The brackets are out! You know what that means. Everyone is scouring the internet and TV trying to get any advantage they can. The NCAA tournament turns normal people into hardcore gamblers for three weeks.
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So here I am, doing my part to try and give you some insight. If you follow my advice, you will either look like a genius or an idiot. In March, there is no in-between. My best advice is to gather as much information as you can and follow your gut!
Here are my picks for the Midwest Region, for this weekend and beyond!
(1)Kentucky(13-0 vs. the field) vs. (16)Hampton(1-2 vs. the field) at Louisville, KY:
Kentucky is making it’s 55th NCAA tournament. They have won the championship eight times, most recently in 2012. The Wildcats have made three Final Fours in their last three tournament invites. Hampton is in their fourth tournament, and picked up their second all time win against Manhattan last night.
Nothing to see here. The Pirates got to .500 with a win over Manhattan. Unfortunately for them, they will fall back under after Kentucky destroys them on Thursday. Pick: Kentucky
Go Joe Bruin
(8)Cincinnati(4-3 vs. the field) vs. (9)Purdue(6-7 vs. the field) at Louisville, KY:
This is the 29th NCAA tournament for the Bearcats. They have won two National Championships in 1961 and 1962. This is the fifth straight touranament for the Bearcats. The have lost in the first round in each of the last two years. This is Purdue’s 27th NCAA tournament, and their first since 2012. They have not lost in the first round since 1993, a stretch of 14 straight appearances. That streak is in jeopardy this year.
Cincinnati caught a break being in Kentucky’s pod.They get to play at least one game close to home. As payment, they have to play the top overall seed if they advance. On top of that, Purdue got a bad matchup. I like Hammons because his size is often a factor. It won’t be against the Bearcats. Octavius Ellis will be able to handle him. Cincinnati has allowed the sixth fewest points in Division 1 this year. A lot of this is going to depend on how the game is called. There is going to be a lot of pushing and shoving going on. If they are allowed to get away with it, it is a clear advantage to Cincinnati. If not, I still like Cincinnati’s guard play. Pick: Cincinnati
Cincy on the Prowl
(5)West Virginia(8-9 vs. the field) vs. (12)Buffalo(1-2 vs. the field) at Columbus, OH:
West Virginia is making their 26th tournament appearance, and their first since 2012. Just five years ago, they were in the Final Four! Buffalo is making their first ever tournament appearance.
West Virginia has played their last eight games against teams that made this year’s tournament. Such is the peril of playing in a conference like the Big 12. Buffalo, led by F Justin Moss, likes to speed up the pace a little bit. The problem here is that West Virginia likes to suffocate you. They lead the nation in steals. They force a lot of errors because of their suffocating press. This is a trendy upset pick, and I will admit that I am tempted. Honestly, who doesn’t like the return of Bobby Hurley to the NCAA tournament? I’m not even a Duke fan, and I will admit that it’s good to see him back. Just because it’s a nice story doesn’t make it destiny. I think Buffalo throws a great scare into the Mountaineers, but that defense is nearly impossible to go against. Pick: West Virginia
Saturday Blitz
(4)Maryland(8-5 vs. the field) vs. (13)Valparaiso(0-0 vs. the field) at Columbus, OH:
This is Maryland’s 25th tournament appearance, but their first since 2010. They have not lost in the first round since 1997. Valparaiso is making their ninth tournament appearance, and first since 2013. All of their appearances have come since 1996. Both of their tournament wins came in the 1998 tournament.
Valparaiso’s big win is against Murray State. They had a weak schedule. They did lose to New Mexico and SEC bottom-feeder Missouri. The bottom line here is that we have no idea how good they are. Since Butler left the Horizon League isn’t much of a measuring stick there either.
Maryland’s guard duo of Melo Trimble and Dez Wells could lead this team a long ways in the tournament. They are the first team with a legitimate shot to beat Kentucky. Pick: Maryland
Terrapin Station
(6)Butler(7-9 vs. the field) vs. (11)Texas(4-12 vs. the field) at Pittsburgh, PA:
Butler is in the tournament for the 13th time. 11 of those appearances have been since 1997, with the last coming in 2013. Texas is making their 32nd NCAA tournament appearance, and their second straight. They have been to three Final Fours, but the last was in 1960.
