NCAA Tournament Picks

Over the last couple days we shared our bracket reactions (Monday), region breakdowns (Tuesday morning), and First Four picks (Tuesday afternoon). Those play-in games started last night, with Greg going 1-1 and Andrew going 2-0. Those picks however are only apart of our secondary competition and not the real deal.

Today, it is time for us to reveal our official bracket picks. Not only do we hope these can help you with your bracket, but these picks will be for all the Sports Guys marbles. March Madness is near and dear to our hearts so winning this bracket competition is something we both covet. Each round will be worth more and more. So the “Round of 64” games will be worth 1 point, then 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 for the Championship Game.

Greg and I have agonized over the bracket, but we have never really discussed specifics on how we were selecting. So note that these decisions were made separately without discussion. So without further ado, let’s go through our picks.

Midwest

Round of 64…

Andrew: Louisville, Missouri, Oregon, Saint Louis, Saint Mary’s, Michigan State, Creighton, Duke

Greg: Louisville, Colorado State, Oklahoma State, Saint Louis, Saint Mary’s, Michigan State, Creighton, Duke

Round of 32…

Andrew: Louisville, Oregon, Michigan State, Duke

Greg: Louisville, Saint Louis, Michigan State, Duke

Sweet 16…

Andrew: Louisville, Duke

Greg: Saint Louis, Duke

Elite 8…

Andrew: Duke

Greg: Duke

Shockingly, we both agreed that Duke will emerge from this tough region. Here are some of the reasons: best coach (Coach K), senior leaders, great interior play, solid shooting and guards, and great role players. Remember, this team has only lost one game when fully healthy all season.

West

Round of 64…

Andrew: Gonzaga, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Boise State/La Salle, Belmont, New Mexico, Iowa State, Ohio State

Greg: Gonzaga, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Kansas State, Belmont, New Mexico, Iowa State, Ohio State

Round of 32…

Andrew: Gonzaga, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Ohio State

Greg: Gonzaga, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Ohio State

Sweet 16…

Andrew: Wisconsin, Ohio State

Greg: Wisconsin, New Mexico

Elite 8…

Andrew: Ohio State

Greg: New Mexico

Again, no love from us for the 1-seed in this region. We both like the ‘Zags to go down to the pesky Badgers of Wisconsin. The pivotal game in this region will be Ohio State vs. New Mexico (if that happens). We have a different outcome here with the winner representing our bracket respectively. Like many others in this region, these teams are well coached, hard working, depend on great defense, and have a fairly balanced attack on offense (now that Deshaun Thomas isn’t ball-hogging).

South

Round of 64…

Andrew: Kansas, North Carolina, VCU, Michigan, Minnesota, Florida, San Diego State, Georgetown

Greg: Kansas, North Carolina, VCU, Michigan, Minnesota, Florida, San Diego State, Georgetown

Round of 32…

Andrew: Kansas, Michigan, Florida, Georgetown

Greg: Kansas, Michigan, Florida, Georgetown

Sweet 16…

Andrew: Kansas, Florida

Greg: Kansas, Georgetown

Elite 8…

Andrew: Kansas

Greg: Georgetown

The immediate take away from this region is that we picked EXTREMELY similar. In fact, we didn’t pick different until the Sweet 16 (Florida vs. Georgetown). Obviously then, we also have a different Final Four team. The other take away from our picks is that we like chalk to rule for the most part in this bracket. Outside of Minnesota, there was no real upset picked (not counting top teams playing each other). This is sure to be wrong though, as there are plenty of teams that have a chance.

East

Round of 64…

Andrew: Indiana, North Carolina State, UNLV, Syracuse, Bucknell, Davidson, Colorado, Miami

Greg: Indiana, Temple, UNLV, Syracuse, Butler, Marquette, Illinois, Miami

Round of 32…

Andrew: Indiana, UNLV, Bucknell, Miami

Greg: Indiana, Syracuse, Marquette, Illinois

Sweet 16…

Andrew: Indiana, Miami

Greg: Indiana, Marquette

Elite 8…

Andrew: Indiana

Greg: Indiana

Finally we agree on another Final Four team. Our point is easy: when the Hoosiers play their best, there isn’t a team in the country that can beat them. Andrew has some upsets early (Bucknell and Davidson stand out), while Greg has a major upset in the “Round of 32”: Illinois over Miami. These picks will either make or break our success in this region.

Final Four

Andrew: Duke over Ohio State, Indiana over Kansas

Greg: Duke over New Mexico, Indiana over Georgetown

We both like Duke and Indiana to prevail here. The consensus all year was that these two teams (when healthy) were the best two in college basketball. They are storied programs and they both play exciting basketball, so this would set up the dream Championship Game. I can’t imagine the television ratings on this one…

Championship Game

Andrew: Indiana over Duke

Greg: Indiana over Duke

Like I said earlier, we both think that when the Hoosiers play well, they are the best team in college basketball. I’ve thought about this matchup a lot and have decided they are similar in so many ways. They each have a dominant big man (Plumlee and Zeller), versatile 4’s (Kelly and Watford), a quick point guard (Cook and Ferrell), and an outside shooter (Curry and Hulls). The difference is in the final starter: Sulaimon vs. Oladipo. Victor would prove to be the deciding factor in this game. His athleticism and emotion tips the scale in IU’s favor. Hoosier Nation, expect Banner #6!

So that’s how we view things. Let us know which picks you love, and which picks you hate. In fact, if you want to post your picks in the comment section, feel free to play along. We’d welcome the competition. Enjoy the tournament!

By: The Sports Guys