March Madness predictions 2019: Virginia is going to win it all. West Region
First Round
#1 Gonzaga vs. #16 Fairleigh Dickinson: Jahlil Jenkins and Darnell Edge were amazing in the First Four, but the Zags have too great of an offense. Pick: Gonzaga
#8 Syracuse Baylor: What is that you say? Syracuse in the NCAA tournament? GotId proceed with the Orange. Select: Syracuse
#5 Marquette vs. #12 Murray State: I literally looked as the heart eyes emoji when they announced this match. Ja Morant vs. Markus Howard. Superstar vs. Superstar. Can we replace one of those Pac-12 teams and only keep whichever one loses? No? Fine, let us go together with the Racers since the Golden Eagles closed the regular season . Pick: Murray State
#4 Florida State vs. #13 Vermont: FSU is very, very good. They ought to be a No. 3 seed. The Catamounts are not poor, but the Seminoles’ length and athleticism will be too much for them to conquer. Pick: Florida State
#6 Buffalo vs. #11 St. John’s: Buffalo is under-seeded, in my estimation. The Bulls are No. 22 on KenPom, and have the No. 19 offense and No. 29 defense. CJ Massinburg is a fictitious celebrity, and I believe the Bulls are just too much for St. John’s. Select: Buffalo
#3 Texas Tech vs. #14 Northern Kentucky: DE-FENSE [CLAP CLAP] DE-FENSE [CLAP CLAP] The Red Raiders have the No. 1 defense AND Jarrett Culver. Their crime has struggled at times, however they won’t have a problem with the Norse. Select: Texas Tech
#7 Nevada vs. #10 Florida: KenPom has this as a pick’em (one point Nevada win), and Vegas favors the Wolfpack by two. Nevada is prone to falling from early and utilizing drives and threes in the Martin twins to scale back in. The Gators have ended the season strong and appear to be peaking at the right moment. Despite Jordan Caroline being among my favourite players, I think Florida understands this in a close one. Pick: Florida
#2 Michigan vs. #15 Montana: Michigan got a bad draw in needing to play the same team they faced in the opening round this past year. This Montana team was much better than this one, and the Wolverines rolled. They will roll again. Select: Michigan
Second Round
#1 Gonzaga vs. #8 Syracuse: Syracuse against Gonzaga. No background there, right? In 2016, the Orange snuck by Gonzaga by three to make the Elite Eight in which they mad Virginia to create a Final Four. This year, the Zags get revenge. Pick: Gonzaga
#5 Murray State vs. #4 Florida State: The Ja Morant Cinderella story ends here. Mfiondu Kabengele along with the Seminoles do only enough to slow down the Racers and proceed to the Sweet 16. Select: Florida State
#3 Texas Tech vs. #6 Buffalo : UPSET PICK. BUFFALO TO THE SWEET 16. The Bulls have a tough defense and will make things difficult enough for TTU to score that they proceed. Pick: Buffalo
#2 Michigan vs. #10 Florida: I have seen this particular bowl game before. Iggy Brazdeikis, Jordan Poole, Charles Matthews, and Jon Teske are just too much to the Gators in this . Select: Michigan
Sweet Sixteen
#1 Gonzaga vs. #4 Florida State: Sticking with FSU’s span and their ability to disrupt the Zags on crime. The Seminoles do not have the best crime, but they are powerful enough to maintain Gonzaga honest. This ought to be an amazing game, so I hope we get to view it. Pick: Florida State
#2 Michigan vs. #6 Buffalo: After seeing the No. 1 defense at TTU, matters just let up marginally for Buffalo with Michigan’s No. 2 defense. It is too much for the Bulls in back-to-back matches and they run out of steam in the second half. Pick: Michigan
Elite Eight
#2 Michigan vs. #4 Florida State: Another fantastic game if we can get it. I like Michigan’s defense here as the big men indoors can bang with the best of these. I really don’t trust FSU’s shooting enough to allow them to get enough on Michigan’s defense. Pick: Michigan
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