WEST REGIONAL
SECOND ROUND
(1) ARIZONA vs. (16) Weber State – The Wildcats will win this game. OK, the Arizona Wildcats will win this game.
(9) OKLAHOMA STATE vs. (8) Gonzaga – The Cowboys have been a different team since the return of Marcus Smart. It’s almost unfair to the Zags that they get an under-seeded team at its best.
(5) OKLAHOMA vs. (12) North Dakota State – The Sooners can score and they won’t be facing a Big 12 defense in this game.
(4) SAN DIEGO STATE vs. (13) New Mexico State – The Aztecs can defend with the best of them and – after losing to New Mexico twice – they will be relieved to see the word “State” on the Aggies’ uniforms.
(6) BAYLOR vs. (11) Nebraska – The Bears were a lock for the NIT just a few weeks ago. Now they are one of the hottest teams in the country.
(3) CREIGHTON vs. (14) Louisiana-Lafayette – This will a chance for Doug McDermott to add to his point total, the fifth-best in Division I history.
(7) OREGON vs. (10) Byu – The Ducks have turned things around and the Cougars will have to find a way to make up for the loss of the injured Kyle Collinsworth.
(2) WISCONSIN vs. (15) American – The Badgers were in the running for the Big Ten title. Enough said.
THIRD ROUND
OKLAHOMA STATE vs. Arizona – The Cowboys have more than just Smart and this is the kind of matchup where Phil Forte, Le’Bryan Nash and Markel Brown can stand out.
SAN DIEGO STATE vs. Oklahoma – Who doesn’t love a game where a team that prides itself on defense meets one that loves to score.
BAYLOR vs. Creighton – The Bears might not have a star like McDermott but they have a number of players who can cause headaches for the Bluejays.
WISCONSIN vs. Oregon – This isn’t a typical Badgers team under Bo Ryan. These guys can score and even outscore a team like the Ducks.
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
SAN DIEGO STATE vs. Oklahoma State – The Aztecs’ biggest win of the regular season was at Kansas. Their biggest win of the tournament will be over another Big 12 team.
WISCONSIN vs. Baylor – The Bears’ great run will end when Ryan comes up with another game plan to shut down their offense.
REGIONAL FINAL
SAN DIEGO STATE vs. Wisconsin – Steve Fisher went to the Final Four three times with Michigan. This time he gets there by keeping a Big Ten team from reaching it.
MIDWEST REGIONAL
SECOND ROUND
(1) WICHITA STATE vs. (16) Cal Poly – The Shockers keep their perfect record intact, easily.
(8) KENTUCKY vs. (9) Kansas State – The Wildcats scared Florida in the SEC championship game and coach John Calipari will keep the freshmen improving.
(12) NORTH CAROLINA STATE vs. (5) Saint Louis – The Wolf Pack and T.J. Warren will keep the Billikens’ staggering finish going.
(4) LOUISVILLE vs. (13) Manhattan – Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino starts the defending champion Cardinals on their way by beating his former assistant, Steve Masiello.
(11) IOWA vs. (6) Umass – This is a matchup made for the Hawkeyes who can use their speed, height and depth to move on as a play-in team.
(3) DUKE vs. (14) Mercer – The Blue Devils will run and run and freshman Jabari Parker will be the leader.
(7) TEXAS vs. (10) Arizona State – The Longhorns need Jonathon Holmes to remain healthy to be the team they were in midseason.
(2) MICHIGAN vs. (15) Wofford – Just a mismatch, a pretty big mismatch.
THIRD ROUND
WICHITA STATE vs. Kentucky – The Shockers can quiet a lot of doubters with a win like this. Their problem, however, is there are more tough teams to come.
LOUISVILLE vs. North Carolina State – The Cardinals can handle a scorer like Warren. Not many teams can stop Russ Smith.
DUKE vs. Iowa – The Blue Devils want to play in transition and so do the Hawkeyes, but Duke has Jabari Parker.
MICHIGAN vs. Texas – The Wolverines have Big Ten player of the year Nik Stauskas and coach John Beilein, a combination that can make a huge difference at this stage of the tournament.
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
LOUISVILLE vs. Wichita State – The Shockers’ run will come to an end in a repeat of one of last season’s Final Four matchups.
DUKE vs. Michigan – These teams met in early December and the difference was Duke’s defense. It will be again.
REGIONAL FINAL
LOUISVILLE vs. Duke – Pitino has the Cardinals playing at their peak as the tournament gets started. Mike Krzyzewski has been trying to get the Blue Devils to be consistent on offense. It’s a repeat run to the Final Four for Louisville.
FINAL FOUR
MICHIGAN STATE vs. Florida – Two of the most experienced teams in college basketball shouldn’t suffer from nerves and two of the toughest teams in terms of defense shouldn’t give up many points. The comparison continues with coaches Izzo and Billy Donovan and their combined three national championships. The difference will be rebounding and nobody rebounds like Michigan State.
LOUISVILLE vs. San Diego State – The Cardinals will prevail in a defensive matchup because they have more players capable of taking the game over on offense, specifically the backcourt of Smith and Chris Jones.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
LOUISVILLE vs. Michigan State – Pitino went into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame last year. He enters the record books as a coach of repeat national champions this year.
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