Let the Madness Ensue
The greatest event in sports has finally arrived. The 68 team NCAA Tournament field is set and let March Madness commence.
I'm a diehard sports fan, always have been and always will. I live and die with my favorite sports teams and I even get up early for school so I can catch a little bit of SportsCenter before starting the day. No matter what your favorite sport is, whether that is football, baseball, basketball, golf, soccer or even NASCAR, how can you not enjoy the NCAA Tournament?
Anything and everything can happen in the NCAA tournament, it's the most unpredictable event in all of sports, and that's pretty damn exciting. Sure events like the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Masters, Olympics, Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, World Cup and yes, sometimes, even the BCS National Championship are exciting, but nothing tops the NCAA tournament in my opinion.
It has everything a sports fan could ever ask for and more. Basketball games at noon on Thursday and Friday right in the middle of the work day. If watching a basketball game at noon on a Friday can't get you excited and help you get through the rest of the day then I don't know what does.
It has buzzer beaters, unimaginable upsets, jaw dropping moments, and spectacular plays that you will see on highlight films for years to come.
It's the place where future NBA players like, Rip Hamilton, Mario Chalmers, Stephen Curry, Jimmer Fredette, and Dwyane Wade burst onto the scene. The tournament is the birthplace of the greatest rivalry in the history of basketball between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
It's the place where Christian Laettner and a kid from Northern Iowa, Ali Farokhmanesh, whose name no one could pronounce became heroes and forever enshrined in the greatest moments in sports history.
It's 68 teams vying for a trip to the Final Four, from perennial powerhouses in Kentucky, Kansas, Duke and North Carolina, to mid-majors like, Creighton, Xavier and VCU. Even schools making the tournament for the first time in school history like, Norfolk State and South Dakota State have a chance to win it all. These teams may not look like equals on paper, but they all have an equal chance of reaching the ultimate prize in college basketball, a national championship.
There is only one place where this is all possible, the NCAA tournament. It's March Madness, simply the greatest event in all of sports.
With that being said, who do I see cutting down the nets in New Orleans and surviving all of the madness that is the NCAA tournament? Well, take a look for yourself.
South Region (Atlanta)
In my opinion, the toughest region in this year's tournament. Number one overall seed Kentucky will not have an easy road to the Final Four with possibly having to go through defending champion UConn, Indiana who beat them early this season, UNLV, Baylor, Wichita State and rival Duke who beat Kentucky 20 years ago in the tournament on "The Shot" by Christian Laettner.
Team most likely to come out of South: (1) Kentucky. With all of that being said above, however, I still like the Wildcats to come out of the South. I think they'll beat Western Kentucky, UConn, Wichita St., and Baylor on their way to New Orleans and the Final Four. It won't be easy though.
Possible Upsets: The classic 5-12 and 4-13 matchups are in my opinion the best possibilities for an upset in the South. (12) VCU was a Cinderella last year and they could make another run if they get by (5) Wichita State. (4) Indiana has to make the long trip to Portland and they should be careful with a good (13) New Mexico State team. I don't think it will happen, but always a possibility. I do think (10) Xavier will beat (7) Notre Dame. The Irish struggled to score points in the Big East tournament and although I'm a Cincinnati Bearcat, Xavier has a good team and they are always dangerous in the tournament.
Prediction: Kentucky, UConn, Wichita St, Indiana, UNLV, Baylor, Xavier and Duke will advance to the Round of 32. UK, Wichita St, Baylor and Duke to the Sweet 16 and UK defeating Baylor in the Elite 8 and advancing to the Final Four. Some of the most exciting basketball you will see in the tournament could come from the South and it will be a very interesting region to watch.
West Region (Phoenix)
The West Region has the potential to become, "Upset City Baby!" and could be the one the totally destroys your bracket, so be prepared.
