March Madness 2023 bracket predictions: Picks for Final Four, National Champion

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Baylor Scheierman, Creighton Bluejays (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

South Region First Round bracket predictions

1 Alabama vs. 16 Texas A&M Corpus Christi

There’s really not a whole lot to say about this one. Despite the controversy surrounding Brandon Miller and the Crimson Tide, this team is balanced, dangerous in every aspect, and hard for anyone to beat. The Islanders got their one NCAA Tournament win in the First Four but they’ll get blown out by Alabama.

Pick: Alabama advances

8 Maryland vs. 9 West Virginia

West Virginia has definitely been a mixed bag this season but the fact of the matter is that Bob Huggins is a veteran in this time of year. Even if the Mountaineers defense measuring up against Jahmir Young and Julian Reese doesn’t bode particularly well, Maryland has a shallow rotation going up against a tough, physical team. I think that proves to be the difference and Huggy Bear keeps dancing.

Pick: West Virginia advances

5 San Diego State vs. 12 Charleston

This is going to be one of the most popular upset picks but I’m here to join the party. San Diego State is a veteran team with Matt Bradley and an experienced group that defends at a high level. Moreover, the Aztecs have been hot down the stretch of the regular season. Even still, Charleston is a balanced and aggressive team that averaged over 80 points per game this year. Give me CofC to topple an SDSU team that simply hasn’t experienced much success in March.

Pick: Charleston advances

4 Virginia vs. 13 Furman

On the surface, this looks like a mismatch. We know that Virginia can be dominant when they implement their slow-paced plan of attack. But Furman is going to be hungry in its first NCAA Tournament berth in over four decades and this team can get hot from 3-point range. With the Cavaliers also being without a huge glue guy in Ben Vander Plas, I’m taking the Paladins to give UVA another early exit in March.

Pick: Furman advances

6 Creighton vs. 11 NC State

Both Creighton and NC State have notable shortcomings when it comes to depth, so that’s definitely not an advantage for either side in this matchup. They also each have star power with Baylor Scheierman and Ryan Kalkbrenner for the Bluejays and Trequavion Smith, Jarkel Joiner and D.J. Burns for the Wolfpack. However, this comes down to consistency. On their best night, NC State could look like a Final Four-caliber team. I just don’t trust their best night to be in the First Round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Pick: Creighton advances

3 Baylor vs. 14 UC Santa Barbara

Make no mistake, this is a good UCSB Gauchos team that is going to be a popular upset pick in the First Round. They are extremely efficient on both ends of the floor and are terrific at controlling pace. With that said, a more erratic Baylor team just has too much talent. Their weakness is on defense where they’ve been far more inconsistent than expected but the Bears should be able to make the Gauchos uncomfortable with the ability to push the pace and pull out the win here.

Pick: Baylor advances

7 Missouri vs. 10 Utah State

As you’ll surely see while we make our way through the March Madness bracket, I’m not high on the Mountain West this time of year. But Utah State draws a perfect matchup here as the team led by Steven Ashworth and Taylor Funk is a real offensive power this year and gets to face a Missouri team that can go cold offensively and is bad defensively. The Aggies are simply the better team that you can put more trust in.

Pick: Utah State advances

2 Arizona vs. 15 Princeton

While there some who will say that depth could limit Arizona’s ceiling this year, that won’t matter against Princeton. The Wildcats are an elite offensive team that can score from all over the floor. Princeton has a star in Tosan Evbuomwan but he’s only one man. He’ll be the focus of the Arizona defense and the Tigers won’t find enough answers to even keep within striking distance.

Pick: Arizona advances

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