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NCAA Tournament 2019: Predicting the perfect March Madness bracket

By Cody Williams

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)
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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EVANSVILLE, IN – MARCH 09: Belmont Bruins G/F Dylan Windler (3) shoots a free throw during the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Championship college basketball game between the Murray State Racers and the Belmont Bruins on March 9, 2019, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
EVANSVILLE, IN – MARCH 09: Belmont Bruins G/F Dylan Windler (3) shoots a free throw during the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Championship college basketball game between the Murray State Racers and the Belmont Bruins on March 9, 2019, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

First Four

16 Fairleigh Dickinson vs. 16 Prairie View A&M (Tuesday, March 19)

The First Four will begin with a matchup of No. 16 seeds as the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights face the Prairie View A&M Panthers. It’d be a stretch to say that many have seen many games from either of these teams this season. However, what can be said is that Fairleigh Dickinson clearly has the better five-man roster with a starting group that all averages double figures, led by Darnell Edge. Meanwhile, Prairie View A&M has a deeper team and perhaps the best single force in this game, Gary Blackston. All that being said, give me the Knights’ shallow lineup in a one-game scenario.

Pick: Fairleigh Dickinson

11 Belmont vs. 11 Temple (Tuesday, March 19)

The Belmont Bruins are an at-large darling in this tournament, getting in without winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. As they take on the Temple Owls, though, the Bruins face a tough matchup against a deep and talented backcourt led by Shizz Alston Jr. But Belmont guard Dylan Windler is an absolute stud who averaged a double-double this season and can take over a game. He does that here as the Bruins not only have the best player, but are simply the better team.

Pick: Belmont

16 NC Central vs. 16 North Dakota State (Wednesday, March 20)

No one should mistake either the NC Central Eagles or the North Dakota State Bison are great basketball teams. As they match up, though, it’s clear that the Bison outclass the Eagles. While NC Central center Raasean Davis is a fantastic player, North Dakota State has six players averaging seven points or more, including Vinnie Shahid and Tyson Ward averaging over 12 points per contest. With that balance and their superior 3-point shooting, the Bison move on to face Duke.

Pick: North Dakota State

11 Arizona State vs. 11 St. John’s (Wednesday, March 20)

Both the St. John’s Red Storm and Arizona State Sun Devils are teams that are hard to trust this season, but also teams with a star to talk yourself into. For the Red Storm, Shamorie Ponds helped lead the Johnnies to some nice wins in the Big East this season and has big-game potential. Lugentz Dort, however, is also a gamer that can carry the Sun Devils in this First Four game. That being said, there’s nothing about the Pac-12 that you should trust this year, and that includes Arizona State.

Pick: St. John’s

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