Texas was a top ten team earlier in the year, but they had serious issues in the Big 12 this year. That said, their frontcourt is so good that they actually have freshman sensation Myles Turner coming off the bench! Their guard play will make or break them.
Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones are acoomplished scorers, but they will have their hands full with the sheer size of Texas. The Longhorns are the size of, well, Texas. They led the nation in blocks, and make you think twice about coming into the lane. Butler is a good team with a really bad matchup. Pick: Texas
Hook'em Headlines
(3)Notre Dame(8-3 vs. the field) vs. (14)Northeastern(1-1 vs. the field) at Pittsburgh, PA
The Irish are making their 34th trip to the NCAA tournament, and their fifth in the last six years. Northeastern is making their eighth tournament appearance and first since 1991.
Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton for a formidable guard tandem for the Irish. Grant was a candidate for ACC player of the year. He led the Irish in points and assists. Zach Auguste does more than just take up space in the middle. He averaged 12.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this year.
Like most smaller schools, Northeastern has one players that carries the team. That player for the Huskies is Scott Eatherton. He has the size to not get pushed around by the Irish, but he is going to need some help from guards David Walker and T.J. Williams if they want to hang around in this one. I wouldn’t rule it out, but Notre Dame is too good of an all-around team to lose in the first game again, aren’t they? The Irish have not made it past the first round since 2011. Pick: Notre Dame
Slap the Sign
(7)Wichita State(2-2 vs. the field) vs. (10)Indiana(5-12 vs. the field) at Omaha, NE:
Wichita State is making their 12th tournament appearance, and fourth in a row. Just two years ago, they made it to the Final Four. This is Indiana’s 38th tournament appearances. They have five National Championships, the last coming in 1987. This is their first appearance in the field since 2013.
Guards Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker drive this team. The Shockers are very guard heavy, just like they have been in the last four years. As you can see, it doesn’t really stop them. They are undersized, but Indiana isn’t much bigger on the interior.
Indiana lost their last eight games against teams that made it to this year’s NCAA tournament. Their dynamic guard duo of Yogi Ferrell and James Blackmon are going to give Wichita State some problems. At any given time in this game, there will be at least seven guards on the floor, so neither team can really go big. Indiana has a slight advantage on the interior, but not enough for it to have a big impact on the game. The Shockers are more experienced and play better as a team. I don’t really see them losing this one. They want a shot at Kansas too badly. Pick: Wichita State
Cincy on the Prowl
(2)Kansas(13-6 vs. the field) vs. (15)New Mexico State(2-3 vs. the field) at Omaha, NE
Kansas is making their 44th trip to the tournament, and their 26th in a row. That’s right. They have not missed an NCAA tournament since 1989, the year after Danny and the Miracles. They have three National Championship, the last of which came in 2008. Where were their opening games that year? In Omaha, of course. The Aggies are making their 22nd trip to the NCAA tournament, and their fourth straight. However, they have not made it out of the first round since 1993. Their lone Final Four appearance came in 1970
The Jayhawks didn’t just play teams out of conference, they played really good teams out of conference. They even played Tennessee, Rhode Island, Temple, and Florida who were bubble teams that didn’t get in. Kansas had the toughest schedule this year, and it wasn’t even close. The Jayhawks are a more complete team than they were last year. Frank Mason pours in in from the outside. Perry Ellis does a lot of the work in the middle. The ineligibility of Cliff Alexander is really going to hurt Kansas. They need his size in the middle.
The Aggies are led by freshman Pascal Siakam, who can be a force down low. Tshilidzi Nephawe could cause some problems for the Jayhawks inside. The 6’10” senior averaged ten points and eight rebounds a game. Kansas isn’t particularly big in the middle, so the Aggies need to attack there to have any chance in this one. Pick: Kansas
Go Joe Bruin
First round winners: Kentucky, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Maryland, Texas, Notre Dame, Wichita State, Kansas
Second round winners: Kentucky, Maryland, Notre Dame, Wichita State
Sweet Sixteen winners: Kentucky, Notre Dame
Regional Champion: Kentucky. I have them losing in the National Semifinal game. It is just too hard to win 40 in a row, and the SEC isn’t very strong this year.