9 Bold NCAA Tournament Predictions

By Andrew Musur on March 18, 2015

The NCAA Tournament is finally upon us.

The biggest event in all of college sports is set to kick off Thursday afternoon, as the number 3 seeded Notre Dame, Fighting Irish, are set to take on the 14 seeded Northeastern Huskies.

March Madness is never predictable, and that’s what makes it so much fun to follow. Here are 9 bold predictions I have for this year’s tournament.

No. 1: No Big East Team will make it past the first weekend.

The Big East sent six teams to the NCAA tournament this year: Villanova (1 seed), Georgetown (4 seed), Butler (6 seed), Providence (6 seed), Xavier (6 seed) and St. John’s (9 seed). I don’t have a single one of those teams advancing to the Sweet 16. Crazy, right?

Let’s start with St. John’s. The Red Storm got an awfully tough draw against San Diego State. Though the Aztecs have had a tough time scoring this season, St. John’s will be without starting center, Chris Obekpa.

Obekpa was suspended for two weeks for violating team rules. He was averaging 5.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The Nigeria native also led the Big East and ranked fifth in the country with 3.1 blocks per game. This is a huge loss for St. John’s, and even if the Johnnies get past San Diego State, Duke is waiting.

Xavier, Providence and Butler are all in tough first round situations as well. In my opinion Xavier is the most overrated team in the field. The Musketeers haven’t played very consistent basketball this season, and have had some very head scratching losses. I look forward to a hot and offensively sound Ole Miss team knocking out Xavier in the round of 64.

I also like Dayton beating Providence. The Flyers got the luck of the draw as they have the potential to play the first three games of the tournament in Ohio. A home court advantage should be enough for the Flyers to take down Providence.

Lastly, Butler has one of the toughest first round match ups. The Bulldogs take on Texas Thursday afternoon. The Longhorns have been a tough team to gauge this year, but when they have played to their potential they can compete with anyone.

The only reason I am hesitant to say Butler will lose to Texas is because the Longhorns have been awful in close game situations. As long as Texas doesn’t choke they should have their way with Butler.

Now on to Georgetown and Villanova. Call me crazy but I am picking the Hoyas to lose to Eastern Washington. The Eagles can flat out score, they rank second among NCAA tournament teams in terms of points per game (80.8). Eastern Washington also shoots the three ball really well: get them hot from beyond the arc and the Hoyas will be in trouble.

They also have the number one scorer in the country, Tyler Harvey. And let’s not forget the Eagles beat Indiana on the road and gave SMU a scare earlier this season. That being said, Eastern Washington struggles mightily at defense and Georgetown should be able to keep it competitive, but I still see them going down.

Villanova is a team I see losing in the second round. Either LSU or North Carolina State has the talent it takes to knock off the Wildcats, and I fully expect for that to happen.

No. 2: The winner of a play-in-game will make it to the Sweet 16.

Dayton, Ole Miss, or both are going to get hot and make a run to the Sweet 16. Dayton has a slight edge given they play their first game in Dayton, and if they win, their next two are in Columbus, Ohio. Watch for Ole Miss or Dayton in the Sweet 16, because I can promise they will be there.

No. 3: Wichita State will rematch Kentucky in the Elite Eight.

I have loved this Wichita State team all year long. Granted the Shockers have only played four tournament teams this year, but I believe their experience and leadership will help lead them to a deep run. The Shockers will need seniors, Tekele Cotton and Darius Carter, to play some of their toughest basketball of the season.

Wichita will also need Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet to put on a show. Baker and VanVleet are quite familiar with the NCAA tournament and I think they will be huge in helping the Shockers in a tough first round matchup against Indiana. What awaits Wichita State after Indiana is what scares me the most.

If Wichita State beats the Hoosiers they will be playing big brother, Kansas. The Jayhawks have been questionable as of late, but are always a tough out come March. The Shockers will beat big brother and win and get hot in an incredibly tough battle with Notre Dame, setting up a rematch with Kentucky.

Last year during March Madness the Wildcats knocked off then-undefeated Wichita State, in the second round of the tournament. I don’t know if the Shockers will get their revenge this year, but how sweet of a storyline would that be: “Shockers avenge last season’s tournament loss, and knock off undefeated Wildcats.”

I can picture it now.

No. 4: The world will get to meet Buffalo.

Buffalo is a team that has all the right characteristics for a Cinderella. The Bulls can score the ball at will, ranking at 28th in the country for most points per game (75) and they can rebound the ball ranking at 16th in the country for rebounds per game (38.4).

Buffalo will have to take care of the ball if they plan on knocking out West Virginia and their pressure defense. Watch out for junior Justin Moss to go off as the Bulls pull the upset on West Virginia and Maryland.

No. 5: Arizona will take down Wisconsin in an Elite Eight rematch.

Arizona has been on fire as of late, winning their last 12 games including four wins over teams in the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats are a much more physical and aggressive team than Wisconsin, and that’s why I like them.

This will be a game that will come down to who wants it more, but ultimately it will feature Arizona avenging last year’s loss and advancing to the Final Four.

No. 6: SMU will make a run.

SMU, like Wichita State, is a team I have liked all season. After last season’s snub, the Mustangs will have a chip on their shoulder coming into the tournament. I like the way SMU scores, rebounds and passes the ball. I think they will have no problem getting past UCLA in the round of 64.

Then comes a giant matchup between SMU and Iowa State. The Cyclones have been just as hot as the Mustangs, but something tells me Larry Brown will get SMU ready to move onto the Sweet 16.

At this point the sky is the limit for SMU. They match up well with Gonzaga and could give Duke or Utah a run for their money. Keep your eyes open for junior guard, Nic Moore. Moore is an absolute stud and someone I want shooting in crunch time.

No. 7: There will be at least four double digit seeds in the Sweet 16.

At least 1/4 of the Sweet 16 will feature double digit seeds. This may be the boldest of all my picks, but I have a good feeling about the lower seeds in this year’s tournament.

I’m not going to go into too much detail, but here are a few double digit seeded teams that I think can make some noise: Texas (11 seed), Ole Miss (11 seed), Dayton (11 seed), S.F. Austin (12 seed), Wyoming (12 seed), Buffalo (12 seed) and Eastern Washington (13 seed).

If I had to pick four they would be: Texas, Buffalo, S.F. Austin and Dayton.

No. 8: Mark Few and Gonzaga will make it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009.

The Bulldogs have several seniors that will be key pieces in the Zag’s hope to make a tournament run. Kevin Pangos, Byron Wesley and Gary Bell Jr. all will need to step up if Gonzaga hopes to change history and reach the Sweet 16.

Fortunately for the Zags, they didn’t get close to the toughest draw for a two seed. The Bulldogs should be able to score at will against North Dakota State and will have to use their maturity and experience to knock off a pesky Davidson team. Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer will be a household name when this tournament is over.

No. 9: Kentucky Will Win The NCAA Tournament.

Not that bold of a statement, but I just don’t see anyone knocking off the Wildcats. A 40-0 season would really be something, and I’ll be rooting for the Wildcats to pull off the historical feat.

But if someone did take down Goliath, I would have no problem with that.

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