Raise your hand if you have ripped up your bracket already.
Just because you might’ve torn apart your bracket like Kirstie Alley tears through a burrito doesn’t mean you should turn off March Madness. Treat this as a teacher that hands you back your flunked test and tells you that you can re-do it for a better grade.
Coming from someone who already has two Final Four teams ousted (thanks, Pitt and Purdue), take my predictions with a grain of salt. But based on what we’ve seen, this is what the Final Four should look like.
East: The Ohio State
Many people have forgotten that the Buckeyes have been the best team in the country this year. They’ve won their first two round games by an average of 30.5 points, and have shown no signs of slowing down.
This starting five is one of, if not the best, starting lineups in college basketball. Whether it is John Diebler, David Lighty or All-American Jared Sullinger, someone is always stepping up for this team. Thad Matta’s teams have not historically been able to finish the job in March, but that could easily change this year.
If Ohio State is to get to the Final Four, it will have to get by a couple of high-scoring offenses in Kentucky and North Carolina. The Buckeyes match up nicely with the Wildcats, who will have to deal with the pesky duo of Lighty and Aaron Kraft. Freshmen like Terrence Jones and Brendan Knight will have fits against guys that actually play defense – unlike what they face in the SEC.
The reality is, the Buckeyes have lost two games this season, both coming on the road to top-10 teams. Don’t expect the Buck to stop anywhere but Houston.
West: Duke
Everyone’s favorite team to hate might be better than they were when they won it all last year. That’s a scary thought.
The Blue Devils are deeper than they were last year, they’ve been there before, and they are more familiar with their roles. When this team is clicking, nobody in the country can get in its way.
The X-factor for Duke is Kyrie Irving playing like he did before his injury. Having witnessed his first game back against Hampton, Irving looked tentative. He didn’t have that same explosiveness to the basket, nor did he fit in well with Duke’s starters.
But Irving’s game-winning shot against Michigan might go a long way in boosting his confidence. Duke will need it because its road to Houston is the toughest of any No. 1 seed. The Plumlee brothers will need to bring their hardhats to stop Arizona sensation Derrick Williams.
If the Dukies can get past Arizona, they’ll get the unfortunate pleasure of facing one of two teams in San Diego State and UConn that spent significant time in the top five this year. A whole lot is standing in Duke’s way but at the end of the day, the defending champs’ experience will earn them a trip to Houston.
Southwest: Kansas
This is simply by default. By no means do I think Kansas looks/plays like a Final Four team. But for crying out loud, this team had a yellow brick road paved for them to get to Houston.
After struggling for most of the game against 16-seeded Boston U., the Jayhawks went on a late run to make it look a lot less close than it was.
Then they got to take on the not-so-Fighting Illini in what should’ve been a cakewalk. But in typical Kansas fashion, they played down to their competition and made Bruce Weber lose his non-existent voice over a game that shouldn’t have been a game.
So after knocking down basically two double-digit seeded foes, who does Kansas have on tap? That’s right, a couple more double-digit seeds. Not to take anything away from VCU because the Rams have been phenomenal in the tournament. But this is a group that only got to where they are after two games of playing out of their minds.
Richmond will give Kansas a run for its money, but the Jayhawks have too much interior scoring to go to down the stretch. Sometimes a team of destiny is one that gets barriers knocked down for them and that’s exactly what Kansas is.
Southeast: Butler
I’ve learned my lesson not to bet against Brad Stevens.
Butler is like D2 Mighty Ducks because no sequel is supposed to be better than the original. The movie that is Butler Basketball hit its rising action when it knocked off No. 1 seeded Pittsburgh last Saturday in of course, dramatic fashion.
Usually for a No. 1 seed to get dethroned in the second round, it means they aren’t playing well. That was not the case last Saturday. Pittsburgh shot 56.5 percent from the floor, which means that Butler beat one of the nation’s elite when they were at their best.
Wisconsin will be a completely different matchup for the Bulldogs. The slow, methodical half-court offense that Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan employs will try and take advantage of their size advantage.
Last year, this would’ve been a nightmare for Matt Howard, who seemed to pick up four fouls before the first TV timeout. This year has been a different story for the once foul-happy Howard, who will be able to contain Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil.
As previously stated, betting against Stevens would be foolish. The sooner we all accept the fact that Butler is an Oscar-winning sports movie, the sooner we can all kick back, relax and watch the Bulldogs take down Goliath.
