The brackets are set and the match ups have been announced. It’s time to make some picks.
Get set for your March Madness pool with our team’s complete set of picks, including our Final Four and champion picks, plus some analysis on why we did what we did. This should be more than enough to get you set to bet on a 2014 NCAA tournament champion, but if it isn’t, our compendium of experts’ predictions will be.
[sc:MarchMadness ]2014 NCAA Basketball Tournament Picks and Predictions
First Four
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Surprise entry North Carolina State should get past Xavier behind big-time scorer TJ Warren while Tennessee will take care of a slumping Iowa team. Albany and Texas Southern should also join them in the first round.
Round of 64
Atlantic 10 teams – No. 5 Saint Louis and No. 6 UMass – will have upsets awaiting them in the first round courtesy of the two First Four entries, NC State and Tennessee. No. 12 Harvard, who took down a No. 3 seed last year, looks set to bring down No. 5 Cincinnati in one of the round’s big upsets. But the biggest will be No. 13 New Mexico State over No. 4 San Diego State.
Round of 32
Get ready for some upsets, America.
We predict the big seeds begin to tumble in the Round of 32, led by two No. 2 seeds: Kansas and Villanova. Kansas is vulnerable without Joel Embiid (despite the smooth shooting Andrew Wiggins), and Villanova will run into a very strong UConn team that will be more than they can handle.
No. 3 Wisconsin will also be taking its annual early exit at the hands of No. 7 Oregon, to be followed by fellow No. 3 seeds Iowa State and Syracuse. Syracuse has been listing badly since they fell off the top of the college basketball rankings weeks ago, and they’ve not recovered.
All the No. 1 seeds will safely advance, while both Harvard and New Mexico State’s Cinderella runs will end abruptly.
Sweet 16
It had to end sometime: in the Sweet Sixteen, No. 1 Wichita State will suffer its first loss of the season to No. 4 Louisville, while the lowest-ranked No. 1 Virginia’s will end at the hands of another No. 4 in Michigan State. Sparty has gotten healthy at the right time and is going to be very tough to stop, which is why we have them advancing.
The remaining top seeds, Arizona and Florida, advance along with the Doug McDermott-powered Creighton Bluejays, UConn and surprise team New Mexico. Duke and Michigan will engage in a shootout, with the Wolverines coming out on top.
Elite 8
In a rematch of last year’s title game, Louisville once again beats Michigan. Arizona’s smothering defense finally cools off the hot shooting of McDermott and Creighton. Michigan State rolls by UConn, likewise Florida isn’t troubled by New Mexico to complete the Final Four.
Final Four
Louisville makes a shock return to the championship game by outlasting No. 1 seed Arizona with the hot, hot hand of Russ Smith. And in the meeting between championship-winning coaches Billy Donovan and Tom Izzo, Donovan’s veteran-laden squad prevails.
Championship Game
Louisville has the championship experience, plus the great Smith-Montrezl Harrell combo, but their title defense comes up just short because Florida’s vets won’t get pressured by the big stage, and their depth and defense will stifle the Cardinals’ core guys.
And with that, you’re all set to bet on college basketball from now until the nets come down on April 7th. Buckle up: if our picks are even a little close, it’s going to be wild ride.
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