Team most likely to come out of the West: (2) Missouri. Michigan St. has been very impressive this season by being co-champions of the toughest conference in basketball this season in the Big 10 and winning the conference tournament, but I really like the Tigers. Mizzou won the Big 12 tournament and had just four losses all season. They had three wins over Baylor, a win over Kansas and a one point loss to the Jayhawks on the road in overtime. The Tigers play one of the fastest styles of basketball in the country and are one of top scoring teams in the country as well.
Dark Horse: (8) Memphis. Even though were 1-6 against the top 25 this season, they still played teams like Louisville, Georgetown, Murray St. and Michigan very tough during the course of the season. The Tigers have one of the toughest defenses in the nation and I think they could upset (1) Michigan St. in the Round of 32 and get all the way to the Elite 8.
Possible Upsets: I really like (12) Long Beach State, (6) Murray St. and (13) Davidson in the West. LBSU played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country with games against tournament teams San Diego St., Montana, Louisville, North Carolina, Kansas, Xavier, Kansas St and still managing to finish the season 25-8. Murray State finished the season 30-1 and are eager to prove to the rest of the country they are as good as their record indicates. As for Davidson, they may not have Stephen Curry this time, but they still could upset (4) Louisville.
Prediction: I have Michigan State, Memphis, New Mexico, Davidson, Murray St., Marquette, Florida and Missouri advancing to the third round. I think the upsets will start early with Davidson knocking off Louisville and will continue into the Sweet 16 with Murray State knocking off Marquette. I think Michigan St., New Mexico and Missouri will also be going to the Sweet 16 with Missouri knocking off Michigan State in the Elite 8 to get to the Final Four.
East Region (Boston)
Besides the South, the East is the second toughest region in the tournament and my Bearcats are going to have to play at their absolute best if they are to make a tournament run.
Team most likely to come out of the East: (1) Syracuse. The Orange have been the second best team all season behind Kentucky and surely are one of the favorites to get to New Orleans and win the national title. Syracuse looked unbeatable for most of the season, but my Bearcats showed that hot three point shooting and tough defense are enough to get by Jim Boeheim's squad. The loss of center Fab Melo will hurt the Orange though as he is a big presence in the paint especially on defense and remember that one of Syracuse's losses this season came at Notre Dame with Melo ineligible for academic reasons.
Dark Horse: (3) Florida St. Any team that beats Duke and North Carolina twice is the same season has a chance to make some noise in the tournament. I watched most of the Seminoles ACC tournament victory over North Carolina and I was very, very impressed. They can shoot lights out from the perimeter and I really like their style of play. Michael Snaer, Luke Loucks, and Deividas Dulkys are a great trio of guards and I'd watch out for Florida St to make a serious run in the tournament.
Possible Upsets: Once again, the 4-13 and 5-12 matchups are very intriguing. I could very easily see (12) Harvard and (13) Montana upsetting (5) Vanderbilt and (4) Wisconsin in the second round. Harvard has a very good team and I know Vandy just beat Kentucky, but I think they need to be on upset alert. Vandy has exited the tournament early the past few times they have been in and it could happen again. As for the Badgers, they have a tendency to go cold offensively and if they struggle to make shots, they could have an early exit from the tournament as well.
Prediction: Unlike the West region, I don't have many upsets in the East and I think all the higher seeds will advance to the Round of 32. In the Sweet 16, I like Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Florida St., and Ohio St. to advance with Florida St. knocking off Ohio St. and Syracuse defeating Vanderbilt to set up a very exciting Elite 8 matchup. Florida St. v. Syracuse should be a good one and like the Seminoles hot shooting to propel them to New Orleans.
Midwest Region (St. Louis)
It rarely happens, but the Midwest may not feature one single upset. I wouldn't bet on it though as there are a lot of very talented teams in this region.
Team most likely to come out of the Midwest: (1) North Carolina. The Tar Heels are coming off a tough loss to Florida St. in the final of the ACC tournament and the health of John Henson's wrist is a concern, but I would be surprised if the Heels get knocked out early. They lost just five games all season and three of those losses were by a combined five points. UNC has one of the countries most potent offensive attacks and they are a very good team and I think the Heels will go very far in the big dance.
