March Madness is arguably the biggest college sports event of the year, where 64 of the best college basketball programs are split into four divisions and selected to play in a long tournament lasting two and a half weeks, where we see top programs, underdogs and the best part, Cinderella teams make a run at being crowned national champion.
Half of the first-round games will be played on Thursday, March 21, and the other half will be played on Friday, March 22. Hundreds of thousands of college basketball fans will fill out their brackets in the hope of being the first in history to guess the entire tournament perfectly. Luckily, I have that perfect bracket.
Starting with No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Michigan State: In the battle of the MSU’s, Mississippi State is prone to give up a good amount of scoring runs without any of their own, and Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo and the Spartans become another team in March. Give me Michigan State to move on.
Next is No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Duquesne: BYU is under-seeded, and Duquesne is over-seeded, which leads to me leaning BYU. Many believe an upset is possible, but BYU’s pace of play and success is near perfect. The Cougars move on.
No. 3 Creighton vs. No. 14 Akron: Creighton was pretty much one play away from the final four last season, and their team is suited for another long run in March. Creighton beats Akron and advances.
No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 15 Long Beach State: Arizona outmatches Long Beach State substantially, as they play faster and tend to succeed much more because of it. Arizona moves on.
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Wagner: The Wagner Seahawks beat Howard in a First Four matchup, but they won’t get passed North Carolina, and UNC will handle business easily and move onto the round of 32.
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Morehead State: Illinois just won the Big Ten, and their pace and ball security will help them cruise onto the round of 32 with a win against Morehead State.
No. 6 South Carolina vs. No. 11 Oregon: Both of these teams are fairly even, and Oregon could’ve been a much higher seed after winning the final PAC-12 championship. I think they stay hot and barely edge out the Gamecocks to move on to round two.
No. 7 Dayton vs. No. 10 Nevada: Almost all Mountain West teams are undervalued in the tournament. Nevada plays to the level of Dayton and is the better team in more aspects. Nevada upsets Dayton to move onto the second round.
No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Colorado State: Colorado State defeated Virginia in the first four to earn a spot in the tournament, but Texas is a team that is built for success in the tournament. Texas wins and moves on.
No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Oakland: Kentucky’s star freshman guard Rob Dillingham is a stud and fun to watch, and he will lead the Wildcats to a quick win against Oakland and move on.
No. 5 Gonzaga vs. No. 12 McNeese: McNeese is arguably the team with the biggest Cinderella potential, as they are one of four teams in the nation who won more than 30 games this year. They excel from three, and they are an elite team in the turnover battle. Give me McNeese to shockingly upset the Zags.
No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 South Dakota State: If this was a football game, SDSU would have a possible chance of an upset, but the red-hot Iowa State Cyclones will win this game.
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Saint Peter’s: Saint Peter’s was the first-ever 15 seed to make the Elite Eight back in 2022, but this year’s team is not even near the same team they were two years ago. The SEC champs will win easily, led by SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht.
No. 6 Texas Tech vs. No. 11 NC State: NC State just finished a fantastic run in the ACC tournament, winning five games in five days, but their run ends here, as Texas Tech is the better team and will move on.
No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Samford: Samford’s offense has coined them the term “Bucky Ball” and is a serious Cinderella contender. With the addition of Kansas’s top scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. ruled out, I am picking the upset and Samford moves on to face McNeese in a 12/13 matchup.
No. 7 Washington State vs. No. 10 Drake: Idaho’s neighboring school faces off in a tough matchup against Drake who has a very high ceiling. Drake’s offense is ranked higher than Washington State, and both teams’ turnover rates are similar, so Drake will pull off the upset and take down WSU.
Bryce Norwood can be reached at [email protected]
Robert Kamnikar
50%. Not very good. Sorry