East
- Sweet 16 Sleepers (seeded 8 or higher)
- none. I really don’t think any of the teams seeded 10 or higher have much of a chance making the Sweet 16 in this region.
- Final 4 Sleepers (seeded 4 or higher)
- none. The top of this region is just too tough.
- Regional Final Prediction
- North Carolina 83, Tennessee 75 - UNC takes advantage of playing in it’s home state, and moves on to the Final 4. Easy region, in my opinion.
Midwest
- Sweet 16 Sleepers
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- 10 Davidson - gritty team, played a very tough early season schedule, could prove awfully tough for the Hoyas.
- 11 Kansas State - Michael Beasley, games being played in nearby Omaha. Extremely reasonable to see them in the Sweet 16.
- 12 Villanova - Power conference team can be awfully good when knocking down 3’s. Bad calls proved costly during the season, otherwise this team is seeded higher.
- 13 Siena - In my opinion, this is the most legitimate chance for an upset by a 13+ seeded team. They pass well, shoot well, and take care of the basketball. Weakness is their size, but they won’t face “big” teams until the Sweet 16
- Final Four Sleepers
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- 5 Clemson - On the one hand, they could lose in the first round to Villanova. On the other hand, when that press is working, they can beat anybody in the nation. This team is the essence of risk/reward in picking your brackets.
- Regional Final Prediction
- Wisconsin 67, Kansas 64 - By far this is the most difficult region to pick. You can make a case for so many of these teams making the Final 4. You can make a case for so many of the 10-13 seeds advancing deep into the tournament. My gut says Wisconsin, a strong defensive team that dominated the Big Ten this year, and, perhaps, feels a big slighted by the committee for only receiving a 3 seed. Kansas often seems to underachieve as a 1 seed in the tournament. The Badgers are the pick.
South
- Sweet 16 Sleepers
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- 12 Temple - Won this years toughest “mid major” conference, playing extremely well at the end of the season. A tough road though as both Michigan State and Pittsburgh are tough opponents.
- Final Four Sleepers
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- 4 Pittsburgh - This team has the talent and defensive tenacity to beat Memphis and take it all the way to the Final 4.
- Regional Final Prediction
- Memphis 83, Texas 77 - Ultimately I believe this region will be all chalk. Memphis could, however, be done in either by free throws, or the fact that the regional final will be in Texas.
West
- Sweet 16 Sleepers
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- 12 Western Kentucky - I love their first round matchup with Drake, and they could certainly provide a lot of trouble for UConn in round 2. Watch out for the Hilltoppers.
- Final Four Sleepers
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- 7 West Virginia - Bob Huggins has gotten this team to play some great defense this year. I like them to upset Duke, and at least get to the regional final…
- Regional Final Prediction
- UCLA 55, West Virginia 50 - In the end though, UCLA is the best team in this region. Collison and Love make an amazing inside out combo.
Final Four
- Semifinal Predictions
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North Carolina 65, Wisconsin 63 - In an extremely tough game, Hansbrough wills the Heels to victory.
UCLA 76, Memphis 70 - Free throws, free throws, free throws. UCLA knows this, and will exploit it. - Championship Game
- UCLA 75, North Carolina 72 - In a classic game, the Bruins knock off the Tar Heels.
