Who’s ready to wear the glass slipper this March?
Two underdog teams that could make a Cinderella-like run in this year’s March Madness are St. Louis and Miami (Ohio).
- Duke University earned the No. 1 overall seed. A big fuss. The NCAA Tournament selection committee did a disservice to Duke. Arizona must love it too.
- Kentucky and North Carolina are among the teams vulnerable to upsets in March Madness.
- Who was removed from the bracket? No one.
Madness awaits.
Good luck. Find the perfect 12-5 upset pick so you can show off your Cinderella-finding skills over your friends. Just a word of advice to fill in the brackets: I much prefer the upset potential of this year’s 11 seed to the 12 seed.
While we wait for the game, here are eight hot thoughts and predictions from this NCAA Tournament frame.
March Madness regional breakdown: South | East | Midwest | West
Duke University is the No. 1 team, but Arizona State’s strong performance makes it the favorite.
The selection committee smeared Duke.
The Blue Devils earned the No. 1 overall seed, but they were in big trouble. Their prize? Be assigned to a region with an all-star coaching staff.
Lined up Duke’s way are Dan Hurley, Tom Izzo, Bill Self, and Rick Pitino. It’s a reward of sorts for the tournament’s top seed.
As if Duke hasn’t already absorbed enough bad luck with point guard Caleb Foster’s recent injury, it now has to resolve its coaching roster.
True Seeds confirms that the Dukes East region attracts the best seeds from No. 1 to 4. Duke has already played in the regular season, defeating Michigan State and Kansas. That doesn’t mean I’m happy about a rematch.
Duke’s second-round game against No. 8 Ohio State also causes trouble. The Buckeyes are a hot team and can compete with premier teams. They recently defeated Purdue and gave Michigan a 40-minute battle in the Big Ten tournament.
In fact, Duke may prefer to teleport to the West Region, where Arizona is the No. 1 seed.
With Duke facing doom territory, Arizona State should be considered the favorite for the tournament. Arizona is already at the top of the nation’s best conference. Now, the Wildcats must exorcise their postseason demons. They last made it to the Final Four in 2001, and it’s been a string of failures since then.
However, it’s better to play the Old Devils than to play a team that goes to the Final Four the way Duke does.
Miami, Ohio deserves to be in the NCAA Tournament.
The mid-majors give the NCAA Tournament an appealing flavor, and the committee did well by awarding at-large bids to No. 10 seed Santa Clara and No. 11 seed Miami (Ohio).
Santa Clara defeated No. 7 seed St. Mary’s twice in this bracket. Sure, Santa Clara was 0-3 in games against Gonzaga, but the Broncos played the Zags closer every time than Kentucky, which lost to Mark Few’s team. Now, Santa Clara will have its own crack at UK in a 7-on-10 game.
The committee directed the Red Hawks to play a First Four game. Considering the weakness of their schedule, that’s fine. However, it would have been too much pressure to completely exclude Miami based on just one loss. These are the first four examples that provide real value. The game in Dayton, Ohio, will determine whether 31-win Miami deserves a spot in the first round.
No one was snubbed and the March Madness expansion wasn’t necessary.
If you needed further proof that the NCAA Tournament doesn’t need to be expanded, we got it. The first two teams taken off the field were Oklahoma (19-15) and Auburn (17-16).
If you’re spotlighting a 15-loss team that barely cracked the top 50 in the NET rankings as the biggest “scorner,” that means there aren’t any snubs.
Is there a chance that the University of Oklahoma or Auburn would win an NCAA Tournament game? Yes, they could have won a game, or maybe two, if they had been selected. Alternatively, one or the other could have been routed in the opener. Bottom line: Neither played consistently enough to earn a ticket, and neither player with Elite 8 potential was left out of this 68 team.
While rumors of a 72- or 76-team field continue, it’s clear that team expansion remains unnecessary. It will only prop up the remains of the power council.
First-round upset special: No. 10 Santa Clara defeats No. 7 Kentucky
It must have been painful for Big Blue Nation to watch John Calipari and Arkansas win the SEC Tournament. Well, that would be nothing compared to the anger that would radiate from Kentucky if Mark Pope fell in the first round to close out his second season.
Santa Clara can rack up points, and Kentucky specializes in falling behind before mounting furious rallies.
Santa Clara finished as the West Coast Conference runner-up. Kentucky’s last WCC appearance came in December, when they lost to Gonzaga by 35 points.
First Round Upset Special, Part II: No. 11 VCU defeats No. 6 North Carolina.
The Tar Heels’ Final Four chances took a gut punch when leading scorer Caleb Wilson suffered a season-ending injury earlier this month. That’s reflected in North Carolina’s seeding. If Wilson were healthy, UNC would likely be close to a 4 seed.
VCU has been in the spotlight, winning 16 of the last 17 games. That accomplishment includes defeating Virginia Tech, the ACC’s 19-win team, in November.
VCU, a frequent NCAA qualifier, last upset in the first round 10 years ago. Dust off the glass slipper.
I want to see the second round
If Chalk makes it through the first round in Portland, Oregon, No. 3 Gonzaga will face No. 6 Brigham Young in the second round. It’s a chance to watch BYU’s AJ DiVanza, one of the nation’s best pure scorers, play against Gonzaga, one of the nation’s best defensive teams.
Some NBA draft experts predict Divanza to be selected with the first pick. Before that, enjoy his college curtain call, March Madness.
Big 12, Big 10 advance to Final Four
Last year, all four 1-seeds made it to the Final Four. I’m sure that won’t happen again…right? right.
The SEC received the most bids, but the Big 12 is the best conference in the nation, and I expect No. 1 Arizona and No. 2 Houston to reach the Final Four and be represented all the way. Also in the Final Four were No. 1 Michigan University and No. 3 Michigan State University.
Arizona will have a starting lineup full of double-digit scorers. Houston has a great mix of proven veterans and top-notch freshmen. The University of Michigan boasts the best defense in the nation and scores a lot of points. As for Michigan State, trust March Madness great Izzo in the rough East.
National favorite: Arizona beats Houston
The past 25 years have been heartbreaking for Arizona in the NCAA Tournament. It’s time to end the madness.
In his freshman year, Arizona started three very good players, including leading scorer Brayden Burries. But as the saying goes, old stocks win in March. I’m all-in on Arizona because of do-it-all senior point guard Jaden Bradley, the Big 12 Player of the Year and the soul of this team.
Blake Topmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow at X @btoppmeyer.
