Ncaa Bracket Predictions

Smart Predictions For Round 2's Most Intriguing Matchups

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Sorry, Duke Is Going To Win It All

... the opposite. They play slow, boring games, but it works. SMU-Baylor in the Second Round was probably the toughest call, so my Baylor pick was strategic more than anything. I know SMU could lose to Providence or USC in the First Round, so I might as well hedge my bets and pick Baylor to beat them the next game anyway. Then there’s Villanova-Duke in the Elite Eight. A Madison Square Garden special. A game I can’t wait to attend if the basketball gods allow it to happen. Flip a coin in that one, but I’m going with the team that impressed me the most during Championship Week. This region will be even chalkier than the East (I promise, things will get crazy on the other half of the bracket). I love picking big upsets, but there were none here that I could pull the trigger on. I guess that’s the whole point of an upset — they’re unexpected. If you’re looking to ...

These Tournament Upset Picks Could Incite March Madness

... be March Madness without a few tournament upsets. To help keep your 2017 NCAA Tournament bracket somewhat intact, Sporting News college basketball writer Mike De Courcy offers up his picks for the upsets and sleeper teams to watch out for in each region. Bonus: Check out each region preview linked below for Final Four picks and star players to watch. NCAA bracket predictions. Upset alerts. East Region : No. 12 UNC Wilmington over No. 5 Virginia. In addition to the very cool nickname of “Seahawks” – how many Wildcats do we need, people? – Wilmington has a terrific offense with four double-figure scorers led by guard C. J. Bryce and 3-point rifleman Denzel Ingram, who is top-20 in the nation in 3-pointers made. They’ve never seen anything like the Virginia defense, but they’re good enough to make this happen. South Region : No. 13 Winthrop over No. 4 Butler. For the Bulldogs, this is the highest seed in program history; they used to be the team pulling these kinds of upsets. ...

Why Villanova Will Repeat

... six seed awaiting the winner of a First Four game, the Mustangs somehow found a way to lose on a Bryce Alford airball. Tim Jankovich won’t let history repeat itself, and SMU also will pick off a Baylor team that’s been pretty average for the last four or five weeks. Overseeded South Carolina vs. Marquette might be the biggest dud game of the first round, which means Duke walks to the second weekend and then takes care of Shake Milton and company to set up the regional final we all want to see. The Blue Devils’ memorable March run ends there, however, as ‘Nova reminds everyone why it’s both the defending champ and the top overall team in this tournament. WEST REGION. There’s been so much talk in recent months about this being “the year” for Northwestern. That came to fruition, and so will the talk of this being “the year” for Sean Miller. Miller knew that his team would be better for the long run with the return of Allonzo Trier, who missed the first 18 games of the season under some bizarre circumstances. That’s exactly how it’s played out, with the Wildcats suffering through a couple of disjointed weeks immediately following Trier’s return and now rounding into ...

8 Reasonable March Madness Picks That Will Make Your Bracket Stand Out In A Pool

... in the Sweet 16. Jim Brown, USA TODAY Sports. Still, if you want to go with a No. 9 in the Sweet 16, why not choose the first team with 15 losses ever selected as an at-large? Vanderbilt is a bizarrely dangerous team that is 7-2 in its last nine, and the opposition seems pretty favorable: Northwestern in its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, followed by Gonzaga having not played a power conference team since December. 6. Gonzaga winning it all. On the other hand, no one seems to believe in the Zags. And why not? This is the team with the best record in the country, ranked No. 1 by Sagarin AND Ken Pom , with the biggest threat in its region being a team it already beat. Yes, the Bulldogs (that’s their real nickname, in case you forgot) play in a bad conference, but that shouldn’t exclude them from being taken seriously. 7. SMU in the Elite Eight. David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports. ...

