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2015 NCAA Tournament Picks – South Bracket
By Walter Cherepinsky – @walterfootball
NCAA Tournament Picks: South Bracket First Round
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Robert Morris
I’ve lost a lot of respect for Robert Morris ever since he began calling himself Bob Morris. How informal. Duke’s not losing this one to Bob Morris. Maybe to Robert Morris, but not Bob Morris.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 1 Duke
No. 8 San Diego State vs. No. 9 St. John’s
St. John’s didn’t really deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament, especially after losing one of its top players to suspension. San Diego State is the much better team.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 8 San Diego State
No. 5 Utah vs. No. 12 Stephen F. Austin
Everyone yells at the Selection Committee for including UCLA, but this seeding is much worse. The committee saw that Stephen F. Austin knocked off some of its buddies, so they made sure to match the team up against an awesome Utah squad that should be a No. 2 seed. The NCAA wants Stephen F. Austin to lose, so I’m not buying this 12-5 upset.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 5 Utah
No. 4 Georgetown vs. No. 13 Eastern Washington
Georgetown as a four-seed is a joke, but Eastern Washington, despite its shooting ability, is a weak No. 13 seed. I could see an upset here, but I already picked a 13-4 upset in another region.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 4 Georgetown
No. 6 SMU vs. No. 11 UCLA
I don’t have as much of a problem with UCLA being in. Everyone has made a big deal about them getting an at-large bid, but there are other worse teams, like St. John’s and Indiana. Having said that, SMU is a skilled team under the tutelage of Larry Brown, so I can’t see it going down in the opening round.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 6 SMU
No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 UAB
UAB no longer has a football team (WTF is up with that?) and the students at that school will be wishing they no longer had a basketball team after this massacre.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 3 Iowa State
No. 7 Iowa vs. No. 10 Davidson
Surprise, surprise, the NCAA underseeded another mid-major. Davidson is much better than a No. 10 seed, so I like it to advance to at least the second round.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 10 Davidson
No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 15 North Dakota State
If this were football, North Dakota State would definitely win. But maybe that’s because Gonzaga doesn’t have a football program.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 2 Gonzaga
NCAA Tournament Picks: South Bracket Second Round
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 8 San Diego State
I’m very tempted to call a Duke upset, but I’m hesitant because the Mountain West hasn’t enjoyed much success in the NCAA Tournament. Still, the Blue Devils are a very weak No. 1 seed that could go down in Round 2.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 1 Duke
No. 4 Georgetown vs. No. 5 Utah
Utah is the worse seed in this matchup, but it happens to be the better team, and I don’t think it’s even close. I have the Utes as a No. 2 seed, while the Hoyas are probably a No. 6 or 7. They usually lose early in the NCAA Tournament, so that’ll probably happen again this year.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 5 Utah
No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 6 SMU
Everyone in the media has Iowa State as the “sleeper” to come out of this region, so that probably means that the Cyclones will lose early. I have Iowa State and SMU about even, so the edge goes to the latter because of Larry Brown.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 6 SMU
No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 10 Davidson
This is another toss-up game to me, despite the seeds of these two teams. Most games in the NCAA Tournament are coin flips, by the way. That’s why it’s so difficult to get the best bracket every year. This contest should come down to the wire, but Gonzaga has a bit more talent.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 2 Gonzaga
NCAA Tournament Picks: South Bracket Sweet 16
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 Utah
Duke is not going very far in this tournament. They have a freshman point guard, and their defense isn’t very good. If they can’t hit their shots, they will lose because they can’t rely on their defense to carry them. Utah, which once again, should be a No. 2 seed, has a suffocating defense that will shut down the Blue Devils.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 5 Utah
No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 6 SMU
Why does it seem like that every year, people are always saying stuff like, “This is the most-talented Gonzaga team Mark Few has ever had!” I recall that being said in the Adam Morrison days, and I think I heard it last March, too. It’s always the same thing, yet the Zags always disappoint in the NCAA Tournament. I don’t trust Gonzaga to go very far, and I like SMU a lot, so…
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 6 SMU
NCAA Tournament Picks: South Bracket Elite Eight
No. 5 Utah vs. No. 6 SMU
Utah as a No. 5 seed is a joke. So is SMU in one of the No. 6 slots. So, with that in mind, a five-six matchup in the regional final shouldn’t seem too bizarre.
I’m picking the Utes to win this contest. They are one of the top 10 teams in the nation, so in a weak region, they’ll have a great shot of advancing to the Final Four.
2015 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 5 Utah
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