SPC
This is going to be a game and a half and if you want a 14 beating a 3 and you didn't like the Texas/Oakland prediction this could be the one. I'll take the Boilermakers tho.
7 TA&M
10 FSU
Both play a similar brand, A&M has more polish to their game tho. Should be a fun one..
2 ND
15 AKR
Akron is a shooting team, Notre Dame is a shooting team. Guess who's the better shooting team?
Southeast:
1 PITT
16 UNCA/UALR
P-I-T-T. Let's. Go. Pitt!
8 BUT
9 ODU
Butler's been here. Think they'll take this handily.
5 KSU
12 USU
Utah State has a history of upsets. I'm going to leave this for now, it's so tempting to take the upset but you have to think Pullen just won't let it happen. I don't know...
4 WIS
13 BEL
Wisconsin tends not to lose in the first rounds, they tend to lose in the second. I'll just take Wisconsin here.
6 SJU
11 GONZ
Saint John's plays real well at home, on the road they're suspect. Gonzaga, they're road warriors. Saint John's hasn't been in the dance in a while, great team but Gonzaga has experience.
3 BYU
14 WOF
Wofford is a weak 14 honestly. They usually sneak in only to get railed. BYU will advance.. but I don't think they'll make it out of the second round.
7 UCLA
10 MSU
I don't know man, MSU can very well take down an emotional UCLA team. I'll take them.
2 FLA
15 UCSB
Florida's just going to send them back to the beaches.
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