Boston Super Blog

The March Madness 2013 Brackets are being filled out across the country, with many casual fans looking for answers on which upsets and predictions they should make on the way to filling out their Final Four picks in Atlanta. The 2013 NCAA Tournament is upon us, and that means it is time to prepare to get your excuses ready to skip work on Thursday and Friday. It is not wrong or immoral to do so, but rather a tradition that has become a right of passage among serious college basketball fans.

Or those looking for a reason to gamble and stay home for an extended four day weekend. Either way.

I must put out a proclamation that I am not an expert. Nobody is, regardless of what site you go to for advice. You are reading all of these picks for free, much like you do on all other sites, so you should not expect to read an article or two and rest assured that you will win your bracket or office pool. I cannot guarantee you that by reading any of my columns on which upsets to pick will lead you to a sure-fire victory. But I can still offer my assistance.

Before you read through the rest of this, make sure to bookmark our article regarding each and every single tip time and date for the entire first and second round of games. It will come in quite handy when you need to decide which game is more crucial to the overall success of your bracket.

Now, onto this week’s games!

* First off, I’m skipping past the four technical first round games. It is not that they are not of importance. It is not even that I do not see them making noise in the second round. It is that I haven’t seen one bracket that counts which team wins. It is almost like making a field bet in the next round. Moving on…

* MIDWEST Region: This is one of the two more difficult brackets with some loaded competition for the No. 1 overall seed, the Louisville Cardinals. In order to reach the Final Four, Rick Pitino’s kids could have to get by some very talented teams. They will walkover the second round game, but having to have the likes of the Oklahoma State Cowboys, St. Louis Billikens or Oregon Ducks in the Sweet 16 could provide to be a daunting task. Squaring off against the Michigan State Spartans or Duke Blue Devils will also be tough, although I am not counting out the Creighton Blue Jays in a possible third round matchup against Duke. As for upsets, I like the winner of the Middle Tennessee State vs. St. Mary’s first round matchup to knock out the Memphis Tigers. But, in the end, I have Louisville advancing to the Final Four.

* WEST Region: Overall, I see this region as perhaps the weakest in terms of dangerous teams. While many criticize the selection of the Gonzaga Bulldogs as a No. 1 seed, make no mistake about the fact that this is a good team. They should coast to the Sweet 16, and should be able to get past the likes of the Kansas State Wildcats, Wisconsin Badgers or Mississippi Rebels. The Ohio State Buckeyes and New Mexico Lobos appear destined to face off in the other Sweet 16 contest, although both could be in for quite a fight against teams such as the Belmont Bruins, Iowa State Cyclones or Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Concerning upsets in this region, I like a few. I like Belmont over the Arizona Wildcats and Iowa State to knock off Notre Dame. In the end, I see the Buckeyes getting to the Final Four.

* SOUTH Region: In my opinion, the South is the region of this year’s bracket with the best teams from top to bottom. The Kansas Jayhawks are the top seed, but they face some very tough teams, including a very difficult game against either the North Carolina Tar Heels or Villanova Wildcats. The NCAA selection committee set this one for a matchup between Kansas and North Carolina with Roy Williams at the center. The ‘Heels were disrespected with a No. 8 seed, but they will have a tough game against ‘Nova. Regardless of who wins, I see Kansas coming out on top, but it could be a fight. It will not get any easier having to face the likes of the VCU Rams or Michigan Wolverines, not to mention, possible Elite Eight matchups against the Georgetown Hoyas, Florida Gators or others. The biggest upset I see coming out of the South is the Minnesota Golden Gophers upsetting the UCLA Bruins. For my Final Four pick from the deep South, I like Kansas to make it to Atlanta, although Georgetown also has a very solid chance.

* EAST Region: The East region of the bracket is also a talented one, but not nearly as much as the Midwest or South. The Indiana Hoosiers are the No. 1 seed, despite the fact they did not win their conference tournament. In fact, they are the only top seed who did not win their conference tournament. They could face some stiff competition against the winner of the second round matchup between the North Carolina State Wolfpack and Temple Owls, but I see them coming out on top, perhaps still by double digits. I actually like them to advance to the Elite Eight without much difficulty, considering their Sweet 16 game could come against the likes of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels or Syracuse Orange. In the bottom half, the Miami Hurricanes are still upset with the fact that they are the first ever team to win both the ACC regular season and ACC Tournament championship and not receive a No. 1 seed. The ‘Canes could use that as added motivation, although they struggled mightily leading up to the conference tourney. I see them facing the Hoosiers in the regional finals, with the biggest upset coming from the Bucknell Bison defeating the Marquette Golden Eagles. Eventually, look for another team from the Big 10 to reach the Final Four, with Indiana joining Ohio State.

*FINAL FOUR: I envision a lot of red in this year’s Final Four, fitting considering the games will be played in Atlanta. I like Louisville to get the better of Ohio State in a low scoring affair, while Indiana knocks off Kansas in an instant classic. That pits the Cardinals against the Hoosiers for a chance to cut down the nets, with Pitino coming out on top for the first time since leading the Kentucky Wildcats to the National Championship more than 15 years ago. Louisville has the offense and the defense, as well as the senior leadership to get the job done, and that is why I am picking the cardinals will be cutting down the nets after winning the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Good luck!