2018 March Madness: #11 Seed Play-in Game (St. Bonaventure vs UCLA)

It’s been awhile since a team with such prestige was stuck in a play-in game. UCLA shouldn’t have been in this position, but they failed to beat very beatable teams late in the season. They weren’t playing their best basketball at the end of the year.

St. Bonaventure found themselves in this tough spot by overlooking Davidson in the semifinals of their conference tournament. They would have solidly been in the regular field as they were on a long winning streak up until that game.

Can either one of these teams be a real threat to the Florida Gators in the first round?

Who do you think will win?

Who do you have: St. Bonaventure or UCLA?

Continue reading →

2018 March Madness: #6 Houston vs #11 San Diego State

It’s been a decade since Kelvin Sampson led a team to an NCAA Tournament berth. Houston is the fourth different school he will coach in the tournament. As crazy as it sounds, this team might be one of his best overall teams.

San Diego State no longer has Steve Fisher on the sidelines, but his assistant has implemented the same philosophy. He used a strong emphasis on defense and led the Aztecs to recent success in the tournament. Can they do it without Fisher?

Can one of these teams be a bracket-buster in the next round?

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #6 Houston Cougars or #11 San Diego State Aztecs?

Continue reading →

2018 March Madness: #6 Miami (FL) vs #11 Loyola-Chicago

The Missouri Valley Conference is home to many teams that have went on to upset teams in the NCAA Tournament. It’s been over thirty years since Loyola-Chicago made an NCAA Tournament appearance. Can they join the likes of Wichita State, Indiana State and Valparaiso and make it deep in the NCAA Tournament?

The Atlantic Coast Conference had a good year with nine teams making it in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia was the cream of the crop with Duke finishing second and a four-way tie for third. The ACC was a jumbled mess by end of the year.

Can Loyola-Chicago pull off the upset?

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #6 Miami Hurricanes or #11 Loyola-Chicago Ramblers?

Continue reading →

2018 March Madness: #7 Rhode Island vs #10 Oklahoma

Everyone was wondering if the NCAA Tournament would have the nation’s leading scorer in the field. It took a few minutes, but Oklahoma’s name was read off as an at-large team. Trae Young will be able to show off his incredible talents on the national stage.

The Atlantic 10 gets overlooked quite a bit, but there were some really good teams in the conference this season. Rhode Island was one of three or four A-10 teams worthy of a tournament bid.

Can Trae Young get the Sooners back on track and advance into the second round?

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #7 Rhode Island Rams or #10 Oklahoma Sooners?

Continue reading →

2018 March Madness: #7 Arkansas vs #10 Butler

The Butler Bulldogs were among the bubble teams awaiting their fate during the Selection Show. They had a few Quadrant 1 wins, like when they beat Villanova, but they also lost some easy games down the stretch against Georgetown and St. John’s.

The Southeastern Conference secured eight spots in the field of 68. The conference had a great season. I didn’t expect them to receive so many bids. Arkansas didn’t have much to worry about on Sunday as they were a no-brainer choice for an at-large bid.

Can Arkansas play good enough perimeter defense to stop Butler’s dead-eye shooters?

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #7 Arkansas Razorbacks or #10 Butler Bulldogs?

Continue reading →

2018 March Madness: #7 Texas A&M vs #10 Providence

Every year there’s a team that just catches fire during their conference tournament. Some win the whole thing, but most just knock off a top-seed. Providence beat Xavier and nearly pulled off another upset, but lost to Villanova in overtime.

Texas A&M were on the other side of an upset in their conference tournament. Alabama freshman Collin Sexton hit a buzzer-beater to send the Aggies home. They made a bonehead mistake on defense that led to the shot.

Will Providence come into this game flat after three-straight overtime games?

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #7 Texas A&M Aggies or #10 Providence Friars?

Continue reading →

2018 March Madness: #7 Nevada vs #10 Texas

The NCAA Tournament committee selects team based on a lot of factors. Even though Nevada played lesser competition in the Mountain West, they were still seeded above Texas due to their overall résumé. The Wolf Pack won 27 games and were consistent all season long.

The Texas Longhorns faced adversity, lost players to illnesses and suspensions, but still managed to win 19 games in a deep Big 12 conference.

How much will injured freshman big man Mohamed Bamba play in this game?

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #7 Nevada Wolf Pack or #10 Texas Longhorns?

Continue reading →

2018 March Madness: #8 Seton Hall vs #9 NC State

The #8 vs #9 seed games are often volatile. The nine-seed has just about as much chance of winning the game than the eight-seed. I think the nine-seed has historically actually won the most games in this first-round match-up.

NC State has a new coach and no one expected them to be this good. They got lucky when the NCAA cleared Ohio State-transfer Braxton Beverly. He was left in limbo after Ohio State fired Thad Matta.

Seton Hall pushes the ball up and down the court all game. They excel when teams play their tempo, which is ‘frenzy’ tempo.

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #8 Seton Hall Pirates or #9 NC State Wolfpack?

Continue reading →

2018 March Madness: #8 Virginia Tech vs #9 Alabama

We hope to help you beat your co-workers in your office bracket pool.

The Virginia Tech Hokies didn’t exactly come out of nowhere, but they took the next step this season. They were one of the best teams in the ACC and had wins against all of the storied programs in the conference.

Alabama started the year with some nice conference wins over Texas A&M and Auburn. They leaned on youth and needed star freshman Collin Sexton to be a leader right away…and it paid off for the Crimson Tide.

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #8 Virginia Tech Hokies or #9 Alabama Crimson Tide?

Continue reading →

2018 March Madness: #8 Missouri vs #9 Florida State

We hope to help you beat your siblings/friends in your bracket pool.

Missouri had high hopes of being a top seed going into the season. They were unlucky and lost star Michael Porter Jr. in the first game of the season. Well, he’s back and this team could be a tough out in this tournament.

Florida State struggled down the stretch in the ACC, but they are a difficult physical match-up with nearly any team as they are long.

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #8 Missouri or #9 Florida State?

Continue reading →

2018 March Madness: #8 Creighton vs #9 Kansas State

We are here to help you fill out your brackets and finally beat your cubicle neighbor in your office pool this year.

We start out our picks with a game pairing a Big 12 team against an explosive Big East squad.

Kansas State is undersized, but efficient. They are also battle-tested by running through an underrated Big 12 conference.

Creighton faced their share of monsters in the Big East, but did have some easy wins down the stretch.

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #8 Kansas State Wildcats or #9 Creighton Bluejays?

Continue reading →

2018 March Madness: Which Bubble Teams Didn’t Get In?

There are 351 Division-I teams in college basketball eligible for the postseason 2018 NCAA Tournament. Obviously, not every team can get an invite.

These teams were all on the bubble, but failed to make it into the field of 68.

There were a few upsets in conference tournaments this year. Many deserving teams were left out of the field of 68. I was surprised a few times during the Selection Show, but I feel good about the field overall.

How many Big 12 bubble teams missed the cut?

Here is a list of bubble teams which had their bubble burst.

USC Trojans (22-11) – USC needed to win the Pac-12 Tourmanet to get into the NCAA Tournament. They had a nice run, but the loss to Arizona in the final was the last straw. In my opinion, Andy Enfield’s team should have been in with an RPI of 35.

Continue reading →