NCAA Tournament Picks: South | West | Midwest | East | Final Four
2014 NCAA Tournament Bracket Breakdowns:
South | West | Midwest | East
2014 NCAA Tournament Picks – Midwest Bracket
By Walter Cherepinsky – @walterfootball
NCAA Tournament Picks: Midwest Bracket First Round
No. 1 Wichita State vs. No. 16 Texas Southern
Wichita State has a ridiculously difficult path to the Final Four, but it at least has one easy game on its slate.
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 1 Wichita State
No. 8 Kentucky vs. No. 9 Kansas State
Why should Kansas State even bother playing this game? ESPN has already advanced Kentucky. I have an urge to pick the purple Wildcats, but the blue Wildcats are just so much better. Kentucky being a No. 8 seed is a joke. John Calipari’s group should be a No. 5.
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 8 Kentucky
No. 5 Saint Louis vs. No. 12 N.C. State
I would’ve preferred Xavier in this matchup to potentially knock off St. Louis. Alas, we have Coach K’s “great” N.C. State rival ready to take on a No. 5 seed leaking oil. Saint Louis is primed for an upset, but N.C. State just isn’t that good.
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 5 Saint Louis
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 13 Manhattan
If Louisville is a No. 4 seed, then I’m Michael Jackson’s aunt. Hee-hee.
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 4 Louisville
No. 6 UMass vs. No. 11 Tennessee
Umm… why is UMass in the NCAA Tournament; let alone a No. 6 seed? The Minute Men were No. 6 in the A-10 Tournament! The A-10 is a decent league, but come on, if it were situated on the West Coast, no one would pay attention to it, and the idiots on the selection committee would not have even selected UMass to play in this tournament. Both Tennessee and Iowa are both superior teams. I’d prefer the Vols, but either will pull the upset.
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 11 Tennessee
No. 3 Duke vs. No. 14 Mercer
Duke is always primed for an upset because Coach K is overrated, but is Mercer’s 111th-ranked offense going to take the Blue Devils down, or will it be its 105th-ranked defense?
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 3 Duke
No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Arizona State
Arizona State isn’t very good, but Rick Barnes is a terrible NCAA Tournament coach who should be faded at every opportunity.
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 10 Arizona State
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Wofford
Wofford should stop dicking around and change its name to Waffles. Do you know how many people would go to that school if it were called Waffles?
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 2 Michigan
NCAA Tournament Picks: Midwest Bracket Second Round
No. 1 Wichita State vs. No. 8 Kentucky
This will be everyone’s first No. 1 seed to be eliminated, but I think the Wheat Shockers should be able to handle Kentucky. I love Wichita State’s experience. Kentucky has the athletes, but this John Calipari team is just not great enough to make a deep run. Besides, based on odds alone, picking an 8 or a 9 to upset a No. 1 is stupid because there’s no guarantee the 8 or 9 will be there in the second round. Kansas State could easily take down Kentucky.
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 1 Wichita State
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 5 Saint Louis
Saint Louis is not the same team it was in the early portion of the season. It’s completely out of sorts, so Louisville should be able to take care of business rather easily.
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 4 Louisville
No. 3 Duke vs. No. 11 Tennessee
I desperately want to pick Tennessee here. The Blue Devils and Vols are evenly matched as far as all of the metrics are concerned. The ONLY thing that’s holding me back is the fact that Tennessee will be playing its third game in five days. It’s a freaking joke that they have to participate in these dumb play-in games no one watches. The selection committee set this up beautifully for Coach K.
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 3 Duke
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 10 Arizona State
Speaking of being set up beautifully, both Texas and Arizona State are trash, so Michigan should be able to advance easily. The Wolverines can lose to anyone if they don’t hit their threes, but they have lots of room for error against either opponent.
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 2 Michigan
NCAA Tournament Picks: Midwest Bracket Sweet 16
No. 1 Wichita State vs. No. 4 Louisville
So, Wichita State has to battle a No. 8 Kentucky team that should be a No. 5, and if it wins, it takes on a No. 4 Louisville squad that should be No. 2. Oh, and the Cardinals are the defending tournament champions, by the way. Note to all mid-majors: Lose at least one game in the regular season, or the a**holes on the selection committee will screw you over big time. This is a Final Four-caliber game, but yet we get it in the Sweet 16.
I want to see Wichita State go undefeated, but given that the NCAA wants them to lose, it’s probably going to happen. Besides, Louisville is one of the few teams that can handle the Wheat Shockers.
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 4 Louisville
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Duke
I said earlier that Michigan can lose to anyone if it doesn’t hit its threes. Well, it can also beat anyone if it hits its threes. Duke is not a great team and probably won’t make it far in this field. Like I said, I’d have Tennessee advancing if it didn’t have to play three games in five days.
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 2 Michigan
NCAA Tournament Picks: Midwest Bracket Elite Eight
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 4 Louisville
How strange that Louisville has to battle the two teams it beat in the Final Four in this region. History will repeat itself again, as I think the Cardinals will score easily on Michigan’s 111th-ranked defense. Louisville, by the way, happens to be one of two teams this year to rank in the top 10 in both offense and defense. The other is Wichita State. And yet they’re in the same half of the same region!
2014 NCAA Tournament Pick: No. 4 Louisville
NCAA Tournament Picks: South | West | Midwest | East | Final Four
2014 NCAA Tournament Bracket Breakdowns:
South | West | Midwest | East
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