NCAA Tournament picks: Villanova to win it
The bracket is out and it’s time to pick the winners in the NCAA’s 65-team bracket. Here’s the truth. If you want to win your bracket, pick all the higher seeds to win every game. You almost surely will win. Just because the NCAA basketball committee is part of the corrupt system that shifts most of the power and benefits to the moneyed schools that already have most of the power and benefits, doesn’t mean the committee can’t pick out that Kansas is better than New Mexico.
Anyway, picking the higher seeds is advantageous to your bracket pool but does nothing for your reputation as a college basketball sensei. And isn’t nearly as fun. Better to pick the bracket you really think will happen, upsets included, and live with the results.
So here are my first-round NCAA picks.
FIRST ROUND
Midwest Regional
Kansas over Lehigh: The NCAA Tournament is beautiful for Patriot League dreams, but lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place, even in the home of the Thunder.
UNLV over Northern Iowa: I wanted to pick UNI, because I love the Missouri Valley, but the Valley hasn’t been great of late.
Michigan State over New Mexico State: Spartans are a 5-seed? Are you kidding me? If that doesn’t show the Midwest Regional is the toughest regional, nothing does. Michigan State could make the Final Four.
Maryland over Houston: Talk about your old-time powers. Great post players. Len Elmore, Buck Williams, Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon.
Tennessee over San Diego State: Can you believe Steve Fisher still is coaching the Aztecs. He seemed a little old when he coached Michigan to the NCAA title 21 years ago.
Georgetown over Ohio: I guess John Thompson III is a pretty good coach.
Oklahoma State over Georgia Tech:Bad physical matchup for … Tech. I know the ‘Jackets are tall, but seems to me they’re too tall to chase around James Anderson and Obi Muonelo.
Ohio State over Cal-Santa Barbara: Question. Why UCSB have a gym? Why does anyone ever go inside?
West Regional
Syracuse over Vermont: Vermont upset Syracuse a few years ago in the first round. Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place.
Gonzaga over Florida State:The Zags were much better as David than they are as Goliath. But I’ll take Mark Few over Leonard Hamilton.
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