From the pen of Mike Sheerin;

It’s here. Arguably the best weekend in the sports calendar, the Madness is upon us. Wall to wall college hoops action. The pageantry, the pomp, the drama.

Some notes from the bracket that caught my eye. North Carolina somehow back doored their way into the tournament. Much to the dismay of the people (and Governor) of West Virginia. Indiana also had a case to get in. I’m always weary about pounding the table and saying a team shouldn’t be in because that team usually turns around and goes on some kind of run. It was a tough year for the ACC Duke got a 1 seed, but the likes of Clemson and Louisville get very little respect from the committee. On the other hand the committee loved the SEC this season. 14 teams from the Southeastern Conference got into the dance. Let’s talk about the regions.

EAST

Let me get this part out of the way. This is Duke’s bracket to lose. But there’s interesting matchups so let’s dive in. People watch March Madness for the upsets and firmly putting Arizona on upset alert. The Zips average 84.6 PPG on 36% shooting from 3. They are a dangerous first round matchup for the Wildcats. The potential Cinderella for me is clearly VCU. They marched through the A-10 tournament. They play great aggressive defense that will be a challenge for anybody. I can see them heading to a sweet 16 matchup with the Crimson Tide of Alabama. I’ll stick with the Duke Blue Devils winning this region and going to the Final Four. If you’re feeling bold take a look at Oregon +3400 or VCU +3500 to get to the final four.

South

North Carolina has the opportunity to crash everyone’s party. After the handwringing and complaining, the opportunity is there. Auburn has tapered off a bit near the back end of the season. Is that more to do with they were letting off the gas in preparation for the tournament? Or a more troubling sign of things on the horizon? I think the team to watch is Michigan. Dusty May’s squad is coming off a conference tournament win and is playing good hoops. Michigan +2200 is a fun long shot to root for.

Midwest

I think the Midwest bracket is the most intriguing. Houston is a great defensive team who’s offense runs very hot or cold. The Gonzaga Georgia matchup is fascinating. Gonzaga is an absolute analytics darling. There is no Jalen Suggs or Chet Holmgren on this team but they are still led by Mark Few. I think Clemson got shafted on their seeding and they’ll have to contend with a very solid McNeese team. In fact I’d also add Kentucky and Purdue to the upset alert category. This bracket will be a war of attrition. My bold prediction is that Xavier gets to the elite eight. My long shot for the final four is Xavier +3400.

West

There is not team in the country hotter than Florida right now. UConn or Oklahoma could pose a threat in the round of 32. In spite of that the Gators will be a popular pick to win it all. Speaking of trendy I think Drake is the trendiest underdog at the moment to pull off an upset but I’m skeptical. Missouri is a dangerous team in this bracket. The other trendy team is Colorado State. I’m also skeptical because of the Mountain West‘s history in the tournament. The dog I’m watching is Grand Canyon.

Predictions

My Final Four looks like this. I got Duke, Iowa State, Houston and St. John’s. Duke brings home the title in the end. The apprentice Jon Scheyer joins the Emperor Coach K atop the Evil Empire.

Be on the lookout for some additional pieces as we start to focus on March Madness and the Saint Patrick’s Day holiday as well. On Twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon!