March Madness Bracket: Rapid Fire Opinions
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Best Overall Team
Gonzaga: Until proven different, this answer is a generally agreed-upon one and kind of a boring answer. Yes, Gonzaga doesn’t play in the toughest conference and aren’t tested like other top teams, but they’ve proven in the last several years that they belong with the big boys and this year’s team is no different.
The Most “How Did They Make It” Team
Michigan State: A 15-12 overall record is just not good enough to get in the tournament in my opinion, although I get it because they do have some big time wins.
#1 Seed With Easiest Path to Final Four
Illinois: Houston (2-seed) is good, but they’re not a legitimate title contender. West Virginia (3-seed) can be a very tough team, but they also lost nine games this year. Oklahoma State (4-seed) isn’t on the same level as Illinois.
Most Likely 3-14 Upset
Colgate over Arkansas: I don’t see any 3 seeds beating a 14 seed this year (once again), but if I have to make a pick, I say Colgate would be the team to do it. But again, I don’t think it will happen.
Most Likely 4-13 Upset
Liberty over Oklahoma State: I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this one happened. Oklahoma State has played good ball lately, but there’s a chance they overlook Liberty. And you don’t want to overlook Liberty. Plus, I just don’t see any other 4-13 matchups resulting in an upset.
Credit: Mitchell Layton
Most Likely 5-12 Upset
Winthrop over Villanova: Not only do I think this is a possibility, I think it will happen. Winthrop has only lost one game all year so they know how to get it done, and Villanova is without their best player.
Most Intriguing First Round Matchup
Georgia Tech vs. Loyola-Chicago: A lot of people are really high on this Loyola-Chicago team, for good reason, but can they hang with a legitimate opponent from a bigger/better conference? Georgia Tech is finally good again and is coming off an ACC Tourney championship, which is intriguing in itself, so how will they matchup against a very good team who has played a lesser schedule?
Most Likely Cinderella Team
Winthrop: At a 12-seed, Winthrop would be a legitimate Cinderella team. And it’s definitely possible. Like I’ve already stated, they’ve lost just 1 game all year (23-1) so they know how to win. Their most likely scenario to be a Cinderella: Having an unpredictable UNC team play really well to get past Wisconsin and Baylor, just have one of their bad games and get upset by Winthrop. The Eagles could easily get past Villanova and Purdue/North Texas.
Credit: Tim Cowie
Best Play-In Game
Appalachian State vs. Norfolk State: From an App State grad, Go Mountaineers!
Biggest Wildcard Team
North Carolina: The Tar Heels are the team that can beat anyone in the tournament and lose to anyone in the tournament. You never know which Carolina team will show up from game to game.
Garett