March Madness 2017
My favorite time of the year, March Madness. These next three weeks are better than the NBA’s 40 games in 40 nights. So many upsets. So many buzzer-beaters. So much madness. Here, I have my bracket. Before we begin know two things, know I am a diehard Duke Blue Devil and know Duke is the hottest, if not best team in the country right now. Coming off an ACC Championship, playing four games in four nights, and beating three top 25 teams in three nights, I can confidently support my claims.
My final four is Duke coming out the East, Arizona coming out of the West, Kansas coming out of the Midwest, and Butler coming out of the South. Duke plays Kansas in the final and wins their 6th championship in school history beating out the Jayhawks 84-76. Check out my bracket below and leave a comment!
PS. THANKS CHESS FOR PRINTING THIS BRACKET OUT FOR ME!!!
East
Wisconsin over Villanova, round of 32
Villanova is coming off an incredible season led by three seniors, but do not let the inaccurate ranking of Wisconsin fool you. Wisconsin lost in the Big 10 finals and I believe they are hungry enough to pull an upset on Villanova in the round of 32.
UVA in the Elite 8
Virginia has been a solid team all year long. Watching UVA play this season was something spectacular, they have a way of slowing down the game like I’ve never seen before. They’ve got quality wins against some of the best teams in the nation including Louisville (twice), Notre Dame, and UNC. Not to mention they lost to the defending champs, Villanova, by only two points. Oh, and they also play in the best conference in college basketball, the Atlantic Coast Conference.
West
Gonzaga losing to Notre Dame in the Sweet Sixteen
Gonzaga's record isn’t as impressive to me because of their strength of schedule. They only have 5 wins against ranked opponents this year. Notre Dame is hot after making a run at the ACC Championship and they are extremely underrated. I’m not convinced 32-1 can get the Zags past the Sweet Sixteen this year.
Midwest
The Midwestern part of my bracket is pretty straight forward. Kansas will come out on top, although watch for the Louisville and Oregon game in the Sweet Sixteen. That will be a great game. Kansas ends up one-upping Louisville in the Elite Eight, but a part of me thinks Louisville has a chance at a very unlikely upset if Deng Adel plays well and efficient. My money is on Kansas at the end of the day, though.
South
My southern bracket is where I have the most madness.
UNC loses to Seton Hall in the round of 32
CALL ME CRAZY, CALL ME BIASED, BUT THIS CAN VERY WELL HAPPEN. NOT ONLY DO I THINK THERE IS A CHANCE IT WILL HAPPEN, BUT I BELIEVE IT WILL HAPPEN. Seton Hall may be one of the hungriest teams in this tournament. March Madness sometimes isn’t about the regular season, but instead about how hot a team is heading into the tournament. Seton Hall is scorching right now. In the past month, they’ve only lost twice, to Villanova, but by two points in the Big East semifinal last Friday. During that month, Seton Hall has had wins against very good Xavier, Marquette, and Butler teams. With Angel Delgado averaging a double-double, alongside three other players who average double-digit scoring, this can be a great one if Seton Hall can get past a very tough Arkansas team.
Butler beats Kentucky to head to the Final Four
Butler is my Cinderella this year. They play in a tough conference and have 6 wins against ranked teams, including 2 over Villanova, and 1 over Arizona. I can see them slowing the pace against Kentucky (as mad as that sounds) and edging them out in a close one.