I've got a lot riding on March Madness this year. We are using the success of our brackets to determine the order of next season's fantasy football draft, and with a couple of solid late round keepers from last season, I could really use an early 1st round pick in 2013. Let me start by saying I love March Madness. I don't think there's a single post season in any sport, collegiate, professional, or otherwise, that comes close to the excitement of the NCAA tournament. That being said, I absolutely hate doing brackets. Don't get me wrong, I fill them out every year with an idiotically defiant optimism, as if the previous year never happened, but come round 2 or 3 of the tournament, I will have torn up my picks and forced the shame out of my mind until next year when the cycle will inevitably repeat itself. The only comforting thought during such dark times is the fact that nobody knows what they're doing. Despite a growing number of people around the country claiming to be bona fide 'Bracketologists,' there is no-such field as Bracketology, although I'm sure some progressive college will offer it as a major at some point down the road. Did you know that the University of Arizona offers a minor in hip-hop? I'm primarily a hip hop blogger and even I think that's a huge waste. Just pick up an Outkast album and let the education begin. I digress.
Now that I've instilled so much confidence in you regarding my talents as an NCAA pick'em expert, allow me to guide you to guaranteed success while filling out your brackets this year. Here are my picks for this year's final four. Obviously, it depends on which teams are located in which regions as well as potential matchups throughout the tourney, so I'm basically giving you my picks for the top 4 teams in the country around tournament time this year. Here goes:
1. Indiana Hoosiers
_logo.png){kind=logo}
I understand that the Indiana Hoosiers are the number 1 team in the country at the moment, but I assure you, this has nothing to do with why I picked them. (Nor does the fact that Hoosiers is one of the greatest sports movies of all time and I secretly hope people go back to shooting foul shots underhand.) They say defense wins championships, but with offense like this, who cares what they say? Indiana is averaging 82.5 points per game with a remarkable team field goal percentage right at 50%. They also lead the the country in 3 point percentage. In what is a very good Big 10 conference this year, this is quite a feat. Look out for these guys in March.
2. Miami Hurricanes
Okay so my first and second final four picks were the top two teams in the country. So what? They're the two best choices. Miami is 13-0 in the ACC. They're undefeated in the months of January and February and despite all the breaking down of statistics that everyone loves to do, the most important stat is, of course, wins. The Miami Hurricanes are winners. Their march madness is starting a bit early as they square off against Duke on March 2nd, a rematch of their impressive 90-63 show of dominance over the then-number one Blue Devils. Win or lose this battle set to take place in front of the Cameron crazies should do a fantastic job preparing the Hurricanes for the rigors of tournament play. They're a dangerous team for any opponent who stands in their way.
3. UConn Huskies Syracuse Orange/Michigan State Spartans
Ah, finally an underdog; no pun intended. The Huskies are natural born tournament winners. Whether it's the tough coaching by Jim Calhoun that finally pays off at the end of each season, or an inferiority complex that causes UConn to play with a chip on their shoulder, the Huskies always seem to find a way to make a tourney run. Much of the original cast from the 2011 National Championship team remains in Connecticut including Shabazz Napier, Niels Giffey, and Tyler Olander. Although the Huskies remain unranked, they have some pretty significant wins under their belt including the #4 Michigan State Spartans and the #8 Syracuse Orange. Oh wait... UConn is banned from the post season due to past students' bad grades? It doesn't have anything to do with the current roster and since the 2010-2011 season, they've been well above the required standard? Well that's a bummer. Ignore this entire paragraph. I guess I'll go with Michigan State or Syracuse since they're ranked in the top 10 and there won't be any UConn in the tournament to stop them.
4. Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas made it to the National Championship game last year, yet had to settle for 2nd place as they fell to the Kentucky Wildcats 67-59. An experienced roster including four seniors who all see significant playing time and a cool and collected been-there-done-that demeanor should cause any tournament opponent of theirs to shake in their boots. The 7 foot tall Jeff Withey, who is, in my opinion, the best defensive center in the country, averages 4.0 blocks a game and affects far more shots than that. Opponents are scared to come inside against such an imposing presence. Senior Travis Releford and Freshman sensation Ben McLemore round out an outstanding backcourt that leads the team in minutes as well as points. I think Kansas is a serious final four prospect with a legitimate chance at taking another stab at the National Championship for the second year in a row.
