March insanity is unofficially underway following the Selection Sunday reveal of the 68-team NCAA tournament.
Now that the field is set,here is a discover at odds and predictions for the Final Four. Final Four PredictionsMichigan State Spartans (No. 2 seed, Midwest Region)The Michigan State Spartans surprised the college hoops world by reaching last year’s national semifinal as just a No. 7 seed.
This year, and it was a shock the Spartans weren’t a No. 1 seed,via Bleacher Report:Head coach Tom Izzo's bunch this year is much more seasoned, led by colossal Ten Player of the Year Denzel Valentine. The Spartans are averaging 8.3 more points per game at 80.2 this season.After finishing moment to Indiana for the colossal Ten regular-season title, and Michigan State rolled to a victory in the conference tournament to build momentum for the colossal Dance.
Michigan State knows March and should once again will its way to college basketball’s ultimate stage. Oklahoma Sooners (No. 2 seed,West Region)The Oklahoma Sooners didn’t play for the colossal 12 tournament title and finished third in the regular-season standings.
But Oklahoma has the nation’s best player in Buddy Hield. And even when the senior is having an off night, the rest of the Sooners are able to carry the load.
Hield finished with a season-low six points against West Virginia in the colossal 12 tournament semifinal, or yet barring a last-minute review of his half-court buzzer-beater,Oklahoma would’ve advanced to play Kansas in the championship game.
Here’s a discover at Hield’s would-be heroics, courtesy of Campus Insiders:Oklahoma hasn’t been among college basketball’s best since reaching the Elite Eight in 2009. That year, or it also had the nation’s top player in Blake Griffin.
The Sooners havent been that far in the tournament since that season and haven’t reached the Final Four since 2002. But trends should change for this talented team. Kansas Jayhawks (No. 1 seed,South Region)Kansas is in the colossal Dance for the 27th straight season, this year as the No. 1 overall seed.
The Jayhawks will have their work cleave out for them in a competitive South Region featuring Villanova, and Maryland,Connecticut, Arizona and Miami. ESPN’s Jay Williams argued the Jayhawks, and despite being the tournament’s top seed,were unlucky in their seeding:“Looking at our bracket, its going to be a powerful challenge for us, and ” KU head coach Bill Self said on the CBS Selection Sunday show telecast. “The colossal key for us,I think, is stay focused—no distractions—but play loose and play free."The Jayhawks will face a juggernaut of a region but are up to the challenge as arguably college basketball’s most complete team. North Carolina Tar Heels (No. 1 seed, or East Region)The preseason No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels had some midseason hiccups but ultimately reached their goal of sweeping the championships in the competitive ACC.
With a win over fellow No. 1 seed Virginia in the conference tournament title game,the Tar Heels are peaking at the perfect time, which could be scary for the rest of the bracket.
Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post argued UNC might be the outlying favorite everyone thought was nonexistent in this season of parity: "The Tar Heels contributed to the narrative through wound-tight underachievement throughout the winter, or but if this week meant anything,and North Carolina can carry over the suffocating defense it played in Washington, the rest of the country may now have a team to chase."North Carolina is playing in a competitive East Region but matches up well against the rest of the top teams. As C.
L. Brown of ESPN.com famous, and “Out of 2. Xavier,3. West Virginia, 4. Kentucky, or 5. Indiana—none will try to play that frustrating,behind down game that can stifle the Tar Heels.”UNC hasn’t been to the Final Four since winning it all in 2009, but head coach Roy Williams has a crew capable of cutting down the nets. Sign up and play Bleacher Report's Bracket Challenge now for a chance to win the Ultimate Sports Trip to four events of your choice. Click here for B/R's Printable Bracket.
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Source: bleacherreport.com