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The student-run news site of Lawrence Free State High School

Free Press Online

The student-run news site of Lawrence Free State High School

Free Press Online

March Madness–Riley’s Predictions

photo+credit+to+squaresmadness.com
photo credit to squaresmadness.com

March Madness is almost here. That means it’s time to start filling out your brackets and wearing your teams colors. I’m here with my college basketball expertise to help you fill out your bracket. Keep this in mind, though: I am a huge KU fan, and nothing will ever change that, so I am slightly biased.

So here we go.

We’re a little more than two weeks away from Selection Sunday, so here are my predictions for the top seeds in the NCAA Tourney, starting with the one seeds.

1. Gonzaga

Now, I’m not a fan of the Zags: they play in a weak conference with little-to-no competition. The Zags play the 110th toughest schedule in the NCAA; to put that in perspective, that’s the worst of any team in the BPI Top 35. On the other hand, the Zags have a few players from the Canadian national team on their squad, so they have some skill. Unless something ridiculous happens, then the Zags will win their conference and finish the season ranked number one. I firmly believe, howeve,r that the Zags could be the first number one seed knocked out of the tournament due to their lack of big-game experience.

2. Indiana

Although a recent loss to Minnesota has put a damper on this team, they will remain a number one seed if they can win the Big 10. This could change quickly, though; Indiana has to take on Michigan for their last game of the season at Michigan. They will also have to play Ohio State, but this game will be on Indiana’s home court. I don’t expect the Ohio State game to be overly tough for Indiana, considering they handled the Buckeyes easily in Columbus. One issue with this team is defending the ball screen; the only team worse in the big 10 at defending the ball screen is Penn State, who got its first win on wednesday.

3. Miami

Originally, I thought Duke was going to take this number one seed in a home revenge game against Miami on Saturday. However, the Blue Devils lost to Virginia on the road yesterday. This makes it impossible for Miami to lose the ACC even if Duke can beat them on Saturday. However, the Canes could lose their one seed if they lose to Duke. It is unlikely, though, for right now it looks like the Canes are a lock for the number one seed. Miami lives and dies by the three and, if the shots aren’t falling, anything can happen. Just look what happened to Missouri last year.

4. Kansas

Now yes you’re all going to say that I’m biased–and it’s true–but the Jayhawks are just as deserving of a number one seed as the rest of these teams. I originally had the Jayhawks as a two seed, but the Michigan Wolverines had a major slip up late in the season against a Penn State team that was winless in Big 10 play, which has taken them out of contention for a one seed. Unless Michigan can upset Indiana at the end of the season, Kansas will be a one seed. The Jayhawks had a little slip up mid-season where they lost 3 straight, but that skid is over. The Jayhawks are riding a five-game win streak which includes a victory over a 13th-ranked Kansas State squad, a double overtime thriller against the 15th ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys and a high-scoring shootout against the Iowa state Cyclones. These are all tournament bound teams–even though Iowa State has a few bad losses on their record, don’t expect them to miss the Big Dance. Although the Jayhawks rank first in the nation in field goal percentage, their transition defense is questionable; percentage wise, it’s the second worst in the Big 12.

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