Dark Horse: (6) San Diego St. Getting by NC State won't be easy, but if the Aztecs take care of business I think they could find themselves in St. Louis. SDSU played in a lot of close games this season and they played well in them going 4-0 in overtime. I suspect their third round opponent will be Georgetown and the Hoyas could get upset and maybe even the Jayhawks in the Sweet 16 if SDSU were to advance.
Possible Upsets: I really don't see many possible upsets in the Midwest region, but there are a few possibilities. The winner of the (12) Cal/South Florida could give Temple a game in the second round, but I think the Owls will prevail. (4) Michigan better be careful with Ohio, who upset (3) Georgetown last time they were in the big dance two years ago, but I would be surprised if it happen. (11) NC State might upset SDSU, I thought they looked good in the ACC tournament, but overall I don't see a lot of upsets in this region.
Prediction: Much like the East region, I like all the higher seeds to advance to the Round of 32. SDSU could knock off the Hoyas, but like Georgetown to move on to play Kansas in the Sweet 16. I like the Tar Heels and Wolverines to get to St. Louis as well. From there I have North Carolina and Kansas facing off in the Elite 8 with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Two of college basketball's greatest programs square off in what should be a high scoring affair and I like Roy Williams and the Tar Heels to advance to New Orleans.
Final Four (New Orleans)
The road to the Final Four ends in New Orleans at the Superdome and if it's as loud as a Saints football game, then March Madness fans are going to be in for a great Final Four. To recap who I see getting to the Final Four, I have Kentucky from the South, Missouri from the West, Florida St. from the East and North Carolina from the Midwest.
In the first national semifinal I like Kentucky to defeat Missouri. It should be a really up tempo game and I like Wildcats to prevail in a very close ballgame. In the second game I'm going to have to go with UNC. The Seminoles got the best of the Tar Heels in their first two meeting this season, but I like North Carolina to get some revenge and advance to the national championship.
National Championship
North Carolina v. Kentucky
The two most storied programs in college basketball history will meet in New Orleans April 2nd for the National Championship. These two programs have combined for 4,085 wins, 12 national championships and some of the best players in history too numerous to mention. It's rare that two teams of this caliber meet in the final game, but I really think it can happen this year and if so, I like Kentucky to win their first title since 1998.
I know the Wildcats are the popular pick to win it all, and the number one overall seed doesn't win the tournament very often, and they are led by a bunch of freshman, but they got one hell of a team. They were hands down the best team all season and if the stage does not become too big for these guys, I think John Calipari's team will be cutting down the nets in New Orleans.
There you have it. Adam Rusche's 2012 NCAA tournament bracket and I hope it turns out to be perfect, but it will probably be destoryed after the first weekend like it usually is. That's what makes the tournament great though, anything and everything can happen.
With that being said, who will be this year's version of VCU? Which number one seed will get knocked out first? And who will become the next Christian Laettner, Stephen Curry or Ali Farokhmanesh?
I don't know and either does anybody else, but I sure as hell can't wait to find out. Let the Madness ensue and enjoy the greatest event in sports that is the NCAA tournament.
I'm a diehard sports fan, always have been and always will. I live and die with my favorite sports teams and I even get up early for school so I can catch a little bit of SportsCenter before starting the day. No matter what your favorite sport is, whether that is football, baseball, basketball, golf, soccer or even NASCAR, how can you not enjoy the NCAA Tournament?
Anything and everything can happen in the NCAA tournament, it's the most unpredictable event in all of sports, and that's pretty damn exciting. Sure events like the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Masters, Olympics, Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, World Cup and yes, sometimes, even the BCS National Championship are exciting, but nothing tops the NCAA tournament in my opinion.
It has everything a sports fan could ever ask for and more. Basketball games at noon on Thursday and Friday right in the middle of the work day. If watching a basketball game at noon on a Friday can't get you excited and help you get through the rest of the day then I don't know what does.
