I predict every game in March Madness, including the champion
So ... you do realize the Final Four is in Houston this year, right?
That hasn't escaped the attention of a lot of basketball fans, I'd imagine, in a massive city that is very much behind their powerhouse program. If the Cougars get to the Final Four, it'll be a party, and they'll be difficult to handle.
I figure home-court advantage in the biggest game of the season is enough to favor an outstanding team to win the whole thing. But Houston is no lock. No one is a lock. This is a particularly wideopen and difficult-to-project tournament. Many of the sport's blue-chip staples aren't safe bets, leaving some spots to be filled by teams like Houston. Or Alabama. Or Purdue. Or Creighton.
I took my shot at March Madness predictions and got a little chalky in the process, but my usual disclaimer is highlighted and underlined in 2023.
This NCAA Tournament bracket is anyone's guess. Really.
First Four: And off they go
h (11) Pitt over (11) Mississippi State h (11) Nevada over (11) Arizona State h (16) Texas A&m-corpus Christi over (16) SE Missouri State
h (16) Fairleigh Dickinson over (16) Texas Southern
South Region Round of 64: Avoiding upsets
(1) Alabama over (16) Texas A&MCCH h (8) Maryland over (9) West Virginia h (5) San Diego State over (12) Charleston h (4) Virginia over (13) Furman h (6) Creighton over (11) NC State h (3) Baylor over (14) Uc-santa Barbara h (10) Utah State over (7) Missouri h (2) Arizona over (15) Princeton
Round of 32: Watch out for the Aggies
h (1) Alabama over (8) Maryland h (4) Virginia over (5) San Diego State h (6) Creighton over (3) Baylor h (10) Utah State over (2) Arizona
Sweet 16: Cavs fall just short
h (1) Alabama over (4) Virginia h (6) Creighton over (10) Utah State
Elite Eight: Tide keeps rolling
h (1) Alabama over (6) Creighton
East Region Round of 64: Memphis gets upset
h (1) Purdue over (16) FDU h (9) Florida Atlantic over (8) Memphis h (5) Duke over (12) Oral Roberts h (4) Tennessee over (13) Louisiana h (6) Kentucky over (11) Providence h (3) Kansas State over (14) Montana State
h (7) Michigan State over (10) Southern Cal
h (2) Marquette over (15) Vermont
Round of 32: Duke over Tennessee
h (1) Purdue over (9) Florida Atlantic h (5) Duke over (4) Tennessee h (6) Kentucky over (3) Kansas State h (2) Marquette over (7) Michigan State
Sweet 16: So long, blue bloods
h (1) Purdue over (5) Duke h (2) Marquette over (6) Kentucky
Elite Eight: Boiling over
h (1) Purdue over (2) Marquette
Midwest Region Round of 64: Hello, Drake
h (1) Houston over (16) Northern Kentucky h (8) Iowa over (9) Auburn h (12) Drake over (5) Miami h (4) Indiana over (13) Kent State h (6) Iowa State over (11) Pitt h (3) Xavier over (14) Kennesaw State h (7) Texas A&M over (10) Penn State h (2) Texas over (15) Colgate
Round of 32: Texas loses to a rival
h (1) Houston over (8) Iowa h (12) Drake over (4) Indiana h (3) Xavier over (6) Iowa State h (7) Texas A&M over (2) Texas
Sweet 16: Cinderella runs into Houston
h (1) Houston over (12) Drake h (3) Xavier over (7) Texas A&M
Elite Eight: Heading back home
h (1) Houston over (3) Xavier
West Region
Round of 64: Not quite for Pitino's Iona
h (1) Kansas over (16) Howard h (8) Arkansas over (9) Illinois h (5) St. Mary's over (12) VCU h (4) Uconn over (13) Iona h (11) Nevada over (6) TCU h (3) Gonzaga over (14) Grand Canyon
h (7) Northwestern over (10) Boise State
h (2) UCLA over (15) UNC Asheville
Round of 32: Uconn bows out
h (1) Kansas over (8) Arkansas h (5) St. Mary's over (4) Uconn h (3) Gonzaga over (11) Nevada h (2) UCLA over (7) Northwestern
Sweet 16: Gonzaga win a big-time battle
h (1) Kansas over (5) St. Mary's h (3) Gonzaga over (2) UCLA
Elite Eight: So long, Kansas
h (3) Gonzaga over (1) Kansas
Final Four: Alabama takes over
h Alabama over Purdue h Houston over Gonzaga