NCAA Tournament Bracket Predictions
Posted by Jack Jones - Google+
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The field of 68 has been set for the 2013 NCAA Tournament. It is now time to sift through each region and make my bracket picks as I do every year. I will give my predictions on which teams advance from the play-in games, all the way to the eventual national champion. You can use my predictions to help fill out your bracket, which will hopefully allow you to win however many pools you decide to enter. Take a look at my bracket if you want to compare your picks.
Round 1 Play-In Game Winners: Liberty, Middle Tennessee State, La Salle, James Madison
Midwest Region
Round of 64 – Louisville beats Liberty, Missouri tops Colorado State, Oklahoma State ousts Oregon, and Saint Louis makes easy work of New Mexico State. Memphis tops Middle Tennessee State, Michigan State gets by Valparaiso, Cincinnati defeats Creighton, and Duke knocks off Albany
Round of 32 – I look for Louisville to get by Missouri, Saint Louis to top Oklahoma State, Memphis to upset Michigan State, and Duke to make easy work of Cincinnati.
Sweet 16 – One of the biggest upset of the NCAA Tournament happens here as Saint Louis ousts top overall seed Louisville. I look for Duke to get by Memphis.
Elite 8 – Saint Louis continues its remarkable run with a Final Four appearance after upsetting Duke.
Final Four Participant – Saint Louis
West Region
Round of 64 – Gonzaga takes down Southern University, Pittsburgh tops Wichita State, Wisconsin beats Ole Miss, and Kansas State gets by La Salle. I like Arizona to beat Belmont, New Mexico to get by Harvard, Iowa State to upset Notre Dame, and Ohio State to top Iona.
Round of 32 – Gonzaga escapes a close one with Pittsburgh, while Kansas State uses its home-court advantage to edge Wisconsin. New Mexico advances with a win over Arizona, and Ohio State makes easy work of Iowa State.
Sweet 16 – Gonzaga continues its march to the Final Four with a win over Kansas State. Ohio State knocks off New Mexico.
Elite 8 – In a closely-contested battle, the Bulldogs prove to be too much for the Buckeyes.
Final Four Participant – Gonzaga
South Region
Round of 64 – Kansas defeats Western Kentucky, North Carolina knocks off Villanova, VCU ousts Akron, and Michigan escapes South Dakota State in the top half of this region. In the bottom half, I have UCLA beating Minnesota, Florida making easy work of Northwestern State, Oklahoma upsetting San Diego State, and Georgetown knocking off FGCU.
Round of 32 – Chalk continues to prevail here, though Kansas barely beats North Carolina. Michigan knocks off VCU, Florida edges UCLA, and Georgetown has little trouble topping Oklahoma.
Sweet 16 – The Jayhawks continue their string of close victories by knocking off the Wolverines. Florida upsets Georgetown.
Elite 8 – Billy Donovan’s Gators prevent Bill Self’s Jayhawks from a repeat trip to the Final Four.
Final Four Participant – Florida
East Region
Round of 64 – Indiana makes easy work of James Madison, NC State survives Temple, UNLV ousts California, and Syracuse blows out Montana in the top half of this region. The bottom half features Butler beating Bucknell, Davidson pulling off the biggest upset of the tournament over Marquette, Colorado topping Illinois, and Miami defeating Pacific.
Round of 32 – Indiana survives a scare from NC State, while Syracuse destroys UNLV. I like Butler to get by upset-minded Davidson, and Miami to defeat Colorado.
Sweet 16 – Syracuse pulls off the upset over Indiana as the 3′s don’t fall for the Hoosiers. Miami halts another possible Final Four run from Butler.
Elite 8 – The Hurricanes continue their remarkable season by knocking off the Orange to reach the Final Four.
Final Four Participant – Miami
Final Four – Saint Louis’ incredible run finally comes to an end against Gonzaga. In an in-state rivalry, Miami outlasts Florida.
Championship – Miami defeats Gonzaga 75-70
