Mythical March Madness: 2020 NCAA Tournament bracket simulation

South Region – First Round

1 Baylor vs. 16 Winthrop

Jared Butler, Macio Teague and the Baylor Bears have proven they are not a team to be taken lightly by anyone. Winthrop certainly won’t do that but they also just don’t have the physical talent to pull off the second 16-over-1 upset in NCAA Tournament history. Winner: Baylor

8 Saint Mary’s vs. 9 Rutgers

This is a matchup of polar opposites as the Gaels make it to the tournament on the strength of their offense while the Scarlet Knights do so on the back of their defense. As Virginia proved last year, defense matters greatly in March, even if it’s not the most exciting brand of basketball to watch. Winner: Rutgers

5 Ohio State vs. 12 Stephen F. Austin

Roti Ware of Stephen F. Austin has the makings of a breakout star in March Madness. The issue is that he doesn’t have the balance around him that the Buckeyes do, a team headlined by Kaleb Wesson, Andre Wesson and C.J. Walker. Ohio State should be able to let Ware shine but shut down everything else and cruise to victory. Winner: Ohio State

4 Louisville vs. 13 Vermont

The fact that Louisville, with Jordan Nwora and all the talent around them, didn’t win the ACC and earned only a No. 4 seed is a definite disappointment. Meanwhile, the Catamounts have a star in Anthony Lamb and a solid overall team. The talent, size and athleticism of the Cardinals, however, is too much for Vermont to contend with. Winner: Louisville

6 Virginia vs. 11 Cincinnati

Man, Cincinnati was a letdown, on the whole, this season as the Bearcats simply failed to realize their potential. The same, of course, can be said of Virginia as an elite defense fell behind due to a lackluster offense. But the defending champions have talent and that pack-line defense is a game-changer. Winner: Virginia

3 Michigan State vs. 14 Bradley

It’s a real shame that Cassius Winston had his college career at Michigan State end so abruptly with the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament. In Mythical March Madness, however, he and the Spartans should be able to quickly and easily move past the Braves in the Round of 64. Winner: Michigan State

7 Illinois vs. 10 USC

Led by Ayo Dosunmu and 7-footer Kofi Cockburn, the Fighting Illini have real potential to make some noise in March. Meanwhile, the Pac-12 gave us little reason to believe in the conference and the Trojans are exemplary of that with their rollercoaster performance. Winner: Illinois

2 Creighton vs. 15 Little Rock

Ty-Shon Alexander and Marcus Zegarowski of Creighton are one of the most underrated duos in the country with the potential to be a problem for anyone. Little Rock finds that out the hard way in the First Round as they won’t go down without a whimper but the whimper will be faint. Winner: Creighton

South Region – Second Round

1 Baylor vs. 9 Rutgers

If there’s a weakness with Baylor, it’s that the Bears are not a consistently great offense, even if they are very good. Against a strong defensive team in Rutgers, that’s at least interesting. However, the Scarlet Knights’ lack of offense against the Bears’ top-notch defense is enough to give the No. 1 seed a trip to the Sweet 16. Winner: Baylor

5 Ohio State vs. 4 Louisville

Putting the matchup on paper alone, I’m taking the Louisville Cardinals to get the victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes. Games aren’t played on paper, though, and Louisville has lost my good faith in them with some questionable losses down the stretch. Ohio State’s poise will prove to be the difference. Winner: Ohio State

6 Virginia vs. 3 Michigan State

Let’s get weird. Michigan State is highly experienced with Winston leading that charge and is one of the most balanced offensive-defensive teams in college basketball. However, there are holes in this offense and, though I worry about Virginia’s shooting, their ability to control games defensively and with their pace will be the catalyst for a big upset in the South Region. Winner: Virginia

7 Illinois vs. 2 Creighton

As you see with a lot of the mid-major teams that have a high seed in the Mythical March Madness bracket, Creighton has an elite offense and defense that could cause some issues. Illinois, unfortunately, isn’t the team to fully take advantage of that. This one should be close but the Bluejays should pull through in the end. Winner: Creighton

South Region – Sweet 16 and Elite Eight

Sweet 16 – 1 Baylor vs. 5 Ohio State

I’d be lying to say that it wasn’t nerve-wracking putting trust in Baylor as the Bears have shown a propensity for letting down in March. But the defense of this team and the way they’ve performed in big matchups throughout the regular season inspires some confidence that they can match up with a versatile Buckeyes team and edge out Ohio State for an Elite Eight berth. Winner: Baylor

Sweet 16 – 6 Virginia vs. 2 Creighton

As mentioned, the Bluejays have some struggles defensively but their offense is quite efficient and prolific. Virginia, however, can neutralize that with the pack-line defense. Furthermore, the Creighton defense can be susceptible to the length and athleticism the Cavaliers have, which paves the way for another big-time upset by the reigning champions. Winner: Virginia

Elite Eight – 1 Baylor vs. 6 Virginia

To get to the Elite Eight, Virginia upset the No. 3 and 2 seeds in the West Region. So why not make it the trifecta and have them knock off the top-seeded Bears as well?

Yes, Baylor has an offense that is miles more efficient than Virginia’s and a defense that isn’t as good as the Cavaliers’ but also isn’t that far off. But the experience of Tony Bennett in this moment and after his team has gotten some confidence to get to this point will be what decides this matchup with UVA getting to the Final Four for the second straight year. Winner: Virginia