March Madness Preview

It's March, and that means the madness has arrived. Once again this year, Head in the Game has you covered with our annual March Madness Preview. Troy, Langston and I will go through nine categories (seven are just like last year, two are new), giving our takes on this year's tournament field. Troy is sunning it up in Florida, so he texted me his answers for each category. Let's get started.

Category Run-Down

First Round Must-Watch - The first two days of the NCAA Tournament put the "Madness" in March Madness. Here, we'll highlight the most intriguing first-round game.

Player to Watch (Non-Zion Division) - Obviously, all eyes will be on presumed first overall pick Zion Williamson, but there are other stars to keep an eye on in the tournament.

First Four Team To Fear - This category is to highlight the team playing in the first four games (Tuesday and Wednesday) that can win multiple games in the tournament. 

Upset Alert - You can't have a preview without saying who will pull off an upset, which is why we're giving you the team seeded 11 or lower that can pull off the upset in the first round. 

Cinderella Story - Cinderella always seems to find her slipper in March, so we'll give you the team seeded sixth or lower that can make a run to the Final Four, or even win it all.

Early Exit - On the other hand, there are the teams that go home earlier than everyone thinks they will. We will predict what team seeded three or higher will go home during the first weekend. 

Best Team Name - Since there are so many teams with generic-sounding names, *cough* "Wildcats" *cough* *cough*, we're going to highlight a team with a unique nickname. 

Toughest Region - The selection committee, bless their hearts, tries their darndest to allocate teams evenly, but every year there's a region that's much harder than the others.

Final Four Matchups and Champion - Of course. What's a preview without a champ?

First Round Must-Watch

Grant - There are a whole lot of intriguing games Thursday and Friday, but I am circling the 5-12 matchup between Marquette and Murray State. This game features two of the top ten scorers in the country (Marquette's Markus Howard and Murray State's Ja Morant), and one of them is a projected top-three NBA draft pick (Morant). It should be entertaining to watch these two prolific offensive teams in action Thursday.

Troy - Villanova-Saint Mary's

Langston - I have to agree with Grant here, the matchup that I cannot wait for in the first round is easily Marquette and Murray State for the exact same reasons as Grant. Ja Morant is a top 3 pick in the draft this year and is as exciting to watch as anyone in all of college basketball with his athleticism and play making, and Marquette's Markus Howard is one of the best scorers in all of college basketball, which includes a game that he finished with 45 points after having 5 at halftime. 

Player to Watch (Non-Zion Division)

Grant - The projected top three picks in the 2019 NBA Draft are all in this tournament (Zion, fellow Duke freshman R.J. Barrett, and Morant), but I'm going with the tallest player in this tournament (and in all of college basketball), 7'6" Tacko Fall of Central Florida. I'm a fan of extremely tall basketball players, because watching them conjures a mixture of amazement and amusement. If UCF beats VCU in the first round, we could get a matchup between Zion and Tacko. Get the popcorn.

Photo via USA Today

Troy - Cassius Winston, Michigan State

Photo via Twitter

Langston - My pick is probably Zion Willi....oh wait. We can't pick Zion? Well, who else would you watch? My actual pick is going to be Markus Howard from Marquette. I like watching people score without a conscious. I am not sure how far Marquette is going to go, but I do think he is going to light up the basket on the big stage. 

Photo via jsonline.com

First Four Team to Fear

Grant - Every year since the First Four was introduced in 2011, at least one First Four team has won multiple games in the tournament, so history suggests at least one First Four team will make it to the weekend. I'm banking on Belmont to be that team. Belmont is a very dangerous team that can light it up from deep, and the Bruins will play Maryland, a very vulnerable six seed that struggled down the stretch. If they beat Maryland, they get another winnable game against either LSU or Yale.

Troy - Saint John's

Langston - When the brackets came out on Sunday, everybody was talking about how Belmont could make a decent run in the tourney and to watch out for them. After watching them last night, Belmont is my first four team to fear. Really good choice, Grant.

Upset Alert

Grant - There's always at least one upset that shocks everyone, like UMBC beating Virginia last year. While I don't think something like that will happen again this year, I do think there will probably be an upset that I couldn't have predicted. The biggest upset I am predicting is 13-seed UC Irvine beating fourth-seeded Kansas State. The Anteaters are a dangerous team who play at a slow pace, and Kansas State is a weak four seed. That is a strong recipe for an upset. Other upsets I have include Seton Hall over Wofford (and Kentucky), Belmont over Maryland (and LSU), Murray State over Marquette (and Florida State), and Oregon over Wisconsin.

Troy - Murray State over Marquette

Langston - The battle of two of the most electrifying scorers in college basketball, Ja Morant and Murray State against Marcus Howard and Marquette. I think that Murray State has a chance to upset Marquette and that is my pick for upset alert.

