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SST 2016 March Madness Bracket

DISCLAIMER: Don’t blame me if your picks don’t work out and you use this as a reference. These results are sort of hard to predict if you haven’t noticed.

After a wild regular season and a series of surprisingly conference tournaments in college basketball, March Madness is finally upon us. Florida Gulf Coast, Wichita State, Holy Cross, and Michigan have come out of the First Four, but we’re just getting started.

We’ve all been staring at different models and statistics, but don’t forget about the intangibles in deciding close games: coaching, location, experience, clutch factors, and rivalries.

This is a talented field, but I’m not seeing too many upsets coming to fruition. Everyone is hot on Iona, Wichita State, Hawaii, Arkansas-Little Rock, and Stephen F. Austin, but they all frankly got tough matchups. I wouldn’t be shocked if they all happened, but I’m still skeptical.

My big upset? I’m going with Yale over Baylor. Although a small lineup, Yale rebounds exceptionally well and has the best odds among 12 seeds or lower. The Bears haven’t beaten too many great teams, and Yale could very well be able to get their bigs in foul trouble. Give me a very solid, under-seeded Gonzaga team into the Sweet 16 as well.

I took Wisconsin over Xavier in the Round of 32, although I’m worried the Badgers won’t get passed Pitt. If they do, Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig’s postseason experience will play dividends, as the Badgers can play with anyone. #2 seeds have struggled in recent years, and I think Wisconsin is the best #7/#10 seed in the field.

My Final Four this year is Kansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Michigan State with a lot of chalk in the Elite Eight as well. Just about everyone has Kansas coming out of the South considering their résumé, experience, and Villanova’s recent history, although it won’t be easy. Oklahoma has a relative easy pull, but tough teams like VCU, Duke, Oregon, and Texas A&M will be in their path. North Carolina may have the toughest road out of my four, with potential matchups with Kentucky, Indiana, Xavier, and West Virginia, but I like the Tar Heels’ depth and experience. Lastly, Michigan State is probably playing the best basketball in the country, but Virginia, Purdue, Iowa State, and others will give them tests every step of the way.

So I’ll take Michigan State, led by the nation’s best player in Denzel Valentine, to win it all this year. I also think the Spartans have a relatively easy path to Houston compared to the rest of the field. Go Big Ten.

Enjoy the ride.

Join the Sconnie Sports Talk public pool here.

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Photo courtesy of the Houston Chronicle.

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