NCAA Bracket is Set

So the field of 65 has been chosen and I don't think there were too many surprises. Oregon, Villanova, Kentucky, and Arizona were probably the main bubble teams that got in. I'm not really shocked any of them made it except for maybe Villanova. Everyone seems to be up in arms about Arizona St not making it but I really don't think that was that big of a snub.

As far as the seedings go, I was a little surprised that Butler is only a 7 seed but I'm not really sure who you would drop to a lower seed. I also think the Pac 10 teams received higher seeds than they deserved. I really don't think Oregon is a 9 seed or Washington St is a 4 seed. However, overall I think they did a good job with the seedings and teams they selected.

When I look at the bracket, I see a group of teams that can win it all and then I see a second group that can go deep into the tournament and possibly knock off the first group of teams but would probably need some help to win the whole thing.

The first group of teams who I think can win it all includes all the usual suspects: UCLA, North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas, Tennessee, Georgetown, and Texas. I think these are the clear cut top 7 teams, so I am going to give my opinion on where these teams might have some problems.

UCLA: I think the Bruins will have some trouble with Texas A&M if they play them in the second round but I figure they should get to the Sweet 16, where they would probably face UConn. I think UConn has a very good chance to knock them off and I have a hard time only picking UConn to the Sweet 16 but I think very highly of UCLA right now. I think the winner of the potential UConn/UCLA game will win the West region and go to the Final 4. I think either team would take care of business against Xavier or Duke.

North Carolina: I think North Carolina has the easiest path of all the # 1 Seeds to the Elite 8. Out of Notre Dame and Washington St, I think Notre Dame would give them the most trouble. However, Notre Dame does not have the strongest defense so that could be a problem for them. Washington State could give UNC a game because they play at a slower pace but I don't think they have the offensive fire power to pull off the upset. They could definitely make the game ugly and give themselves a chance though.

Once they get to the Elite 8, UNC could face either Tennessee or Louisville. Either one of these teams would give them a game and I really wouldn't call either one an upset if they beat UNC.

Memphis: I really believe this team has the most talent and that Derrick Rose is going to have a monster tournament but their free throw shooting still scares me. They also have some tough teams in their bracket. Pittsburgh could give them trouble in the Sweet 16 but they also are bad free throw shooting team so I think Memphis will prevail there.

Texas and Memphis would be a great Elite 8 matchup but after watching Texas play a few times, they just seem to be out of control and I think this could hurt them at some point. Stanford is the 3 seed in this region but I don't seem them posing much threat to Memphis, I tend to think Stanford is a little overated.

Kansas: They will have trouble with the Clemson/Vanderbilt winner. Vanderbilt is probably more dangerous to play when they are running on all cylinders but they aren't very good at road/neutral sites so they might not be able to get out of the second round. Clemson would be a tough out too and you have to figure if either Clemson or Vandy is playing in the Sweet 16 it means they are playing good basketball, which makes both of them very tough outs.

In the Elite 8, Georgetown is a tough matchup for Kansas and I could see them advancing to the Final 4. I think Georgetown will cruise into the Elite 8.

So my second group of teams includes Louisville, UConn, Xavier, Duke, Pitt, and Vanderbilt.

Other possible teams to look out for to make a mini-run but not much chance of making the Final 4 include: Notre Dame, Clemson, USC, Marquette, Stanford, and Butler.

As far as possible upsets: (12)Temple over (5)Mich St, (10)Davidson over (7)Gonzaga, (11)St Joes over (6)Oklahoma, and (11)Baylor over (6)Purdue.

I will not make my final prediction for the National Championship probably until Wednesday.

If anyone has any predictions or possible upsets, I would love to hear them and the reason why you believe it will happen!

You can print a bracket out here and don't forget to enter my NCAA Tournament Pool here.