Cinderella Story

Grant - Odds are, at least one double-digit seed will make it to the Sweet 16 (or further), and I have four double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16. However, I have all four ending their run there. I don't consider that a "Cinderella Story", so I'm going to go with fifth-seeded Auburn, a team I have in the Final Four. The sharp-shooting Tigers stormed through the SEC Tournament, and they have the tools to make a similar run in the NCAA Tournament.  

Troy - Iowa State

Langston - I had a hard time with a true Cinderella story this year, but my pick for a run to the Elite 8 that some may not pick is fourth-seeded Florida State. This year they have some good wins, including beating one seeded Virginia in the ACC Tournament. Playing in a region with a Gonzaga team I think is beatable, (I have them upsetting the Zags), I think they have a chance to make it to the Elite 8.

Early Exit

Grant - I don't have a one, two, or three seed losing in the first round, but one top-three seed will probably suffer a shocking loss. In the Round of 32, I have Seton Hall upsetting John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats. The Pirates already beat Kentucky once in the regular season, so they have shown it can be done.

Troy - Kentucky

Langston - As I talked about with my Cinderella story, I think Gonzaga could possibly be upset in the Sweet 16 by Florida State.

Best Team Name

Grant - Finally, we're to my favorite part of the March Madness Preview. For me, it came down to the UC Irvine Anteaters and the Northern Kentucky Norse. I went with Northern Kentucky, because vikings are much more fearsome than anteaters (no offense to anteaters).

Photo via Wikipedia

Troy - UC Irvine Anteaters. Easy. The only one that matters.

Photo via ucirvinesports.com

Langston - So my pick for best name is 16 seed Gardner Webb Runnin' Bulldogs. I pictured Bulldogs running around in my head and the thought of that is really funny to me, so I had to go with the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner Webb.

Photo via Wikipedia

Toughest Region

Grant - The East Region basically features two number one seeds (Duke and Michigan State). The South Region houses the defending champion (Villanova). The West Region includes the last two National Runner-ups (Michigan and Gonzaga). But the Midwest Region is definitely the toughest region. Let's take a quick look through it. The top two seeds, North Carolina and Kentucky, are basketball blue-bloods. Three seed Houston is a dangerous team with tournament experience. Kansas isn't as good as previous years, but the Jayhawks, like UNC and Kentucky, have a rich history. Auburn, the five seed, just won the SEC Tournament. Iowa State, the six seed, just won the Big 12 Tournament. Seventh-seeded Wofford has won 20 games in a row. New Mexico State, the 12 seed, has won 19 games in a row. And teams like Utah State, Seton Hall, Washington and Ohio State can't be slept on either.

Troy - Midwest

Langston - I agree 100% with Grant. Midwest. Thank you for speaking the words for us Grant.

Final Four Matchups/Champion

Grant - When looking for a National Champion, there are some factors to keep in mind. Most champions have talented guards who can elevate their level of play during the tournament. Most champions are balanced teams that are within the top 20 or 30 in offensive and defensive efficiency. Other factors I look at include how experienced the teams are, how hot the teams are coming into the tournament, and how well the teams can shoot the ball. Based on all of those factors (and a gut feeling), my Final Four is Michigan State vs. Gonzaga and Virginia vs. Auburn. Duke is the overwhelming favorite in the East, but Michigan State, which won the Big Ten, is a talented and well-balanced team led by senior guard Cassius Winston. I considered riding Gonzaga all the way to the title like I did last year (that didn't work out), but I do at least have the Zags in the Final Four. I originally had Tennessee in the South, but I believe Virginia is on a mission after being embarrassed last year. Hot-shooting Auburn just won the SEC Tournament, and I think the Tigers are a team that can make a run. My National Champion is the Michigan State Spartans.

Troy - Duke vs. Michigan and Tennessee vs. Houston. Tennessee winning it all.

Langston - As far as my final four goes, I think Duke will come out of the East. Despite their lack of shooting, they have so many play makers on the floor and it just is very hard to root against Zion for me. I think Texas Tech will match up with them in the final four. I think they are good enough to beat Michigan, and if Florida State upsets Gonzaga like I am predicting, I think they will make it to the final four. So, Duke vs Texas Tech on one side. I have zero faith in Virginia after they lost to UMBC last year and lost to Florida State in the ACC Tournament. Tennessee is a very good team this year and I think they will come out of the South. I also have North Carolina making it out of the very tough Midwest. I will say, I have to almost agree with Grant to watch out for Auburn in that Midwest Region just because of how hot they can get at times from three. But my other final four matchup is North Carolina vs Tennessee. I think we will see the tobacco road rivalry in the National Championship game with Duke vs North Carolina. I have the Duke Blue Devils as the National Champions.



You can also find us on Twitter @T_RoyStory (Troy) @G_Tingley (Grant), and @LangLang_3 (Langston).