NCAA Tournament 2019: Predicting the perfect March Madness bracket

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 14: Kyle Guy #5 of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts after a play against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during their game in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 14, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 15: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts against the Duke Blue Devils during their game in the semifinals of the 2019 Men’s ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 15, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Midwest Region – Columbus, OH (Friday, March 22)

1 North Carolina vs. 16 Iona

On offense, the Iona Gaels’ overall record doesn’t indicate how potent they actually are. Led by E.J. Crawford, the Gaels have four players averaging double digits in scoring, all of them at 12.4 points per game or better. That might be promising in itself, but the overall picture is quite ugly for them as they head into a matchup with the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Midwest Region’s 1-16 matchup.

Iona is one of the worst defensive teams in the tournament field, which is likely why they score at such a high rate. However, when you put that up against a North Carolina team that is a fast-paced, high-scoring offense and considering that the Gaels can’t match their talent level, this one has a chance to get out of hand for Iona.

Pick: North Carolina

8 Utah State vs. 9 Washington

Continuing a mantra that was uttered when talking about the First Four and Arizona State, don’t trust the Pac-12 this year in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The conference earned three berths in March Madness, but that might be generous of the committee to do just that. Having said that, the Washington Huskies are the best team in the conference, but even they shouldn’t be trusted as they take on the Utah State Aggies.

Sam Merrill will have a tough matchup against a strong Washington defense, but the Aggies as a team shoot the ball and rebound well enough that they should be able to find effectiveness against the Huskies. Utah State also fared better against good teams this season than Washington did, which leads to the feeling that it’s the Aggies who advance here.

Pick: Utah State

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