If you’ve been paying attention to the tournament this past week, you already know it’s been a crazy one. A number 2 seed losing in the first round for the second year in a row. Two number 1 seeds losing, one in the round of 32, one in the Sweet 16. A 9 seed in the Elite 8, and a 15 seed with a legitimate shot at the Elite 8. There have been buzzer-beaters, blow-outs, and miraculous, come from behind victories, all clustered together in one big blur of awesomeness that is the NCAA tournament.

Yesterday was full of games that were fun to watch, starting off with Miami vs Marquette. People don’t realize it, but Miami played a great game aside from the fact that they couldn’t score. I also loved the fact that Marquette was so aggressive against the full-court press in the second half. Coach Buzz Williams clearly had his players prepped and ready for that press and executed beautifully against it.

Syracuse came out and put it to Indiana right from the start. Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Trice combined for 38 of the Orange’s 61. The dynamic back court and tremendous defense was just too much for the upstart Hoosiers to overcome.

My prediction for Saturdays matchup: Syracuse defensive prevails in a low scoring matchup. Syracuse 58 – Marquette 53

The other side of the bracket had a great game between Ohio State and Arizona. Two very disciplined teams who gave everything they had. The Buckeyes hit big shots down the stretch and held of a hot Arizona team led by Solomon Hill, who took the game over for several minutes at one point.

In the night-cap, we saw a very impressive Wichita State team punch a very good LaSalle team right in the mouth, and then never let them back up. The Shockers dominated this game in pretty much every aspect. This is a dangerous team led by Malcom Armstead and Carl Hall.

Saturdays prediction: Ohio State is too good defensively and the Shockers don’t have an answer for Deshaun Thomas. Ohio State 67 – Wichita State 60

Here are my predictions for the other half of the Sweet 16.

The all-around talent of Louisville is going to be too much for Oregon to handle. Louisville’s defensive pressure will get to the Ducks young backcourt, but it will still be a high scoring affair.
Louisville 76 – Oregon 65

Kansas and Michigan will probably be the most exciting of the night. Two explosive, well-coached teams grinding it out to keep their championship hopes alive. It’s gonna come down to two players: Trey Burke and Jeff Withey. I think Kansas will prevail in an awesome game that will come down to the last possession.
Kansas 72 – Michigan 70

Michigan State and Duke will probably be just as close as KU and Michigan, but a much slower pace will be less exhilarating. This will be another game that comes down to clutch free throws and a big shot at the end of the game. Duke has a recent history of big shots at the end of games. Look for Seth Curry to hit the game winner.
Duke 64 – Michigan State 62

Florida Gulf Coast is still a much better team than anyone thinks they are. Their five starters can all handle the ball and are interchangeable defensively (to an extent). They are incredibly explosive and everybody knows nothing is scarier than a team that has nothing to lose. It wouldn’t surprise me if FGCU wins, but I think the size of Patric Young and Eric Murphy inside will be the deciding factor.
Florida 64 – FGCU 54

Upset Alerts:

11. Belmont over 6. Arizona
I understand that there is a lot of hype surrounding Arizona, they’re disciplined and they score a bunch of points. What people don’t realize is that they don’t defend the perimeter. Take a look at their seven losses. All seven are against perimeter-oriented teams. Granted, three of the losses are to UCLA a team run by a great point guard in Larry Drew II and freshman standout Shabazz Muhammad. Next, take a look at Oregon. The Ducks have a lot of size, but are still a perimeter driven team with no true post players inside. Their ability to spread the floor caused Arizona problems defensively. Arizona is a very good team, but Belmont is a terrible matchup for them, especially if they get hot shooting the three.

12. Ole Miss over 5. Wisconsin
Bo Ryan coached teams always have two things in common: 1) They play great, fundamental defense, and 2) They’re boring as hell to watch. Coach Ryan has his players brainwashed to play at the slowest pace possible. This style of basketball works when they play teams they are bigger and stronger than, Ole Miss is not one of those teams. The Rebels are big, athletic, and they score a lot of points. Look for this upset, and look for Ole Miss to make a run as far as the Elite 8.

15. Iona over 2. Ohio State
Iona is one of those teams that nobody really knows much about. They finished fourth in the MAAC, and never really played anyone in their non-conference schedule. Here’s what you need to know about Iona: 80.7 ppg. They have two really good guards in Lamont Jones and Sean Armond, scoring 23 and 16 ppg respectively. I personally think Ohio State is overrated defensively and the fact that the Gaels have 3 players shooting above 40% from the free throw line could be just enough for an upset.

Sleeper Teams:

5. Oklahoma State
The thing that bothers me about OSU is the fact that they’re a five seed and everyone knows about the 5 vs 12 upset history. If the Cowboys can get past that upset factor, they have a good chance to get to the Final Four. They’re well coached, experienced, and have the size and athleticism to make a serious run. I’ve raved all year about how good this team is, and now it’s time for them to prove me right. A lot of people are talking Louisville this, Louisville that, but if they meet OSU in the Sweet Sixteen, I believe that the Cowboys size all around, especially in the back court, will be too much for the Cardinals to overcome.

10. Iowa State
Live by the three, die by the three. That is exactly what the Cyclones have done all year and it has brought them much success. ISU has mad an absurd 325 3 pt. field goals this year. Nobody else in the NCAA has even made 300. If they get hot, look out America.

My Final Four Predictions:

Midwest – Oklahoma State
Strictly for all of the reasons I mentioned above. They’re battle tested, having played seven tournament teams in the regular season, most of them twice, including five games against a team ranked in the top 10.

West – Gonzaga
This is definitely the hardest region for me to predict. There are so many good defensive teams, but I don’t think any of the other fifteen teams have the defense inside to stop Kelly Olynyk and Elias Harris. Plus, with a point guard like Kevin Pangos at the helm, the Zags are in good shape.

South – Kansas
Kansas is arguably the most well-rounded team in the tournament. They’re extremely well coached, disciplined, and they very well could be the best defensive team in the NCAA. The starting five for the Jayhawks poses matchup problems with almost every team in the region.

East – Miami
Who ever would have thought the U would be a basketball school? Well they are, and they don’t look like they’re going anywhere. They have so much firepower on offense and are so sound defensively. With 4 or 5 players who can take over a game on any night, a great coach in Jim Larranega and arguably the best point guard in the country, the ‘Canes are poised to make a run.