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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BLOOMINGTON, IN – FEBRUARY 09: Head coach Richard Pitino of the Minnesota Golden Gophers looks on during a game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on February 9, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Indiana won 80-56. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

East Region – Des Moines, IA (Thursday, March 21)

7 Louisville vs. 10 Minnesota

Thank your lucky stars that we’re getting the Pitino Bowl here as Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Richard Pitino faces off against the Louisville Cardinals, the team entrenched in scandal under his father, Rick Pitino, before the school and veteran coach parted ways. That’s going to be the storyline talked up throughout the buildup to tip-off in this game, and there’s almost no way that Rick Pitino doesn’t involve himself in this matchup in some capacity — you can take that pick to the bank.

As for the on-court matchup itself, though, it’s hard to have faith in Louisville at this point. While they looked like a problem early in the season,, they’ve fallen off dramatically and seemingly stumbled through the finish line in ACC play. And while Minnesota isn’t a powerhouse by any stretch, they are a team that has two sure-fire threats with Amir Coffey and Jordan Murphy. That should be enough to earn them the win.

Pick: Minnesota

2 Michigan State vs. 15 Bradley

There are few teams in college basketball as hot as the Michigan State Spartans entering the 2019 NCAA Tournament. You could make a case that Tom Izzo’s team should’ve been a 1-seed, but here they sit on the No. 2 line facing a matchup with the Bradley Braves after having won the Big Ten Tournament and won 10 of their last 11 games to finish the season.

While Bradley has some big-time players in Elijah Childs and Darrell Brown that will throw their best efforts at Michigan State, Sparty just has too much to counter-punch with between Cassius Winston, Nick Ward and so many others — even with Josh Langford’s injury taking him out of the fold early in the year. With that, don’t expect Izzo to fall in another 15-over-2 upset as the Spartans should advance comfortably.

Pick: Michigan State

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