Attention sports fans, it is now March. The month for which we can all get out of our zombie like state and start living again. The time when March madness rolls in and Baseball is creeping up behind us.
Ah yes, March.
On the eve of the "real" first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, there are many questions in the air yet to be answered. They will in fact be answered over the next three weeks, despite the uncertainty of which teams will prevail.
If there is one thing we know, it is this: Go ahead and fill out your bracket but don’t listen to anybody, especially me. While it is a joyous occasion each year, predicting this tournament is a futile exercise.
Can Wichita State go 40-0?
The Shockers are entering the tourney as an undefeated #1 seed. The committee granted them a #1 seed, but also sent a stern message. They said this: Sure you deserve a #1 seed, but it’s not going to be a picnic.
Defending Champion Louisville, Duke and Michigan are all in the Midwest Bracket along with Wichita St. The controversy begins and ends with Louisville being named a #4 seed. Right now according to Vegas, the Cardinals are the fourth favorite in the entire tournament to win the title, The Sporting News. This means they’re actually projected to be one of the four #1 seeds, but they’re not. To everybody’s disbelief, the committee named them a four, and by doing so, completely un-balanced the brackets making the Midwest the toughest by far.
Wichita St. will have their hands full as a potential Sweet-16 match-up looms against Louisville. Many feel the reason for this unbalance was due to the weaker conference in which the Shockers reside. The Missouri Valley Conference is not one of the big boys. While the undefeated record is impressive, skepticism runs wild when thinking about this team and their chances.
Which Michigan State team will show up?
Michigan St. Head Coach Tom Izzo is a brilliant tournament coach. Very few can match-up with this guy. The second preseason favorite (behind Kentucky) to cut the nets down in April 2014 were the Spartans. But mild disappointment followed.
The Spartans were hit hard with injuries all season. Star players Adreian Payne and Branden Dawson missed significant time during the season, and the team hit a rough patch (losing 7 of 12 games), according to ESPN.com. However the real Michigan St. team (without those injuries) has been almost un-beatable this year, along with winning the Big 10 Championship against Michigan. Couple that with Tom Izzo’s six career Final-Four appearances, and we have a very dangerous team on our hands.
Can Sean Miller final lead Arizona to Final Four?
Arizona Wildcats Head Coach Sean Miller has not gotten there yet. He’s come close, but hasn't delivered. 2014 could be the Wildcats best chance. In five seasons at the University, Miller has taken his team to the dance three times.
Why will it be different in 2014? Well if we call the Midwest the bracket of beasts, then the South Bracket (where Arizona resides) is the land of cupcakes. Many feel this very talented Arizona team has a straight shot to the Elite 8. That’s where they’ll potentially face one of the weaker #2 seeds in the Wisconsin Badgers.
Final Four Predictions
South Bracket: #2 Kansas defeats #1 Florida
East Bracket: #4 Michigan St. defeats #3 Iowa St.
West Bracket: #1 Arizona defeats #6 Baylor
Midwest Bracket: #4 Louisville defeats #2 Michigan
Final Four: #4 Michigan St defeats #2 Kansas / #4 Louisville defeats #1 Arizona
Championship: #4 Louisville defeats #4 Michigan St, as Head Coach Rick Pitino wins his third National Championship, and second straight.
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