Jackson’s Picks

Overrated: Kansas

The Jayhawks have left a lot to be desired to end the season. With a loss to Arizona St. and getting blown out against Arizona, they don’t give me much faith in March. Darryn Peterson is one of the most talented players in the country, but who knows when he will check himself out of the game.

Underrated: BYU

BYU has flown under the radar even since Richie Saunders tore his ACL. They have played 16 games against teams in the NCAA Tournament field with wins coming in 8 of those contests. The BYU Cougars are coming off of the Big 12 tournament where they took the Houston Cougars to the wire in a loss. BYU will have the best player on the floor at all times in AJ Dybantsa. They wouldn’t see Arizona until the Elite Eight, which really benefits BYU.

Cinderella: None

I think NIL has ended any chances at a Cinderella run. Mid-majors don’t have the rosters like they used to, and they won’t anytime soon.

Final Four: Duke, Arizona, Iowa St., Florida

I get it, it’s not a very daring Final Four. Duke is the top overall seed for a reason. Although they are dealing with Caleb Foster’s foot injury, they should advance out of the East region. Arizona has been the most consistent team in all of college basketball this year. The freshman two-headed monster in Brayden Burries and Koa Peat is lethal for the Wildcats. Iowa St. matches up great with Michigan. Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson of Iowa St. can contain Michigan standouts Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara. The Cyclones should come out of the Midwest region. Who is stopping Tommy Haugh and Alex Condon in the South Region? Pair those two with excellent guard play from Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland, and I don’t see anyone stopping Florida. 

Champion: Arizona

I struggled to pick a champion between Arizona and Florida, but I ultimately went with the most consistent team. Arizona only lost two games all year, and they are coming off of an impressive Big 12 tournament win. The Wildcats are built for March and should capture their first national title since 1997.

Robert’s Picks

Overrated: Purdue

This may be the most overrated team in this tournament. The Boilermakers should not have gotten the 2 seed because throughout the whole season they have been really inconsistent and I believe they only got this seed because they won the BIG10 Championship against Michigan. Their only good players in my opinion are Braeden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. This team does not have that much depth and I personally see this team losing in the Second round to Miami. Get prepared Purdue fans, I believe this is going to be like 2022 and 2023 all over again. 

Underrated: BYU

This team is definitely poised to make a run in March. AJ Dysbanta, most likely the number one overall pick is just that good to bring this team to the elite 8. They have some solid knock down shooters, even without Richie Saunders, like guard Dawson Baker who is shooting 47% from three. This team has the tools to beat these top teams, especially Gonzaga who I am not high on at all. Keba Kieta, BYU bigman, is also really good inside and spaces out the floor and is just a big force inside which can be a problem for opposing defenses. I have this team going all the way to the Elite 8 to play Arizona. 

Cinderella: Troy

After this tournament, the names, Cooper or Cobi Campbell. Either of these guys on any given day can light it up from three and that’s going to happen against Nebraska and Vanderbilt. Nebraska allows some of the best threes in all of the country and Troy is a great shooting team all around. They are physical and crash the boards, and they have one of the best teams at offensive rebounds. Offensive rebounds have been Nebraksas problem all season, and if Troy can exploit this they can easily win. I believe Troy will control the pace of this game and Vanderbilt and grind it out to pull off a couple upsets in March. Again watch out for either of these Campbell brothers to bust some brackets this week. 

