Very few people feel good about their March Madness bracket after their initial insanity. They feel worse after their second or third pass. The final draft is usually not ready until shortly before the tip-off of the first tournament game, and even then, there are probably three or four picks you wish you could return.
Not us We produced the “answer key” on our first try, and when you’re staring at perfection, why tamper with it? Just click “submit” and go about your day. Do you think Michelangelo had any other idea after painting the roof of the Sistine Chapel? No, they knocked that bad boy out and quickly moved on to other cool stuff, such as designing a library or whatever.
Sure, other sporting news college basketball experts may have more “experience” (overrated), “logic” (yawning), and “wisdom” (helpful if you’re an idiot), but we’ve got all three of them. There are few things more important than together: the heart. That’s right. Some may refer to it as grit; Others, scrape. Whatever you call it, it is not necessary to simply deny it when filling the NCAA tournament bracket.
You might be thinking, “Hey stupid – it makes no sense. ‘Heart’ doesn’t give you any information when comparing college basketball teams. Idiot.” Yeah, well, “love” isn’t an actual food ingredient, but your grandmother’s homemade chicken noodle soup always tastes better than out of a can, and that’s because she made it with love, so … same thing.
If we find a game wrong, we will be shocked, so we would recommend copying everything below, unless you think you have more heart than us – maybe it is not possible, but it is up to you to decide. is. Certainly, the three No. 1 seeds that made the Final Four have happened just five times in history, but it’s important to remember that this happened only four times before it happened for the fifth time, so it’s clearly up. Moving towards (nailed it.)
Anyway, let’s just move on to the pics and some brief explanations of why we made them. We can also try to drop a little and be serious.
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March Madness bracket forecast 2021
Western region
The COVID issues hanging over Kansas and Virginia make it a difficult field for the entire region, but choosing Gonzaga to win is a default setting for many. Iowa has shooting and interior play to fit Gonega, teams should meet in the Elite Eight, but the ‘Zags were dominant all season, Lead the country in the margin of victory (23) The passage of the record of 24–0. Even more encouraging: Gonzaga beat each of Iowa, Kansas, and Virginia by double digits this year. This is reason enough to rely on ‘Jugs All the Way’ in the title game.
USC, ranked 14th kenpom.com, Is the most intriguing “long-shot” pick. While everyone is focused on Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham, who moves through the tournament like Carmelo Anthony, the Trojans’ Evan Mbelli might as likely be. The athletic 7-footer averaged 16.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and an eye-popping 3.0 blocks per game this year. We beat USC in the second round due to several impressive wins by the Jaywax, but this was the toughest part of the region.
More brief image: DeCourcy (Gonzaga) | Alcoholic (Illinois) | Fagan (Gonzaga)
South Zone
Baylor is our national champion, so obviously we like Bears, but boy is it a tough field. Ohio State proved that it could go toe-to-toe with anyone, while both Wisconsin and Arkansas could dial the defense early (13th and 14th), respectively. kenpom.comAdjust defense metric). Purdue is a surviving 4 seed who will receive a banged Villanova or Winthrop in the second round if it survives North Texas, so Bearer won’t have any easy games after Round 1. Nevertheless, there were bears Dominate all seasons, Many outgoing players, and led the country Three-point percentage (41.8 percent). Defense and rebonding are minor concerns, but not enough for us to doubt the boiler’s superior offense.
We hated to take Winthrop because it is so chalky, but it is chocolate for a reason. ‘Nova seems to be breaking past right now. Utah State has a tough defense (in eighth kenpom.comAdjusted defense matriculation during shooting), and given Texas Tech’s average (At 34.6 percent threes), We are upset there. Colgate is a very complicated first round, seeing the Raiders finish second Average margin of victory (1 (.1) and tied in 11th Three-point percentage (38.7), but we will rely on Arkansas’ defense and speed. We’re not so confident in Arkansas in their potential second-round matchup against Utah State, but we’re still going full chalk with our Sweet 16 picks from the region.
MORE: Best sleeper pick, upset predictions for NCAA tournament
East Zone
Can we not take one from this region and get two from the south or the west? Not that the teams are bad in the East, but no one stands out, not least with Isaiah Liver (leg) sidelined for Michigan. The Wolverines are still very capable of coming out of this area, but they want to release the easiest No. 1 seed, which is why we looked elsewhere. The field is wide open, with pretty much every team being beaten 1–12.
Florida State Can bomb three, Which is one of the reasons we like him to get hot and score an Elite 8, but are a top-five offense according to LSU kenpom.com And St. Bonventure is still Overall high rank Compared to the Tigers, so ‘Noles won’t have an easy Sweet 16 game, no matter who he is facing – and he’s assuming he gets there.
Ultimately, we choose Texas to come out of the region because of its recent hot streak and Shaka Smart’s big game coaching experience, but Alabama will be tough for anyone. Shooting can be an issue for the tides, though (that may not be the case for Texas either), so we’re going on a small limb and raising the Longhorns to survive the area.
Field Construction:
WEST | East | South | MIDWEST
Midwest region
It is fashionable to pick Oklahoma State to come out of the region, and while it may very well be the case, we pivoted and lost to the Cowboys in the second round. We almost lost them in the first round to a Liberty team that could Light it deep, But eventually stuck with Oklahoma State. Illinois and Oklahoma State are in real order Nos 1 and 2 Quad 1 wins During the regular season, but Illinois is a lot better Bounce back And Outside shooting team, So we were going to win the Illini regardless of that game. Because of that, we opted for Tennessee and its Bad defense To give us a little discrimination in the second round.
In the lower half of the bracket is a group of teams that we are not excited about. Houston looks good on paper, but it is just two wins against the teams that make the tournament (Texas Tech, Wichita State). It won its 24 games From an average 17.2 points, which is a good sign, but not enough for us to pick up the cogress before Sweet 16. San Diego State has 3-and-D equipment we want to pull off potential ups and downs against the West Virginia and Houston squads. – but not against favorite Illinois.
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