College Basketball

By Steen Lawson
For Outsports.com

St. Louis Regional (Midwest) 

Seeds: #1 Kentucky  #2 Gonzaga  #3 Georgia Tech  #4 Kansas  #5 Providence  #6 Boston College  #7 Michigan State  #8 Washington  #9 Alabama-Birmingham  #10 Nevada  #11 Utah  #12 Pacific  #13 Illinois-Chicago  #14 Northern Iowa  #15 Valparaiso  #16 Lehigh  #17 Florida A&M 

Best First Round Game: Although there is little chance for the upset, I like the #4 vs. #13 match up between Kansas and Illinois- Chicago. Like other prognosticators I feel Kansas is a bit overrated and likewise were given a huge gift of playing close to home in Kansas City. UIC on the other hand is on a 12 game win streak, too bad they aren’t meeting at a more neutral site. 

Keep an Eye On:
Nevada – Big game experience can translate into fearless play against the big boys.

Michigan State – Yes, I know they meet Nevada in the first round and I do believe the winner of this game has a good chance of upsetting Gonzaga. 

Regional Final: Georgia Tech over Kentucky

Call this a gamble, but in my book just about any of the ACC teams has the potential to beat the best team in the nation. The Yellow Jackets have been playing top teams all season and have won more than their fair share. Look for them to catch Kentucky off guard and advance to San Antonio.  

East Rutherford Regional (East) 

Seeds: #1 St. Joseph’s #2 Oklahoma St.  #3 Pittsburgh  #4 Wake Forest  #5 Florida  #6 Wisconsin  #7 Memphis  #8 Texas Tech  #9 Charlotte  #10 South Carolina  #11 Richmond  #12 Manhattan  #13 Virginia Commonwealth  #14 Central Florida  #15 Eastern Washington  #16 Liberty  

Best First Round Game: Manhattan has a great chance to pull an upset over Florida. Florida has been up and down all season and for most of the last two thirds they have been down. The Jaspers have essentially the same team on the court that nearly beat Syracuse last season.  

Keep an Eye On:

Wisconsin – Playing down the road in Milwaukee will be a big advantage in a likely second round game with Pittsburgh.

Charlotte – Great chance to blow past Texas Tech and expose St. Joe’s in the second round.

Regional Final: Oklahoma State over Wake Forest

Oklahoma State was robbed of a top seed and should be able to go all the way to the final in San Antonio. Wake Forest, like most ACC teams in the tournament, is dangerous but won’t have enough juice to get past the deep Cowboys. 

Atlanta Regional (South) 

Seeds: #1 Duke  #2 Mississippi St.  #3 Texas  #4 Cincinnati  #5 Illinois  #6 North Carolina  #7 Xavier  #8 Seton Hall  #9 Arizona  #10 Louisville  #11 Air Force  #12 Murray State  #13 East Tennessee St.  #14 Princeton  #15 Monmouth  #16 Alabama St.   

Best First Round Game:

Arizona can beat almost any team and then again the reverse is also true. Against Seton Hall they will have a tough time handling a battle tested team that played a much tougher schedule and features a top point guard in Andre Barrett. 

Keep an Eye On:

Arizona – If they escape Seton Hall they have a great shot at beating Duke in the second round as possibly the best #9 seed in the history of the Tournament.

East Tennessee State – A team with two star players can easily put together enough to make it into the Sweet Sixteen. 

Regional Final: Mississippi State over Arizona

The Bulldogs had a perfect record during the regular season on the road and they know how to play in close games. Inconsistency will plague the Wildcats in the regional final allowing Mississippi State the chance to represent the SEC in the Final Four.

Phoenix Regional (West) 

Seeds: #1 Stanford  #2 Connecticut  #3 NC State  #4 Maryland  #5 Syracuse  #6 Vanderbilt  #7 DePaul  #8 Alabama  #9 Southern Illinois  #10 Dayton  #11 Western Michigan  #12 BYU  #13 Texas-El Paso  #14 Louisiana-Lafayette  #15 Vermont  #16 Texas-San Antonio  

Best First Round Game:

Southern Illinois will be fearless as a #9 seed this year and once again will win at least one game in the tournament by beating an unexceptional Alabama. Every year a few average teams make the tournament merely because they play in a great conference, this year’s example is Alabama. 

Keep an Eye On:

Western Michigan – Likely to beat a vulnerable Vanderbilt and advance to meet an equally beatable NC State.

Dayton – Enough talent to take a first round game, too bad they will meet UConn in the second round.

Regional Final: UConn over Stanford

Stanford does not want to take on a healthy and hot Huskies team that features the best player in the nature, Emeka Okafor.  Too bad for the Cardinal since there are plenty of other high seeded teams they could wipe the floor with. Don’t miss this game when it happens since the Cardinal feature a deep team as handsome as it is talented. 

Final Four

Oklahoma State over Georgia Tech
UConn over Mississippi State 

UConn takes the prize this year largely on the play of superstar Emeka Okafor and earns back the respect that had them #1 at the start of the season. 

Enjoy the Madness!