I think the West is, followed by the Midwest, South, then East ... what do you think?
West
1. Wisconsin (one of 2 teams I think could beat KY, and the 3rd best team in the tourney after KY and Duke, IMO)
2. Arizona (I think they are better than 'Nova, the overall second No. 1 seed, and I also think they are the best 2 seed in the tourney)
3. Baylor (maybe not the best 3-seed, but they are very good in the postseason)
4. UNC (beat VA, beat Louisville twice, took Duke to the brink twice ... this team is playing like a 2- or 3-seed right now)
5. Arkansas (I thought this was the correct seed for us ... though the SEC is better top to bottom, I think it might hurt us not playing Top 25 level teams over the past 2 months)
6. Xavier (finished the season strong ... lost to Auburn in non-con)
7. VCU (struggled with injuries late in the regular season, then ran through the A-10 tourney)
8. Oregon (3rd-best team from the Pac-12)
9. Okie Lite (not impressed)
10. Ohio State (not their best team, but still a program used to surviving and advancing in the Dance)
11. BYU/Ole Miss (I think OM could end up being like last year's TN team -- win the play-in, then win 2 more to get to the Sweet 16 ... this is the best play-in team, IMO).
12. Wofford (I know they beat NC State and Iona this year, but we should be able to beat these guys)
2nd toughest bracket is the Midwest ... 1. KY, 2. Kansas (not as strong as usual, but still strong), 3. ND, 4. Maryland (thought they might be a 3), 5. West Virginia ... Wichita at 7 is intriguing, because I think the Shockers could beat Kansas and get to the Sweet 16. This bracket is very top heavy 1-5, but nothing significant after that other than maybe Wichita.
3rd toughest is the South ... 1. Duke, 2 Gonzaga (this looks like their best chance for a Final Four to me because of their quality depth), 3. Iowa State (very good team, but losses to SCarolina and Texas Tech tell me they can get out-physicalled some nights), 4. Georgetown (worst high seed in the tourney ... if the Hoyas are a 4, then we should be a 2 or 3), 5. Utah, 6. SMU ... I think the Utes and SMU may both be good enough to reach the Sweet 16 in other brackets, but the Mustangs are not physical enough to beat the Cyclones, IMO.
4th and easiest is the East ... 1. Villanova (I think there are 6 better teams than Villanova, and I would have loved to have a shot at them in the Sweet 16), 2. UVA (question marks for me after the way the Cavs finished the season, injuries played into it), 3. Oklahoma (wins over UNC early and some other strong games elevated this team, but they look like a 4-seed to me. I'm not sold on the Sooners this high), 4. Louisville (very enigmatic team, not one of Pitino's best and I don't expect them to get to the Sweet 16), 5. Northern Iowa (always wonder about mid-majors, but I think these guys are good enough to knock off Louisville in the 2nd round) ... shocked that Dayton got an 11 seed play-in game based on resume, RPI, BPI, etc. No. 7 Michigan State is always a contender for a Sweet 16 bid under Izzo, and they are playing some strong basketball of late.
This post was edited on 3/16 12:55 PM by Sir Dennis Eeatin-Hog
West
1. Wisconsin (one of 2 teams I think could beat KY, and the 3rd best team in the tourney after KY and Duke, IMO)
2. Arizona (I think they are better than 'Nova, the overall second No. 1 seed, and I also think they are the best 2 seed in the tourney)
3. Baylor (maybe not the best 3-seed, but they are very good in the postseason)
4. UNC (beat VA, beat Louisville twice, took Duke to the brink twice ... this team is playing like a 2- or 3-seed right now)
5. Arkansas (I thought this was the correct seed for us ... though the SEC is better top to bottom, I think it might hurt us not playing Top 25 level teams over the past 2 months)
6. Xavier (finished the season strong ... lost to Auburn in non-con)
7. VCU (struggled with injuries late in the regular season, then ran through the A-10 tourney)
8. Oregon (3rd-best team from the Pac-12)
9. Okie Lite (not impressed)
10. Ohio State (not their best team, but still a program used to surviving and advancing in the Dance)
11. BYU/Ole Miss (I think OM could end up being like last year's TN team -- win the play-in, then win 2 more to get to the Sweet 16 ... this is the best play-in team, IMO).
12. Wofford (I know they beat NC State and Iona this year, but we should be able to beat these guys)
2nd toughest bracket is the Midwest ... 1. KY, 2. Kansas (not as strong as usual, but still strong), 3. ND, 4. Maryland (thought they might be a 3), 5. West Virginia ... Wichita at 7 is intriguing, because I think the Shockers could beat Kansas and get to the Sweet 16. This bracket is very top heavy 1-5, but nothing significant after that other than maybe Wichita.
3rd toughest is the South ... 1. Duke, 2 Gonzaga (this looks like their best chance for a Final Four to me because of their quality depth), 3. Iowa State (very good team, but losses to SCarolina and Texas Tech tell me they can get out-physicalled some nights), 4. Georgetown (worst high seed in the tourney ... if the Hoyas are a 4, then we should be a 2 or 3), 5. Utah, 6. SMU ... I think the Utes and SMU may both be good enough to reach the Sweet 16 in other brackets, but the Mustangs are not physical enough to beat the Cyclones, IMO.
4th and easiest is the East ... 1. Villanova (I think there are 6 better teams than Villanova, and I would have loved to have a shot at them in the Sweet 16), 2. UVA (question marks for me after the way the Cavs finished the season, injuries played into it), 3. Oklahoma (wins over UNC early and some other strong games elevated this team, but they look like a 4-seed to me. I'm not sold on the Sooners this high), 4. Louisville (very enigmatic team, not one of Pitino's best and I don't expect them to get to the Sweet 16), 5. Northern Iowa (always wonder about mid-majors, but I think these guys are good enough to knock off Louisville in the 2nd round) ... shocked that Dayton got an 11 seed play-in game based on resume, RPI, BPI, etc. No. 7 Michigan State is always a contender for a Sweet 16 bid under Izzo, and they are playing some strong basketball of late.
This post was edited on 3/16 12:55 PM by Sir Dennis Eeatin-Hog
