Let The Madness Begin

It's that time of the year once again. one of the craziest tournaments in all of sports is about to get underway. March Madness has arrived! The field of 68 is now set and between now and April 3rd, we will have figured out who's the best college basketball team in all of the country. Ever since tournament play began back in 1939, this tournament has become one of the most thrilling championship chases in any sport. By the time we hit the final four, which is in Glendale Arizona, April 1-3, we will see who really has the best teams left standing. But in reality, it's not just about being the best, its also about having a little luck on your side. The journey to the desert is going to be filled with upsets, buzzer beaters, incredible performances and plenty of shining moments. Can Villonva repeat as the National Champions? We will find out in a couple weeks. Before we predict our Final Four and Championship game, here's a few notable nuggets to throw at you.

In the opening round, the number one seeds have nothing to worry about, because a sixteen seed has never beaten a number one seed. I'm sure there's a chance it could change but not this year. I don't see Villanova, Kansas, Gonzaga, and North Carolina having anything to worry about, because they will all move on. The question is, will all four of them reach the final four? There's only once in history that all four number one seeds have faced off in the final four, that was in 2008 (Kansas (champion), North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis). We will answer the question of this years top seeds will all make the final four a little later on, but first lets get back to some of the bracket number breakdowns.

If your a two seed in this tournament, you better watch your back, because there have been eight times where you've been knocked off by a 15 seed, it happened last year where Middle Tennessee beat Michigan State. So Louisville, Kentucky, Arizona and Duke need to stay on their toes. A three seed hasn't fared much better, as 21 times in the tournament they've been beaten by a 14 seed. So, yeah Baylor, Oregon, Florida State, and UCLA better keep an eye open. Of all the opening round matchups, the one that produces the most upsets is the six versus the eleven seeds. In the past, there have been 46 instances where the 11 seed knocked off the six seed. There is some hope for the lower seeds to go deep into a tounrament. Remember Florida Gulf Coast making it all the way to the sweet sixteen  in 2013, yeah they were a 15 seed, the lowest seed ever to get that far. The lowest seed to ever reach the elite eight was a 12 seed, Missouri did that in 2002. As far as the fianl four goes, we've seen an 11 a 10 a 9 and an 8 reach that far. Lowest seed to ever make the title game was an 8 seed, which has happened three times. the only 8 seed ever, whicch is the lowest total ever to win a title, was Villanova, who won it all in 1985. The other two teams, Butler in 2011 and Kentucky in 2014, came up just short. That's why they call this March Madness, because anything can and usually does happen in this tournament.

If past performances have been indication of anything, then the Pac 12 the ACC and the Big Ten have the best chances. ACC teams have 16 national titles, followed by the Pac-12 with 15 (but they haven't seen a tyitle since 1997 with Arizona and UCLA has 11 but they haven't won since 1996) and the Big Ten has 11 titles (last coming with Michigan State in 2000).

That's just some of what's gone down in the past, but that was then and this is now, so lets get right into it. Here's how we see the final four and title game going!

Solly:
Final Four:
1. Gonzaga def 1. Villanova
2. Kentucky def 2. Louisville

National Championship
1. Gonzaga def 2. Kentucky 79-73

Steve:
Final Four:
2. Duke def 5. Notre Dame
2. Kentucky def 7. Michigan

National Championship:
2. Kentucky def 2. Duke 63-62

3rd Mic Dan:
Final Four:
1. Villanova def 2. Arizona
3. UCLA def 1 Kansas

National Championship:
3. UCLA def 1. Villanova 79-77

Jeff:
Final Four:
2. Duke def 8. Northwestern
1. North Carolina def 1. Kansas

National Championship:
1. North Carolina def 2. Duke 75-72

Greg:
Final Four:
1. Villanova def 2. Arizona
3. Oregon def 4. Butler

National Championship:
2. Arizona def 3. Oregon

Brendan:
Final Four:
10. Marquette def 1. Gonzaga
1. Kansas def 9. Seaton Hall

National Championship:
1. Kansas def 10. Marquette

So that's how the tournament, at least as I see it, breaks down. Let the Madness Begin!