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| Remember this guy? Ali Farokhmanesh helped lead Northern Iowa to a monumental upset of No. 1 Kansas back in 2010. (Gary Nelson/Sports Illustrated) |
It has buzzer beaters, unimaginable upsets, jaw dropping moments, and spectacular plays that you will see on highlight films for years to come.
It's the place where future NBA players like, Rip Hamilton, Mario Chalmers, Stephen Curry, Jimmer Fredette, and Dwyane Wade burst onto the scene. The tournament is the birthplace of the greatest rivalry in the history of basketball between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
It's the place where Christian Laettner and a kid from Northern Iowa, Ali Farokhmanesh, whose name no one could pronounce became heroes and forever enshrined in the greatest moments in sports history.
It's 68 teams vying for a trip to the Final Four, from perennial powerhouses in Kentucky, Kansas, Duke and North Carolina, to mid-majors like, Creighton, Xavier and VCU. Even schools making the tournament for the first time in school history like, Norfolk State and South Dakota State have a chance to win it all. These teams may not look like equals on paper, but they all have an equal chance of reaching the ultimate prize in college basketball, a national championship.
There is only one place where this is all possible, the NCAA tournament. It's March Madness, simply the greatest event in all of sports.
With that being said, who do I see cutting down the nets in New Orleans and surviving all of the madness that is the NCAA tournament? Well, take a look for yourself.
South Region (Atlanta)
In my opinion, the toughest region in this year's tournament. Number one overall seed Kentucky will not have an easy road to the Final Four with possibly having to go through defending champion UConn, Indiana who beat them early this season, UNLV, Baylor, Wichita State and rival Duke who beat Kentucky 20 years ago in the tournament on "The Shot" by Christian Laettner.
Team most likely to come out of South: (1) Kentucky. With all of that being said above, however, I still like the Wildcats to come out of the South. I think they'll beat Western Kentucky, UConn, Wichita St., and Baylor on their way to New Orleans and the Final Four. It won't be easy though.
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| Head coach John Calipari once again has a very talent Kentucky team filled with "Diaper Dandies" including Player of the Year candidate Anthony Davis (23). (ESPN The Magazine) |
Dark Horse: (3) Baylor. The Bears had a great season at 27-7 and Perry Jones III was one of the best players in the Big 12 this season. A possible matchup with UNLV in the Round of 32 should be a good one and I think they can beat Duke in the Sweet 16 setting up a possible matchup with Kentucky in the Elite 8.
Possible Upsets: The classic 5-12 and 4-13 matchups are in my opinion the best possibilities for an upset in the South. (12) VCU was a Cinderella last year and they could make another run if they get by (5) Wichita State. (4) Indiana has to make the long trip to Portland and they should be careful with a good (13) New Mexico State team. I don't think it will happen, but always a possibility. I do think (10) Xavier will beat (7) Notre Dame. The Irish struggled to score points in the Big East tournament and although I'm a Cincinnati Bearcat, Xavier has a good team and they are always dangerous in the tournament.
Prediction: Kentucky, UConn, Wichita St, Indiana, UNLV, Baylor, Xavier and Duke will advance to the Round of 32. UK, Wichita St, Baylor and Duke to the Sweet 16 and UK defeating Baylor in the Elite 8 and advancing to the Final Four. Some of the most exciting basketball you will see in the tournament could come from the South and it will be a very interesting region to watch.
West Region (Phoenix)
The West Region has the potential to become, "Upset City Baby!" and could be the one the totally destroys your bracket, so be prepared.
Team most likely to come out of the West: (2) Missouri. Michigan St. has been very impressive this season by being co-champions of the toughest conference in basketball this season in the Big 10 and winning the conference tournament, but I really like the Tigers. Mizzou won the Big 12 tournament and had just four losses all season. They had three wins over Baylor, a win over Kansas and a one point loss to the Jayhawks on the road in overtime. The Tigers play one of the fastest styles of basketball in the country and are one of top scoring teams in the country as well.
