Let the madness begin! It's finally here. March madness is upon us once again, and so is the stressful process of trying to pick that perfect bracket. So, here's a little assistance if you're having difficulty determining where this year's upsets will occur.
1. Gonzaga- Located in the inexplicably accommodating Southeast region, America's former Cinderella team has a legitimate shot at surprising a couple teams in route to a Sweet 16 bid. As a 11 seed, they play an incredibly inconsistent and inexperienced St. John's squad. The loss of D.J. Kennedy in the Big East Tournament makes them somewhat susceptible as well. Kennedy was not only their third leading scorer, but also one of the few upperclassmen on a very young team.
If they are able to escape that initial matchup, they would then face the winner of BYU and Wofford. Assuming that that the 3 seed, BYU, comes out on top, they are also a very vulnerable team who has also recently lost on their best players. Brandon Davies was controversially excused from the team after violating the school's honor code. He was their leading rebounder, shot-blocker and third leading scorer. BYU has struggled to maintain any sort of consistency on the offensive and defensive ends of the court since his dismissal.
2. Michigan State- Also found in the Southeast region, this 10 seed owned an early season top ten ranking and was considered a veritable threat for the national championship at one point. Inconsistent play and discipline issues have plagued them throughout the course of the entire season, but they are loaded with talent and have a caoch in Tom Izzo who thrives in this tournament. Their first round matchup with UCLA is not an overly difficult opponent, and a victory over the seventh seeded Bruins would not come at too much of a surprise.
Projecting ahead to the next round, they will most likely be pitted against the Florida Gators. No stranger to deep tournament runs themselves, Florida won back-to-back championships just a few seasons ago. As a two seed, they are considered highly over-valued considering they were not even able to win the SEC title, which was uncharacteristically weak this year. Florida has a very experienced squad, but their guard play is suspect and that is something that usually is the difference between success and failure this time of year. Michigan State's strong suit is their back court with senior guards Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers.
3. Utah State- Sensing a trend in the Southeast region, this 12 seed has a formidable opponent in the first round against Kansas State. Kansas State is a team who had very high preseason aspirations who underachieved for most of the year, but has come on late. Ironically enough, Utah State is actually ranked ahead of Kansas State in the AP polls. Utah State is currently ranked #19 in the country and K State is at #21. Utah State has compiled a record of 30-3 this year and will hope to carry their tremendous season into the Sweet 16 and possible beyond.
If they are able to edge the Wildcats in round one, their second-round opponent, will be the winner of the Wisconsin/Belmont contest. Wisconsin, the four seed, will be considered the favorites to move on, but either would be a favorable matchup for Utah State. Wisconsin struggles mightily on the offensive end. In the Big 10 semi-finals, they only managed to put up 33 points in a loss to Penn State. Belmont, also a upset favorite, could move on against the offensively-challenged Badgers which would create a mid-major battle for a spot in the Sweet 16.
4. Missouri- Finally able to break away from the Southeast, the Tigers are the 11 seed in the West region. Matched up against the Cincinnati Bearcats (6 seed) in the first round, their aggressive style of play and relentless full-court defensive pressure could cause their opponents fits. Cincinnati has also struggled to maintain any consistency in a brutal Big East Conference and the experience that might be required to defeat a team like Missouri, is certainly not their forte.
A game with the UConn seems inevitable if they were advance. The third-seeded Huskies are an incredibly skilled bunch who have one of the best point guards and play makers in the entire country. Kemba Walker is beast and has the ability to single-handedly put the team on his back and take a game over. However, they just completed a grueling 5 games in 5 days Big East tournament, which they won, and the potential negative effect of that stretch remains to be seen. Jim Calhoun is one of the best coaches the tournament has, but the fatigue factor might be too much to overcome, especially against a team that will press for an entire 40 minutes.
5. Richmond- A relatively unknown team, the Richmond Spiders are the 12 seed in the Southwest region. A surprisingly tough A-10 conference boasts three teams in this year's tournament. The Spiders are the lowest seeded of the three teams, but have a decent matchup with the fifth-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores. Coming out of a very weak SEC Conference, Vanderbilt struggled down the stretch losing three of their final five games with their three losses coming against tournament teams and their two victories came against non-tourney opponents.
Provided they can pull off their opening round upset, the most likely scenario would have them facing the four seed, Louisville. The Louisville Cardinals are another team rising from the powerful Big East Conference. Although their run in the Big East tournament wasn't quite as demanding as Uconn's, they still played three games in three days with one of them going onto overtime. Therefore, if Richmond can capitalize on some potentially tired legs, they could be another upset special waiting to happen.
Hurry up and make those last-minute alterations so you can beat those office pool deadlines. Best of luck to everyone and enjoy the most exciting two weeks of collegiate athletics!
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