Here are our picks. I let Sean go first since I may or may not have ever gotten him the root beer I owed him from the college football picks, and why we picked the teams we did. Oh, and just for fun, our last pick had to be a 10+ seed.
1st - 2 Michigan State
Sean: It's Tom Izzo's time of the year and his team has a good draw to get to the Final Four. Denzel Valentine might be the nation's best player and I look for Bryn Forbes to hit some big threes along the way.
2nd - 1 Kansas
JK: Kansas is probably the best team in the nation right now and they're on a roll. I passed on North Carolina because I think their region is the toughest of the 4 - Xavier, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Notre Dame are all lethal contenders.
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| Kansas' 12th-year senior Perry Ellis Jr./Joakim Noah's older brother |
3rd - 1 North Carolina
Sean: I think UNC may be the best team in the nation as well as the deepest. Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige should both have big tournaments to finish off their careers. Also Roy Williams is an awkward dancer, hope we see more of that late in the tournament.
4th - 1 Virginia
JK: Virginia hasn't lost to a ranked team since they came to Tallahassee on January 17th and nearly won the ACC a week ago. That being said, I take them with great caution as they are matched with Michigan State who has bounced them from the tournament the past two years and should have probably been a 1 seed.
5th - 1 Oregon
Sean: The Ducks are legit. Dillon Brooks is a matchup nightmare and Chris Boutcher has one of the more unique skill sets for a guy of his stature. Oregon will be fun to watch just because they will not be playing on their ugly home court.
6th - 2 Oklahoma
JK: BUDDY HIELD. Hield has dropped 30+ points nine times this year. I am a bit skeptical of the Sooners after the way they lost to West Virginia - unable to find help for Buddy - but I think that this team has two huge ingredients to make a deep run in the tournament with their elite guard play and clutch scoring.
7th - 2 Xavier
Sean: Edmond Sumner is one of the best point guards in the country and nobody talks about him. The musketeers have made back to back Sweet 16 appearances, I look for them to make it 3 straight.
8th - 2 Villanova
JK: I took Villanova because they were the best team available and have one of the best players in the nation in Josh Hart. They have, however, struggled to make it past the first weekend the last two years. This year I think they break through for at least a Sweet 16 bid.
9th - 3 Miami
Sean: The Canes are one of the oldest teams in college basketball. If they get hot from behind the arc it'll be hard for any team to beat them. They play great team defense and defense travels in the tournament.
10th - 3 Texas A&M
JK: I wanted to take Miami because of what I saw in them when they came to Tallahassee - big shot after big shot - but I am also super happy to get A&M. The Aggies brutally murdered LSU in the SEC semis last weekend and gave a very hot Kentucky team all it could handle in the championship game. I think this team is playing great basketball and could make a huge splash in the tournament.
11th - 4 California
Sean: The Golden Bears will be without their starting point guard Tyrone Wallace who broke his hand yesterday in practice but is still one of the most talented teams in the country. Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb will be lottery picks in June and I believe they will have huge tournaments to boost their already high draft stock.
12th - 3 West Virginia
JK: This is another team I am super high on after seeing them this past weekend. They completely removed one of the top players in the nation in Buddy Hield from being a threat with their swarming defense in the Big 12 semis. If they are able to dominate defensively like I saw them do vs OU, "Press Virginia" could really surprise some people.
13th - 6 Texas
Sean: Shaka Smart excels in March and the Longhorns could make some serious noise with an experienced squad. Isaiah Taylor will have to play well. Also getting Cam Ridley back will help down in the low post.
14th - 4 Kentucky
JK: I could've taken this team earlier but figured Sean would let me get them this late. Kentucky struggles in the front court but their guard play has been elite. Tyler Ulis might be the nation's best player right now and he has an array of options around him.
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| Kentucky point guard Tyler Ulis. |
15th: - 13 Iona
Sean: I have the Gaels in the Sweet 16 because AJ English is one of the best players you have never heard of. Iona plays with an edge and a toughness that will give opposing teams fits. The Gaels will spread you out and score on you at all three levels.
16th - 11 Gonzaga
JK: When looking at a 10+ seed I really just wanted to find a team that I thought had the best chance at a Sweet 16 birth. Picking Gonzaga came down to three things: 1) they were a top 10 team earlier this year 2) I'm hoping Seton Hall will be overconfident after a HUGE conference championship run and 3) If they get past SH, I like them over Fresno State and maybe even an upset over Mich State in the Sweet 16.
So...
Sean
2 Michigan State
1 North Carolina
1 Oregon
2 Xavier
3 Miami
4 California
6 Texas
13 Iona
JK1 Kansas
1 Virginia
2 Oklahoma
2 Villanova
3 Texas A&M
3 West Virginia
4 Kentucky
11 Gonzaga
Well there you have it. Stay tuned to see how our picks shake out and let us know how bad you think Sean's picks are via Facebook and/or Twitter.
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