This post is sponsored by Yahoo! but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
It’s that time of year again, yes the NCAA tournament is finally here and I couldn’t be more excited about it. I’ve been following college basketball for about 30 years and this has been one crazy season with so many teams claiming that top spot throughout the year. Coming into the NCAA Tournament, I’ve said numerous times that there are a number of teams that could be cutting down the nets in April. This year’s bracket is probably one of the toughest I’ve ever filled out because I believe there could be around 15 to 20 teams that could win this championship. Have you filled out a bracket yet? If not, head to Yahoo Sports and see how many teams you predict correctly to reach the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4 and the championship game. Below are my picks and don’t forget to join me by filling out your bracket on Yahoo Sports!!
South
The South Region features the Kansas Jayhawks as the top seed, followed by the Villanova Wildcats being the number 2 seed in this region. In this region, I have quite a few upsets taking place and none no bigger than the UConn Huskies upsetting the Jayhawks in the round of 32. In the South Region Championship game, I have the Villanova Wildcats beating the Maryland Terrapins to advance to the Final Four.
West
The Western Region features about three or four teams that have a legitimate shot at cutting down the nets in April and it should be a very competitive region. The Oregon Ducks come in as the top seed in the region with the Oklahoma Sooners being the second seed. In the round of 64, my upsets are Northern Iowa beating Texas, Green Bay upsetting Texas A&M and VCU finding a way to upend the Oregon State Beavers. In the Sweet 16 game, I have the Baylor Bears beating the top seeded, Oregon Ducks to advance to face Oklahoma in the championship game and I have the Sooners coming out of this region to advance to play Villanova in the Final Four.
East
We head to the East Region as the North Carolina Tar Heels come in as the top seed in the region with Xavier being the second seed. This is a pretty tough region, but I’m only going with a couple of upsets in this region and they’re not really huge. In the end, I have the North Carolina Tar Heels playing the West Virginia Mountaineers for the region championship and the Tar Heel advancing to the Final Four.
Midwest
The final region is the Midwest and their top seed being the Virginia Cavaliers, while the Michigan State Spartans come in as the second seed. This region doesn’t have any upset until the Sweet 16 round as I have Virginia getting beat by the Iowa State Cyclones. In the region championship game, I have the Spartans advancing to the Final Four to play North Carolina.
Final Four and Championship Game
In the first Final Four game, I think the Oklahoma Sooners will find a way to beat the Villanova Wildcats and advance to the title game. For the second game, the North Carolina Tar Heels will barely edge out the Michigan State Spartans to play the Sooners in the title game. On Monday, April 4th, the Oklahoma Sooners will put up a tough fight, but I believe in the end, the North Carolina Tar Heels will cut down the nets and claim another national title.
What do you think about my picks? You still have time to fill out your bracket, so head to Yahoo Sports to create your own and then download the Yahoo Sports app to keep track of your progress. Check back with me as I’ll predict the games when we reach the Sweet 16!!