FInal 4: Duke, Houston, Arizona, Virginia

This is the final 4 I see happening. It is very hard to see another team coming out of the East region except Duke because they are just that good. Even without Caleb Foster potentially till the Final 4, this team is still in a great spot and will get to Indy. Houston I believe could lose to Illinois in the sweet 16 but I think they are able to control the pace in that game to move on and they are just a way better team then Florida and the inconsistency of Florida will come back to bite them. Arizona will walk through the west with their size, veteran lineup and will head to Indianapolis for a great chance at a championship. I love Virginia and how they move the ball and their chemistry as a team, especially on defense. I believe Chance Mallory will be a big role in a run and beat Michigan to get to the final 4

Champion: Duke

Duke will win the National Championship over Arizona. The more I think about it, the more I like Duke in this matchup. Isaiah Evans and Cameron Boozer are elite on offense but this team has one of the best defenses in all of the country and will lock down Arizona and their offense. I don’t like Arizona’s defense in this game and I think Duke exploits them and capitalizes on those Wildcat mistakes and will hoist their first National Championship since, Coach K and the 2015 team. That’s my perfect bracket. 

Owen’s Picks

Overrated:  Gonzaga

I don’t really like the Zags for a couple reasons. One is there is not a shooting team at all besides from Foster there’s not really any other guy that I want to take that 3. Now even though they did win the WCC Santa Clara really competed with them the whole game which worries me, because if they face BYU in the second round I don’t really know who would take on the assignment of guardian Dysbanta and they are going to need shots to fall because Keiba Keta is a force in the paint for BYU.

Underrated : Vanderbilt

Vandy has looked solid all year long holding their own in the SEC as well as beating Florida in the tournament. Despite this many people don’t have Vandy going far at all. I for one was very impressed with Vandy in the SEC tournament all the way up until their loss to Arkansas where even then they didn’t look awful. Everyone knows this team can score the basketball in a multitude of ways, their defense can be cause for concern defending the three point line. Even with that I still love this team they have three guards who you can trust to get a bucket in freshman standout Tyler Tanner, Tyler Nickel and Duke Miles they also have a solid rim protector in Jalen Washington. I can see this team making it as far as the elite eight or potentially the final four.

Cinderella: USF

I believe USF has the athleticism and depth to stand with the best of the best. With that in mind the talent USf has on their team is insane for a mid-major. First and foremost lets start with the AAC player of the year Izaiyah Nelson. Nelson is a 6”10 athletic freak who won AAC player of the year, AAC defensive player of the year, and first team all conference. He is going to be a huge problem for Louisville and to be honest I don’t see anyone being able to match up with him size wise and I guarantee you that if USF can dominate the glass and force Louisville to take more 2s and to the rim, USF could dominate the game and easily move on to the next round. And at the guard position Wes Enis does all the scoring averaging around 17 points a game. Wes is also shooting around 36% from the 3 and 40% from the field. In general expect these two to do the majority of the damage for the Bulls.

Final Four: Houston, Arizona, Duke, and Virginia

I really like Houston this year. They got back some key pieces from last year’s championship run like Sharpe, Uzan, and Tugler. As well as the freshman duo of Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr. But it’s been projected NBA lottery pick Flemings that has run the show for Sampson’s squad. This team is very skilled but they just have been very inconsistent still looking to find a spark and i think that spark will be in march this team has all the talent in the world they just need to put it all together. Arizona has looked like the best team all year and I’m convinced that that trend won’t stop in March. Their backcourt is led by one of the best freshmen in college basketball in Brayden Buried and Big 12 player of the year in Jalen Bradley. This team 100% can go all the way and win it in Indianapolis. This Duke team is led by a potential first pick in the NBA draft Cameron Boozer. I’m convinced he is going to have coaches sleepless thinking about how to shut him down. He can do it all. He has a great  paint presence, is also a  great shooter and great rim protector. Not to mention this team also features guys like Isiah Evans who is lights out from the three. The only issue is they don’t have a veteran guy who they can go too, but this team is extremely young and talented. Virginia is the real deal; they have serious NBA potential talent like Thjis de Ridder and Chance Mallory. These two freshmen have been a sensation and have really led this Virginia team to find their flame.They also have a shot blocking nightmare in Ugonna Onyenso.

Champion: Arizona

I also have Arizona. I just think they have so much depth to their squad and have better veteran leadership than the other final four schools. It was tough between Arizona and Houston, but I just think Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries are going to take over. Good guard play wins in March.