MARCH MADNESS... TO SAY THE LEAST

With the upcoming March Madness about to begin, I want to dive into the tournament field tell you my personal picks, the biggest snubs, and the teams with the best chances of winning the entire time. Obviously all of my words mean nothing at the end of the day because March is pure Madness. 

MARCH MADNESS
The first thing that I would love to point out is how 3 out of the 4 number one seeds did not win their tournament. Purdue, who was looking to be a lock at the number one seed, potentially overall, lost to No. 5 Wisconsin in the semifinals of the Big 10 tournament. Houston, who was ranked No. 1 & 2 a majority of the season lost to Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship game and is still ranked No. 1. North Carolina took the No. 1 seed after losing to NC State in the ACC championship game and reaching the No. 3 spot at times during the season. UCONN, who is the reigning champions, outright won the Atlantic 10 and was given the No. 1 seed. For me, I just don't understand how if you are going to cut mid-major schools who had decent quad wins if they don't win their conference, how you can award a No. 1 seed to a power five school who didn't win it either. 
In general, I think that this will be one of the most diverse fields of strength. Every year there is always a few powerhouses but we have seen all of those 'powerhouses' fall this season. If you are looking for some good basketball, this will be a wonderful time for you to watch.

MY PICK TO WIN THIS YEAR: 
No. 1 Houston & No. 1 UCONN (depending on my bracket)
- I think that UCONN has a very tough path to get there which is why I am not 100% sold on them, which is another bone I have to pick with the selection committee. One would think that if a team is the outright No. 1 seed, they would be given the path that Purdue got. But no, they have to go against the Big 10 champ, MVC champ, and the best BIG 12 team in the tournament. If UCONN can get through the East, they will win the National Championship.

BIGGEST SNUB
As I go through this section, I will say that this is partially in part to the committee, but also in part of the insanity that occurred throughout the final weekends of basketball. Oregon wasn't supposed to win the PAC-12, neither was NC State, Duquesne or New Mexico, but here we are. 
As someone who has watched MVC basketball all season, I know how good Indiana State is and the committee got it wrong by not putting them in. Indiana State is now the highest NET ranked team to not make it into the big dance, with their final ranking of 29th.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Who do you have winning March Madness? Who would you like to see win it, seeding aside?
 

Comments

  1. Jacob MorrellMarch 20, 2024 at 11:38 PM

    I have UCONN as my winner even though March Madness hasn't had a back to back winner in a very long time. They're the most popular winner at roughly 25 percent of brackets. It was very funny to see Indiana State get snubbed after they ran Bradley off the court twice. Can't wait for something stupid to happen like Purdue losing in the first round again to break everyone's brackets.

    ReplyDelete
  2. TomMarch 21, 2024 at 5:05 AM

    These are solid picks, especially considering their strong performances throughout the season. UCONN definitely knows how to perform under pressure. Houston, with their consistent play, could go far as well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Heidi RottierMarch 21, 2024 at 6:11 AM

    The comments explaining the choices always chap my hide. I wish they would just admit that the mid-majors don't generate as much cash, and so that's why they aren't chosen.

    ReplyDelete

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