I realize that your March Madness bracket was filled out before you picked up your copy of this fine publication. Here are some of the thoughts I came up with while filling out my bracket.
Keep in mind that March Madness always gives us unpredictability and magical moments. We’ve seen a No. 16 seed beat a No. 1 seed twice. We’ve seen double-digit seeds reach the Final Four. We’ve seen buzzer-beaters. It’s difficult to predict what unlikely outcomes we will witness during the next three weeks.
I have a feeling North Carolina will win at least a couple of games in the tourney. The only team that has beaten them over the past few weeks is Duke.
I think perennial powers UConn and Kansas will both be eliminated this weekend. Kansas has won at least one game in their last 17 tournament appearances. I don’t see them winning two this weekend. They enter as a No. 7 seed, their worst since the streak began. Momentum is not in their favor. The Jayhawks have five losses in their nine games. Look for a disappointing finish against Arkansas. It has to be especially disappointing since Kansas started the season ranked number one in the nation.
The Huskies are back-to-back defending national champions and winners of 12 consecutive tournament games. But I am looking for those streaks to come to an end with the Huskies facing Oklahoma in the opening round.
I know that 14 SEC teams made the field. I am looking for half of them to lose in the first two rounds. Top seeds like Auburn, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee will be fine, but its the rest that will struggle. There’s no doubt the SEC will likely have the most teams left by the second round, but they will take a hit early on.
I have a feeling that Gonzaga’s Sweet 16 streak will come to an end this year. The Zags have won their first two games of March Madness in each of the past nine years. I think they are going down to either Georgia in the first round or Houston in the second round. If Gonzaga can get past the first round, likely waiting will be No. 1 seed Houston. The Cougars play elite defense that can limit Gonzaga’s high-scoring offense, and for the first time in a decade, the Zags head home early.
Last year, Connecticut broke a streak of 15 consecutive tournaments where the top overall seed failed to win the national title. This year, Auburn is the top seed by comfortably winning the SEC regular-season title. The resume certainly looks like a national championship team. However, Auburn has struggled recently. It looks like teams finally figured out how to attack the Tigers and they lost three of their last four games. I see the Tigers surviving the first weekend but are unable to advance to the Final Four.
Let me close with some more SEC thoughts. I do not think the tourney winner will come from the SEC. I like either Houston out of the Big 12 or Duke out of the ACC.
