Conference championships claimed. Bids stolen. Selections made. The field is set. Once again, the best postseason in all of sports has returned, and this March should feature plenty of madness once again.
Thirty-two teams will play on Thursday, and 32 more will play the following day. There really isn’t anything comparable to the NCAA Tournament, with games starting before lunch and ending after many are already in bed at night. That, along with the numerous upsets and potential Cinderella stories – which I’ll throw darts at a dartboard for later – are what make the event so compelling for even the most casual viewer.
Before we go on, I am not going to claim to be an expert on college basketball – far from it. I pay attention to a lot of what the actual experts say, but I cannot say I’m anything other than a casual college basketball viewer until March.
One thing that I have been keyed in on in terms of college basketball this season is the debate on whether or not the NCAA Tournament should expand beyond 68 teams or not. Personally, I think the move from 64 to 68 was a tad unnecessary, as the First Four round in Dayton, Ohio is largely missable. Besides, the games are between the final four at-large bids and four mid-major conference champions. Put me in the camp of believing conference champions deserve a guaranteed spot in the Round of 64.
The main part of the equation is who would fill the extra spots. Would it go to deserving mid-major teams who had great regular seasons but fell just short of winning their conference tournament? Or would more spots go to teams from power conferences who hovered around a .500 record throughout the season. I think we already know the answer.
While it stands to reason that a team like Indiana State out of the Missouri Valley Conference would have easily been in under expansion, there’s part of me that harbors that ill-will towards the players instead of the game – meaning, blame the committee. Power conference teams like Virginia clearly shouldn’t have gone dancing over teams like St. John’s or Providence from the Big East as well as the MVC’s Sycamores, but expanding the tournament would only keep the same problems while bloating the field.
It makes sense that the NCAA would want to add more teams to the tournament considering that March Madness is the institution’s big money-maker, but talks of upping the field to 90-something teams is a bit rich for my blood.
But let’s enjoy this year’s tournament, as it will no doubt once again provide hours upon hours of workday entertainment that lasts long throughout the evening. You don’t have to be an expert or a genius to understand it, as there has never been a documented perfect bracket before. With that in mind, here are some of my picks:
Will the shoe fit?
There are a few double-digit seeds that I’m picking to advance in the first round, but, unfortunately, I don’t see a world where we see a UMBC or Fairleigh Dickinson type upset in a 16-seed over 1-seed fashion. I do, however, subscribe to the popular theory that a 12-seed will top a 5-seed, as this has occurred a total of 53 times since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Two teams that I look at that fit this criteria are McNeese, who faces Gonzaga, and UAB, who faces San Diego State. Gonzaga has long been a fixture of the tournament, advancing to the Final Four and beyond numerous times this century, and the Aztecs of San Diego State were the runners-up last season. However, I feel like UAB and McNeese are well-coached and primed to make a run, perhaps to the Sweet Sixteen. I have both teams advancing.
Another potential upset I’m looking at is Duquesne over BYU in the first round, as the Dukes appear to have gained some momentum heading into the tournament. With the news of their coach retiring at season’s end, Duquesne advancing would make for a great story.
This doesn’t qualify as an upset according to Vegas, but 11-seeded New Mexico has a strong chance to take down sixth-seeded Clemson.
The Final Four
A lot of 1 seeds here, sure, but tournaments like the 2023 edition don’t come around that often. I have top-seeded UConn, Purdue, North Carolina and third-seeded Kentucky, taking down top-seeded Houston in the process, advancing to Phoenix, Ariz. for the Final Four.
And the winner is…
It’s almost become a running joke about how frequently Purdue chokes during March Madness. But if you remember, what happened to Virginia the year after they became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed? They won the national championship. What happened to Purdue last year in the tournament? Are you catching my drift?
Zach Edey, a top big man, has been one of the best players in the country, period. I think he’ll lead the Boilermakers to their first national championship victory in school history.
