The 2013 NCAA Tournament has reached the Sweet 16 stage, and the term March Madness has become more and more fitting by the day. After many games failed to deliver exciting results and close finishes, the Round of 32 has given us much better action, as well as proving to the college basketball world that the slipper still fits for quite a few Cinderellas. With the brackets down to four teams from each region, are we through with predicting upsets, or will some of the tournament darlings continue their improbable runs through the madness?
Three of the four No. 1 seeds are still alive, although it does not get any easier for them going forward. Even though the Louisville Cardinals received the overall No. 1 seed, they may have been given the most difficult road to the Final Four, proving what I have said since Selection Sunday that while the committee did a fantastic job at selecting the right teams to play in the tournament, they did an absolutely deplorable job at seeding them. It will not be much easier for the Kansas Jayhawks or Indiana Hoosiers to make it to Atlanta, although I would probably still choose their path over that of the Cards.
On to the predictions…
MIDWEST Region: Louisville is still the best team in the country, at least in my opinion, but they will have to be on top of their game against the disrespected No. 12 seed in the Oregon Ducks. While I admit that I felt the Ducks would not get past the Oklahoma State Cowboys, they have all stepped it up and now once again resemble the team who climbed the rankings in the regular season. I like Louisville, but Oregon will not roll over, as they will look to ride the wave of disrespected underdog one more game. I just see that wave crashing. In the other game, the Michigan State Spartans take on the Duke Blue Devils in a contest worthy of Final Four status. The problem is, due to the lousy job of seeding by the committee, it is taking place in the Round of 16. Way to go, fellas. It is hard to bet against Duke with Ryan Kelly on the floor, but I like Sparty in this one. Tom Izzo gets more out of his players than any other coach, and I see them advancing to the Elite Eight.
WEST Region: The wild, wild west has been nothing short of upset city. Like many people predicted, the Gonzaga Bulldogs were the first No. 1 seed to lose, proving you can only trust this team when they are the overwhelming underdog. As a favorite, they are in over their heads. The Wichita State Shockers knocked them off, and have a very strong chance to continue their Cinderella run against another unlikely foe in the La Salle Explorers. Both teams have played great basketball, but I like the Shockers to march on in this one. They will face the winner of the fortunate Ohio State Buckeyes and the Arizona Wildcats. I admit I have not been too keen on the PAC 12 teams this tourney, and I feel as if their weaknesses will begin to become more obvious. I like the Buckeyes to advance here, and this one may not be all that close.
SOUTH Region: Another loaded region with the biggest story of them all. But I’ll get to that momentarily. The top seeded Jayhawks will take on the Michigan Wolverines, who may be playing their best basketball of the season. This is a very difficult game to predict. This is how my bracket looked from the beginning, and I picked Kansas to advance. It is not that I am having second thoughts, but rather the fact that it will be a lot closer than people may have predicted. I still see Kansas moving on, but they must play like they did n the second half of their win against the North Carolina Tar Heels, and not the first. If Ben McLemore finally shows up, Kansas wins. If not, look out for Big Blue. They will face the winner of the Florida Gators and – in case you haven’t tuned in yet – the highest seed ever to reach the Sweet 16 – the No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. Nothing would please me more than to see Andy Enfield’s incredibly athletic group keep on marching, but I see that run coming to an end against the mighty gators. I hope I am wrong, but I just don’t see it.
EAST Region: Another loaded region, the East is the only one of the four who can boast all top four seeds are still in play. The Hoosiers will take on the Syracuse Orange, who have been playing quite well as of late, but I just think that the strong offense and defense of Indiana will be too much for the Orange. I had them getting to this point, but I can see them getting blown out in the Sweet 16 against Indiana. In the other matchup, the Miami Hurricanes, who are shockingly the third team from the state of Florida in the Sweet 16, will tangle with the Marquette Golden Eagles, who have played in two of the more exciting games of the entire tournament thus far. I see that continuing, and I also see them getting past the ‘Canes. Miami has had an excellent season, but I see Marquette coming out on top in this one, unless Miami can get more production from its’ starters.
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