ATLANTA, GA – It’s finally March Madness again, which is the best time of the year for sports. And this year looks to be just as great as the past. The four Number 1 seeds for this year’s tournament are the Louisville Cardinals, Kansas Jayhawks, Indiana Hoosiers, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Out of my Final Four To Bank On, only one is from those Number 1 seeds. We’ll get to that in an minute.
First, let’s look at the four Dark Horses I picked two weeks ago; Syracuse, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Temple. Minnesota and Temple were on the bubble, Syracuse and Wisconsin were locks. They all made it in, though. (Hope you made some money). Of the four, look for Syracuse and Wisconsin to do the most damage – the other two got less favorable draws. At the very least, all four making The Dance gives you reason to keep reading, right? With that, here is the Final Four To Bank On:
MIDWEST (Final Four Team: #1 Louisville Cardinals) I have been high on the Cardinals all season. Since they are the # 1 overall seed, they received one of the more favorable draws of the 68 teams. The two teams that pose a threat to the Big East Champs are Michigan State and St. Louis. #2 Duke is not a team the Cardinals should be worried about – in my opinion. In all honesty, Duke could even lose their first game against the America East Conference Champs… the Albany St. Great Danes. Hey, it’s happened before. Louisville will face Michigan State in the Elite Eight, winning in a low scoring defensive battle.
SOUTH (Final Four Team: #2 Georgetown Hoyas) Yes, another Big East team makes the Final Four here. You’ll see a pattern. Georgetown is easily a top seed team in this year, but instead they earned a two seed in a bracket that labels Kansas the top team. This is a Kansas team we must remember that Kansas coach Bill Self declared was the worst team in school history a few weeks ago. Georgetown has one of the best players in the nation with Otto Potter Jr. who I fully believe will lead the Hoyas deep into the tournament.
EAST (Final Four Team: #4 Syracuse Orange) Before everyone attacks me, hear me out first. With Syracuse’s run in the Big East Tournament, I feel that this team has their confidence back from earlier this season. The Orange were able to defeat not only Pittsburgh but Georgetown as well and should have beat Louisville after getting out to a 13-point lead at halftime. This year the Orange have defeated multiple top teams this year in Louisville, Georgetown, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and San Diego State. In order to reach the Final Four the Orange will have to get by Indiana which could be a tall task and possible too much for this Orange squad, but if James Sutherland can find his three-point stroke like he did in the Big East Tournament this team can go all the way.
WEST (Final Four Team: #2 Ohio State) I do not like Gonzaga going to the Final Four, so we’ll kill that there. The best team they beat this year was Kansas State, a four seed. How can we say they’ll reach the Final Four if they haven’t played anyone good this year. I see the Zags getting knocked out in the Sweet Sixteen by Wisconsin and in a rematch of the B1G Championship, I see Ohio State reaching the Final Four.
National Championship: Syracuse 66 – Louisville 63 The ‘CUSE get their revenge from the disappointing second half of the Big East Championship game.
That’s it… Please leave your comments below and come back tomorrow for Evan “Pickles” Achiron.