Dark Horse: (8) Memphis. Even though were 1-6 against the top 25 this season, they still played teams like Louisville, Georgetown, Murray St. and Michigan very tough during the course of the season. The Tigers have one of the toughest defenses in the nation and I think they could upset (1) Michigan St. in the Round of 32 and get all the way to the Elite 8.
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| Murray State fans are hoping the 30-1 Racers can continue their success in this year's big dance. (AP Photo/The Paducah Sun, John Wright) |
Prediction: I have Michigan State, Memphis, New Mexico, Davidson, Murray St., Marquette, Florida and Missouri advancing to the third round. I think the upsets will start early with Davidson knocking off Louisville and will continue into the Sweet 16 with Murray State knocking off Marquette. I think Michigan St., New Mexico and Missouri will also be going to the Sweet 16 with Missouri knocking off Michigan State in the Elite 8 to get to the Final Four.
East Region (Boston)
Besides the South, the East is the second toughest region in the tournament and my Bearcats are going to have to play at their absolute best if they are to make a tournament run.
Team most likely to come out of the East: (1) Syracuse. The Orange have been the second best team all season behind Kentucky and surely are one of the favorites to get to New Orleans and win the national title. Syracuse looked unbeatable for most of the season, but my Bearcats showed that hot three point shooting and tough defense are enough to get by Jim Boeheim's squad. The loss of center Fab Melo will hurt the Orange though as he is a big presence in the paint especially on defense and remember that one of Syracuse's losses this season came at Notre Dame with Melo ineligible for academic reasons.
Dark Horse: (3) Florida St. Any team that beats Duke and North Carolina twice is the same season has a chance to make some noise in the tournament. I watched most of the Seminoles ACC tournament victory over North Carolina and I was very, very impressed. They can shoot lights out from the perimeter and I really like their style of play. Michael Snaer, Luke Loucks, and Deividas Dulkys are a great trio of guards and I'd watch out for Florida St to make a serious run in the tournament.
Possible Upsets: Once again, the 4-13 and 5-12 matchups are very intriguing. I could very easily see (12) Harvard and (13) Montana upsetting (5) Vanderbilt and (4) Wisconsin in the second round. Harvard has a very good team and I know Vandy just beat Kentucky, but I think they need to be on upset alert. Vandy has exited the tournament early the past few times they have been in and it could happen again. As for the Badgers, they have a tendency to go cold offensively and if they struggle to make shots, they could have an early exit from the tournament as well.
Prediction: Unlike the West region, I don't have many upsets in the East and I think all the higher seeds will advance to the Round of 32. In the Sweet 16, I like Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Florida St., and Ohio St. to advance with Florida St. knocking off Ohio St. and Syracuse defeating Vanderbilt to set up a very exciting Elite 8 matchup. Florida St. v. Syracuse should be a good one and like the Seminoles hot shooting to propel them to New Orleans.
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| Even though I'm a student at the University of Cincinnati, believe me when I say that Mick Cronin deserves to be in the Coach of the Year conversation. (Chris Trotman/Getty Images) |
(6) Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bearcats have come a long way since...yes, the brawl against Xavier and most of credit belongs to head coach Mick Cronin. From the way he handled the team post brawl, the discipline of Yancy Gates, to getting his team to the Big East Championship by defeating one of the best teams in the country on the biggest basketball stage in the world, Madison Square Garden. Mick has done a great job and I think he has earned a lot of respect from his players, the fans and the country for way he handled all the chaos.
The Bearcats has made many great strides since December 10th and believe they will beat the Texas Longhorns Friday afternoon in Nashville. But that's as far as they will go in my opinion. A third round matchup against Florida St. is going to be tough and I would be surprised if the Bearcats were to advance, but if they make their three pointers and play tough defense, much like they did against Syracuse, UC could find themselves in the Sweet 16 against instate foe Ohio State. Now that's a game I would like to see and one that would certainly prove who is the best basketball team in the bUCkeye state.
