The most wonderful time of the year is not the days leading up to Dec. 25. It is March Madness. Brackets, gambling, upsets and Cinderella stories are all part of the billion dollar a year enterprise that is the NCAA tournament. The tournament is so good that we collectively forget about what a piece of crap the NCAA is for their exploitation of athletes. During March Madness, for three weeks we sit glued to our couches for over 12 hours each day watching basketball. With this we give you five predictions for the rest of the tournament.
- University of Kentucky will not be challenged against West Virginia University.
Nathan Janick: The University of Maryland’s guards trying to face West Virginia’s press looked like a junior varsity and a varsity team scrimmaging. West Virginia just looked bigger, faster and stronger, and then Maryland’s point guard went out with a head injury and it got even worse. With that said, the Kentucky team is bigger and more athletic than West Virginia’s and will be able to handle the aggressiveness of the press. Also, West Virginia already struggles on offense, and will look inept against arguably the best defense in the nation. This game will not be close.
Jacob Durst: No arguments there. There are a few teams in college basketball today that stand a chance against Kentucky, and West Virginia is not one of them. Kentucky wins this game by 15 points, at least.
- Michigan State University will go to the Final Four.
JD: The University of Oklahoma has had a cakewalk to the Sweet 16, and has struggled in their wins. Michigan State brings everything that you want in a Final Four team. They have great coaching, good defense and consistency. Especially given that they have recently beaten a good number of people’s (eventual) champions, and, now that Villanova University (Pa.) is gone, I think you have to give Michigan State a good shot. Not to mention that North Carolina State University and the University of Louisville (Ky.) have already struggled at times.
NJ: I have seen Michigan State in person twice this year. The first time was when they lost at home to Texas Southern University and the second was their win over the University of Virginia last Sunday in the tournament. These two games were their respective low and high points of the season thus far. This team has finally gotten healthy and figured out their identity as a defensive minded team who runs the offense through junior Denzel Valentine and senior Travis Trice. This is Michigan State’s region to lose, especially because the team has the highest ceiling of the remaining four teams in the region.
- Gonzaga University (Wash.) will beat the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) by more than 10 points.
NJ: UCLA shouldn’t have even gotten out of the first round, but they were given a gift of a goaltending call on a three-pointer with less than a minute left. Then, they were given another gift playing the University of Alabama-Birmingham in the second round. This team doesn’t belong in the Sweet 16, and a savvy Gonzaga team will expose its lack of discipline.
JD: I’m a little biased cause I picked Southern Methodist University (Texas) to be where UCLA is right now, but they’re going to be outclassed in this next game. Gonzaga could have been a first seed. Gonzaga is versatile, plays defense and is well coached. Not to mention the fact that the team has a bona fide star in junior Kyle Wiltjer. This guy can flat out score, and he will against UCLA. UCLA doesn’t stand a chance.
- Duke University (N.C.) vs. the University of Utah will be the best game on Friday night.
JD: I agree with this statement whole-heartedly. Utah is good and they are really good when they light it up from three-point land. I expect Utah to do just that. Utah will pack the paint and make it hard for Duke to get easy points. The game plan will revolve around making the Duke guards hit shots, and until Duke does, this game is going to be really, really good. That being said, I still think Duke will find a way to win.
NJ: There is one thing that gives Duke trouble year in and year out and it is physicality coupled with the ability to score. Utah brings that as one of the best defensive teams in the country and the ability to hit threes allows Utah to keep up on the scoreboard with anybody. Kenpom.com, NCAA basketball’s advanced metrics site, ranks them 19th nationally in offense and seventh on defense. Yes, Duke looked amazing against an outmatched San Diego State University (Calif.) team, but Utah is a much better opponent, so make sure to tune into this game.
- Kentucky will win the entire tournament (maybe).
JD: Kentucky is clearly the best team in college basketball. However, if watching the tournament has proven anything, it’s that the best team doesn’t always win. The tournament is grueling and can present teams with match-ups that cause problems. The Wildcats will likely meet such a match up in the Final Four, when they’ll probably play either the University of Wisconsin, or that other team named the Wildcats. Both of these teams can give Kentucky problems, especially Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s senior forward Frank Kaminsky will come out ready to play and with a good game could jump into the lottery in this year’s NBA Draft. I’m not necessarily saying that Kentucky will lose, but they just might.
NJ: These are all fair points. But, Kentucky isn’t a team that relies on three-point shots; they are a team that can win playing fast and playing slow. Shooting threes or pounding it inside, they are not only the most talented team in the nation, but they are also the most versatile. Weird things happen in the tournament, but champions year after year are always teams who can win in very different types of games. This Kentucky team was built for the tournament and they are going to win it barring an upset destined for a 30 for 30. Like this.
