The NCAA Selection Committee has chosen the field of 68 teams to participate in the NCAA men’s basketball championship tournament, but as people prepare to fill out their brackets, some of them are questioning the teams chosen as the No. 1 seeds.
There were six teams vying for four potential spots, and Louisville, Kansas, Gonzaga and Indiana beat out Duke and Miami (Fla.) for the top spots in the bracket. Regardless of where teams are seeded, they are ready to play; this is sure to be an exciting tournament. Here are my picks for the Final Four:
Midwest
As we look ahead to the beginning of the tournament, it is clear that the Midwest region is the toughest of them all; it boasts four perennial title contenders in Louisville, Duke, Michigan State and Oklahoma State.
Other notable teams include Oklahoma State and Creighton, which will try to ride its superstars’ backs in Marcus Smart of the Cowboys and Doug McDermott of the Jays all the way to Atlanta.
Another team to watch out for in the Midwest region is the Saint Louis Billikens, which are coming off the tragic death of their legendary coach, Rick Majerus, and have been on an emotional roller coaster ride throughout the season. Saint Louis will be emotionally ready and look to win this one for their late coach.
I see no way that Duke, Michigan State and Louisville will fall before the Sweet Sixteen, but a potential powerhouse matchup in the regional semifinals between the Blue Devils and the Spartans will eliminate one of those teams.
Louisville could face an upset in the Sweet Sixteen if it faces Oklahoma State, as the Cowboys have the speed and athleticism to break Rick Pitino’s trademark press. Phil Forte beyond the arch, along with the athletic backcourt tandem of Markel Brown and Smart, will be a tough matchup for the Cardinals.
The Blue Devils will climb on the backs of their three seniors Seth Curry, Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly and fight their way through the Midwest to take down top-seeded Louisville or the five seed Oklahoma State in the Regional Final.
West
The West region appears to be the easiest road to the Final Four as Gonzaga, which went 31-2 in a weak conference during the regular season, is the one seed.
At the three seed, there is another non-power-six-conference member in New Mexico coming out of the Mountain West , posting a 29-5 record.
As there is not much firepower in this region, this as an easy opportunity to make it to the Final Four for the two seed Ohio State Buckeyes. There is a likely upset brewing in the round of 32 if Pittsburgh makes it past Wichita State in the first round; they have the rebounding big men to match up with Kelly Olynyk and the Zags, possibly taking them down.
South
This region is a bit unpredictable just like the one seed in this region. Kansas has gone through stretches this season where they looked like the best team in the country, but there is the concerning three-game mid-season losing streak that included a loss to an awful TCU team. The Jayhawks do have a tough and athletic in-out combination with Jeff Withey and potential No. 1 draft pick Ben Mclemore.
The two seed, Georgetown, will be looking to take advantage of Kansas’s weaknesses, but the Hoyas will face a challenge of their own in the first round. They will take on a Florida Gulf Coast team that has been improving rapidly throughout the season and has been pegged as a dangerous team in the tournament, maybe deserving of a 14 or 13 seed instead of a 15.
Frankly, this region is impossible to predict, and I see this as an opportunity for Michigan to earn back the respect they lost after the departure of the fab five. They will most likely take on Georgetown in the regional final, as Florida has some concerning losses including one to Arkansas on the road.
Look for Michigan to win this region and return to the Final Four for the first time since the end of the Fab Five era.
East
This is probably the second toughest region in the bracket behind the Midwest, as the east includes the likes of Indiana, Miami, Marquette and Syracuse. Expect those four to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Although Indiana fell in the Big 10 Tournament, it looks like a tough team to take down in the tournament. With the senior leadership of Jordan Halls and Christian Wattford, along with the star power of Cody Zeller, Victor Oladipo and Yogi Ferell, the Hoosiers look poised to make a run all the way to the Final Four.
Indiana does have a potential upset in the second round, as it could face an inconsistent but extremely dangerous and talented N.C. State squad. The Wolfpack began the season among the top teams in the country and is a team to watch in this year’s tournament.
Miami has been impressive this season but has not been playing well as of late, and it does not match up well with Indiana’s Oladipo on the perimeter. It will most likely be Indiana and Miami in the final, and it is most likely that Indiana will win this region.
Ultimately, Indiana will advance through this region and move on to the Final Four.