Brady

Underrated- Memphis

Overrated- Tennessee

Cinderella- Oral Roberts, UCSB 

Final Four- Virginia, Kansas State, Texas, Kansas

Champion- Kansas

This year’s March Madness has so many teams that can win it all, but also get bounced out of the tournament early. The top teams coming into the tournament are number 1 seeds Alabama, Houston, Kansas, and Purdue. Although they may be at the top, they are not safe. Purdue could face a possible upset if they and Memphis both win their first round games. Memphis is coming off a dominant AAC Conference tournament including a championship win against Houston.

Two teams I think could break people’s brackets this year are UCSB and Oral Roberts. UCSB is coming off a conference championship and has experience in the tournament in years past. They almost pulled an upset in the 2021 bracket but I think this year they can beat a Baylor team who is coming off two straight losses. Another team that has potential to go far is Oral Roberts. If they would be playing any other team rather than Duke, I would be really confident taking them. If Oral Roberts can sneak past Duke, I think they have Sweet 16 or Elite 8.

A team that I believe is overrated would be Tennessee. Tennessee recently lost their point guard Zakai Zeigler to a season-ending injury. I think this loss will affect the team leading to a first round exit against Louisiana.

My Final Four consists of Virginia, Kansas State, Kansas and Texas. I have a rivalry between Kansas and Kansas State in my final. My winner…the Kansas Jayhawks. I think this team will get hot down their stretch and they are one of the best teams in the nation when they are hot. Also, coach Bill Self will be back for the tournament after missing their last couple games being hospitalized.

Matt

Underrated- Texas A&M

Overrated- Houston

Cinderella- VCU, Providence

Final Four- Alabama, Purdue, Texas, Gonzaga

Champion- Purdue

March Madness is as unpredictable as ever and picking 5 seeds like Duke to win the tournament might not seem as far-fetched as in years past. Texas A&M got the shaft this year as a 7 seed, even while boasting a 25-9 record and finishing 2nd in the SEC. Houston might be upset early considering a 96th ranked strength of schedule and a surprising loss to Memphis in the AAC Championship game. Two cinderellas you can keep an eye on to make the Sweet 16 are VCU and Providence. VCU comfortably won the A-10 tournament and defeated Pitt in an early season matchup, while Providence will face a struggling Kentucky in the favorable 6-11 matchup and potentially a sluggish Kansas State after. Unlike my fellow writers, I have Purdue and Gonzaga making the Final Four with Purdue winning it all. Gonzaga quietly put together a solid year after some questionable early season losses and have an experienced roster, while Purdue looked almost unstoppable through January and won the always-competitive Big Ten. Maybe the NCAA Tournament can allow Purdue to regain that dominance and take home the title.

P.S. How about the local teams! Pitt, Penn State, and WVU all made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. Penn State and WVU have tough opening round matchups with Maryland and Texas A&M respectively; but for Pitt (22-11), if they can get past Mississippi State (21-12) in the First Four, they have a great chance for a First Round upset against 6th-seeded Iowa State (19-13).

Sam

Underrated- Texas A&M, Duke

Overrated- Purdue

Cinderella- Kent State, Furman

Final 4- Alabama, Duke, Houston, Kansas

Champion- Kansas

This is one of the toughest brackets in recent memory. All season long, these teams have beaten each other up in their conference games. We’ve seen records be broken with how many ranked teams were losing to their opponents. 11 ranked teams lost on the same day earlier in the season. That’s unheard of. This year has the deepest bracket I’ve ever seen, which makes it incredibly difficult to predict the outcomes of these games.

Texas A&M got screwed, getting a 7 seed. They were second in the SEC in the regular season and the tournament, and yet Tennessee gets a 4? Either way, they’ll have their chance to prove the committee wrong with a tough game against Penn State. Both teams are hot coming in, and I think it may be the best first round matchup of the tournament.

I don’t like Purdue this year. They have a phenomenal player in Zach Edey, but the rest of the team is questionable. Both their guards are true freshmen, and I don’t trust them to make big plays down the stretch of close games. Their shooting isn’t great, so if Edey is defended well, they could be in for an early exit.

Kent State is a dangerous team, and I like them to make a run. They lost to Houston by 5 and Gonzaga by 7 early in the season. They’re on a 7 game winning streak, and are facing an inconsistent Indiana Hoosiers team. They have one of the highest turnover margins in the nation, which should serve them well. I also really like Furman because of their matchup. They average more than 82 points a game, and shoot the ball really well. I don’t trust Virginia because of their lack of offense, and I think Furman could really give them trouble.

Alabama is the number 1 overall seed, but they rely so much on the three pointer. If they have a cold day, they could be up for an upset. I still trust them to make the championship game. They’re battle tested, and have experience to go along with an excellent coach. I have Kansas defeating them in the championship game. Jalen Wilson is an excellent player, and they are such a sound team all the way around. I don’t see much of a weakness with them, and I trust Bill Self to lead them to back to back championships.

Andrew

Underrated- Arkansas, Duke

Overrated-Purdue

Cinderella- NC State, VCU, Penn State

Final 4- Alabama, Duke, Houston, Kansas

Champion- Houston

This year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is a very unique bracket. Typically, Duke would not be considered underrated. The Big Ten and Big 12 just beat each other up the entire season, essentially cannibalizing itself. Rutgers, a team that really should’ve made it, didn’t because of the depth of the Big Ten, and the number of losses they accumulated. Houston, a team that isn’t playing in a very strong conference, seemed unbeatable. Memphis then went on to dominate from the start in the American Championship Game. We witnessed what could be a future National Championship Game earlier in the season with Houston and Alabama. Alabama came out on top, 71-65. The depth of this tournament is insane. As unbiased as I want to be, Penn State continues to prove people wrong. Penn State, like Alabama, relies on the three. In fact, they do more than any other team in the country. In no way am I comparing Penn State to Alabama, but they have that in common. Duke is hot at the right time. They have the guards to be able to go far, and the bigs to dominate inside. Arkansas, on the other hand, has just gotten fully healthy. They finally have all of the pieces to their 2nd rank recruiting class.

A team I think is overrated is Purdue. Purdue is literally Zach Edey with shooters around him. That can create some success but eventually the shooting is going to go cold. I think it will get cold earlier than expected. Teams that win their conference championship game tend to not have as much success in the big tournament. Last year, the Big 10 Champion, Iowa, went ice cold against Richmond, leading to a first round exit. Purdue has a tough matchup in the 2nd round against a very good Memphis team that just dominated Houston, or an FAU team that has 3 losses on the season.

VCU is a team that plays very similar to Saint Mary’s. This game could be very low scoring, but the Rams could be primed for another run to the Sweet 16 led by 3 guys who averaged in double digits throughout the season. NC State could be another double digit seed that shocks fans. The guard duo of Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner gives them a chance in every game. I believe the only non 1 seed is #5 Duke in the loaded East.

Houston finally gets the title they’ve been looking for the past couple of years. They have some more high end talent this year, along with being extremely well coached, like last year. Houston defeats Alabama in the National Championship Game.