When filling out bracket, who should you pick?
If you’re like most people, you probably didn’t count on a No. 8 seed reaching the national title game last year — or a No. 15 seed making it to the Elite Eight. Thank you North Carolina and Saint Peter’s, who made sure there’s nowhere to go but up trying to pick a winning bracket in 2023.
This season, of course, picking the March Madness bracket comes with its own set of potential pitfalls. How do you account for injuries at Houston and UCLA? Can defending champ Kansas make another run after losing handily in the Big 12 Tournament final? Is this the year you can trust the Big Ten?
Here’s one way to go with the bracket:
South region First Four Texas A&M Corpus Christi over Southeast Missouri State.
First round winners Alabama, West Virginia, San Diego State, Virginia, Creighton, Baylor, Utah State and Arizona.
Maryland was terrific at home this season and not very good on the road. At a neutral site, the Terrapins get a tough first-round matchup against a West Virginia team ranked 17th by Ken Pomeroy.
Second round winners Alabama, Virginia, Baylor, Arizona.
The seeds hold in round two. Alabama should have an advantage playing in Birmingham. Regional semifinal winners Alabama, Baylor.
Virginia seems like the ideal group to slow down a run-and-gun team like Alabama, but first the Cavaliers have to get past the first round, which is never a certainty. Regional champion Alabama.
The Crimson Tide play fast and shoot a lot of threes, and they’re also one of the top defensive teams in the country. Turnovers could be an issue, but they have enough different ways to win.
East region
First Four Texas Southern over Fairleigh Dickinson.
First round winners Purdue, Memphis, Duke, Tennessee, Providence, Kansas State, Southern California, Marquette.
At times this season the Big Ten felt like Purdue and about 11 bubble teams. That holds true in the first round of this region.
Second round winners Purdue, Tennessee, Kansas State, Marquette.
Tennessee-Duke is a marquee second-round matchup between two of the better offensive rebounding teams around. Regional semifinal winners Tennessee, Marquette.
Zakai Zeigler’s injury will catch up with the Volunteers eventually, but first they oust Purdue.
Regional champion Marquette.
The Golden Eagles will force turnovers, and unlike some teams in the past, this is an efficient group offensively.
Midwest region First Four Mississippi State over Pittsburgh.
First round winners Houston, Iowa, Drake, Kent State, Mississippi State, Xavier, Texas A&M, Texas.
Drake will be a popular upset pick after rolling through the Missouri Valley Tournament.
Second round winners Houston, Drake, Mississippi State, Texas. Texas is trying to follow in the footsteps of Steve Fisher’s 1989 Michigan team, which won the national title under an interim coach. Regional semifinal winners Houston, Mississippi State.
Yes, if this comes to fruition, Houston could make the Final Four by beating three double-digit seeds in four games.
Regional champion Houston. Houston is the best team in this region. West region
First Four Nevada over Arizona
State.
First round winners Kansas, Illinois, Saint Mary’s, UConn, TCU, Gonzaga, Northwestern, UCLA.
Rick Pitino vs. UConn certainly brings back some Big East memories.
Second round winners Illinois, Saint Mary’s, Gonzaga, Northwestern.
The Big Ten always seems like a polarizing league in this event, so here’s a prediction: Zero Big Ten teams reach the Elite Eight. Regional semifinal winners Saint
Mary’s, Gonzaga.
The West Coast Conference’s moment of glory. Regional champion Gonzaga. The Zags come into this tournament on a roll and without the huge expectations of seasons past. Final four Semifinal winners Alabama, Houston.
If Alabama makes it this far, the scrutiny may be even more intense for a program that’s been in the news for a lot of the wrong reasons lately. Former Alabama player Darius Miles and another man have been indicted on capital murder charges for the January shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris. A police investigator testified last month that Miles texted Crimson Tide star Brandon Miller to bring him his gun that night. Miller has not been charged and has continued to play.
Houston-Gonzaga would be a fascinating matchup, but the Zags still aren’t great defensively. The Cougars are the more well-rounded team.
So that would set up an AlabamaHouston title game, with the Crimson Tide happy to push the tempo and the Cougars perfectly comfortable in a rock fight.
The Cougars are good enough defensively to beat the Crimson Tide, and 40 years after Phi Slama Jama’s heartbreaking loss to N.C. State in the title game, Houston wins it all.