Midwest Region (St. Louis)
It rarely happens, but the Midwest may not feature one single upset. I wouldn't bet on it though as there are a lot of very talented teams in this region.
Team most likely to come out of the Midwest: (1) North Carolina. The Tar Heels are coming off a tough loss to Florida St. in the final of the ACC tournament and the health of John Henson's wrist is a concern, but I would be surprised if the Heels get knocked out early. They lost just five games all season and three of those losses were by a combined five points. UNC has one of the countries most potent offensive attacks and they are a very good team and I think the Heels will go very far in the big dance.
Dark Horse: (6) San Diego St. Getting by NC State won't be easy, but if the Aztecs take care of business I think they could find themselves in St. Louis. SDSU played in a lot of close games this season and they played well in them going 4-0 in overtime. I suspect their third round opponent will be Georgetown and the Hoyas could get upset and maybe even the Jayhawks in the Sweet 16 if SDSU were to advance.
Possible Upsets: I really don't see many possible upsets in the Midwest region, but there are a few possibilities. The winner of the (12) Cal/South Florida could give Temple a game in the second round, but I think the Owls will prevail. (4) Michigan better be careful with Ohio, who upset (3) Georgetown last time they were in the big dance two years ago, but I would be surprised if it happen. (11) NC State might upset SDSU, I thought they looked good in the ACC tournament, but overall I don't see a lot of upsets in this region.
Prediction: Much like the East region, I like all the higher seeds to advance to the Round of 32. SDSU could knock off the Hoyas, but like Georgetown to move on to play Kansas in the Sweet 16. I like the Tar Heels and Wolverines to get to St. Louis as well. From there I have North Carolina and Kansas facing off in the Elite 8 with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Two of college basketball's greatest programs square off in what should be a high scoring affair and I like Roy Williams and the Tar Heels to advance to New Orleans.
Final Four (New Orleans)
The road to the Final Four ends in New Orleans at the Superdome and if it's as loud as a Saints football game, then March Madness fans are going to be in for a great Final Four. To recap who I see getting to the Final Four, I have Kentucky from the South, Missouri from the West, Florida St. from the East and North Carolina from the Midwest.
In the first national semifinal I like Kentucky to defeat Missouri. It should be a really up tempo game and I like Wildcats to prevail in a very close ballgame. In the second game I'm going to have to go with UNC. The Seminoles got the best of the Tar Heels in their first two meeting this season, but I like North Carolina to get some revenge and advance to the national championship.
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| The Superdome should be louder than ever for the Final Four in the Big Easy. (Image Courtesy of the NCAA) |
National Championship
North Carolina v. Kentucky
The two most storied programs in college basketball history will meet in New Orleans April 2nd for the National Championship. These two programs have combined for 4,085 wins, 12 national championships and some of the best players in history too numerous to mention. It's rare that two teams of this caliber meet in the final game, but I really think it can happen this year and if so, I like Kentucky to win their first title since 1998.
I know the Wildcats are the popular pick to win it all, and the number one overall seed doesn't win the tournament very often, and they are led by a bunch of freshman, but they got one hell of a team. They were hands down the best team all season and if the stage does not become too big for these guys, I think John Calipari's team will be cutting down the nets in New Orleans.
There you have it. Adam Rusche's 2012 NCAA tournament bracket and I hope it turns out to be perfect, but it will probably be destoryed after the first weekend like it usually is. That's what makes the tournament great though, anything and everything can happen.
With that being said, who will be this year's version of VCU? Which number one seed will get knocked out first? And who will become the next Christian Laettner, Stephen Curry or Ali Farokhmanesh?
I don't know and either does anybody else, but I sure as hell can't wait to find out. Let the Madness ensue and enjoy the greatest event in sports that is the NCAA tournament.
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