Every First-round Game Analyzed

... not be the best time for that sort of thing. Only two top-ranked teams have ended up national champions in the past 21 years. Wisconsin vs. Virginia Tech: If the Hokies don’t get the Badgers in the first 40 minutes, they might not get them at all. Wisconsin has won eight overtime games in a row, seven of them on the road. The problem for the Badgers has not been overtime, but shooting. As in, lots of nights, they just can’t do it, and Virginia Tech knows defense. Curious thing about the Hokies’ stat sheet. The two leading scorers, Zach Le Day and Seth Allen, have started only five games each. Virginia vs. UNC Wilmington: UNC Wilmington scores 85 points a game. Virginia usually gives up that much in a week. But the Cavaliers are no doubt aware that the Seahawks played Duke to within eight ...

How To Pick An Ncaa Tournament Bracket Using The Four Factors Of Basketball Success

... Villanova, UNC, Kentucky, Arizona and Oregon are all within the top 12 of 4 FS. Louisiana Tech (16 th) is the only team within the top 27 which did not make the field. Before utilizing this to pick the bracket, we need to install some basic logic. To counterbalance differing levels of competition and lend some credence to the committee’s evaluation of each team and their resume, we’ll adjust the 4 FS ranking a bit based on tournament seeding. Each team gets docked eight 4 FS points per their number seed. This still allows for a fair share of upsets but maintains some level of sanity (like keeping Vermont out of the Elite 8). The eight points are a bit subjective, but it pushes the model to measure out pretty well with common sense and Ken Pom. A simple example of how this adjustment plays out: ...

March Madness Predictions To Help With All Your Bracket Needs

... of the season after running through the ACC tournament championship as the No. 5 seed. UCLA emerged as a title contender behind Lonzo Ball , but its defense is a major question mark. Arizona overcame a tidal wave of adversity to capture the Pac-12 tournament title. North Carolina looks great. until it faces Duke. Meanwhile, here’s Gonzaga, entering the tournament at 32-1. Is this the year Mark Few’s team finally breaks through to the Final Four. March is wide open once again, as it always is at its best. Last season ended on a 30-foot buzzer-beater in the national title game. What will this tournament offer? We can’t wait to find out. East regional. Villanova gets into the Sweet 16 by taking out Virginia Tech (which beats Wisconsin). Looking for a 12-5 upset? UNC-Wilmington is the pick to take out No. 5 Virginia. In fact, we’re moving UNC-Wilmington into the Sweet 16 after the Seahawks knock off Florida, too. Villanova into the Elite ...

Odds And Predictions For Top 1st-round Games

... (and anyone else who is just as stubborn) to stop doubting Michigan. The Wolverines are playing with a certain confidence and swagger that will benefit them in the high-pressure March Madness environment. No Wolverine symbolizes that confidence more than senior guard Derrick Walton Jr., who averaged 20.5 points, 6.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds during a Big Ten tournament in which Michigan outscored its four opponents by an average of 11.5 points. The problem Michigan will face is that Oklahoma State, led by sophomore point guard Juwan Evans (19.0 points and 6.2 assists per game) could potentially run and shoot them out of the gym. The Cowboys are No. 1 in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency , per Ken Pomeroy, and run at the 64 th-fastest tempo in Division I. OK State scores 86 points per game and shoots 46 percent from deep. However, Michigan can counter Oklahoma State's tempo by playing its slower-paced game (the Wolverines play at the 13 th-slowest tempo in Division I and fifth in adjusted offensive efficiency, per  ...

2017 March Madness Bracket Predictions

... The Jayhawks’ early bounce from the Big 12 tournament leaves even more time for this group, currently in the middle of concerning investigations from a few off-court incidents, to get its business in order before the time and stress demands of the NCAA Tournament. If Josh Jackson’s suspension continues, they’ll be a Final Four team. If he’s on the court, they’re winning the whole dang thing. Frank Mason III can carry this team to the edge of greatness but its the overwhelming impact of Jackson’s athleticism and versatility that can get them past a Louisville Cardinals , UNC, Kentucky Wildcats , UCLA Bruins or Duke. Elsewhere in the bracket, I’m all in for Arizona Wildcats getting to the Final Four for the first time since 2001 and first time with Sean Miller and think Villanova Wildcats won’t get a shot at becoming the first team since 2007 Florida Gators to repeat as champion. The Wildcats can manage ...