March Madness Bracket Picks

The Spartans always have a shot with Tom Izzo leading them in the tourney

You know it’s March when the NCAA Tourney bracket gets announced and all eyes begin to shift to college basketball. With the teams now announced, you can be sure that the office pools are beginning and someone with a handful of printed copies will eventually give you that empty bracket to fill out. And while this is all for “fun”, who doesn’t want to win?

In traditional FantasyPros fashion, we’ve asked our featured experts to provide their picks for the upcoming tourney with the hopes for a consensus. We’ve also included picks from some of the top sites to provide additional help while you fill out your bracket.

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Q1. Who are your picks for the Final Four and why?

South: Kansas (1) | West: Oklahoma (2) | East: North Carolina (1) | Midwest: Michigan St. (2)
“In what feels like one of the more wide-open NCAA Tournaments in recent memory, there are probably 15-20 teams with a really good chance to make it to the Final Four. But as much as that would seem to support the case for higher seeds crashing the party in Houston, my projections are pretty chalky. I’m banking on the tournament success of coaches Tom Izzo, Bill Self, and Roy Williams to lead talented teams from Michigan State, Kansas, and North Carolina to the Final Four. And I think Buddy Hield can carry Oklahoma through what I view as a fairly weak West Region.”
– Jason Willan (The Fake Basketball)

South: Kansas (1) | West: Oklahoma (2) | East: North Carolina (1) | Midwest: Purdue (5)
“Kansas will have a tough match in the Sweet 16 against Maryland or Cal, but the Jayhawks’ depth will carry them back into the final four to play their neighbor from their south border. Oklahoma has both star power and experience, which is a deadly combo in March. The Sooners will be halted in the title game by UNC, who is led by star seniors, Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige. On their way to the title game, the Tar Heels will shoot their way past Purdue, the surprise final four squad. The Boilermakers have three very talented big men, who will pose a matchup problem for every team in their path.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

South: Kansas (1) | West: Oklahoma (2) | East: Kentucky (4) | Midwest: Michigan St. (2)
“I have Kansas coming out of the South. I think they are going to have a tough road, but I think right now they’re the best team in the nation. Give me Oklahoma out of the West. Oregon was iffy for me as a one seed and I think Oklahoma will show how tough the Big 12 was this year. I have Kentucky coming out of the East. Those freshmen are starting to come together and this is their time to shine on the national stage. I have Michigan State coming out of the Midwest. I think they should have been a one seed after winning the Big Ten Tournament, but it may be a blessing in disguise as I like the road they have to the final four.”
– Dennis Esser (Coach Esser)

South: Kansas (1) | West: Oklahoma (2) | East: North Carolina (1) | Midwest: Michigan St. (2)
“I know what you’re thinking, why pick such a boring final four when this year’s tournament is as wide open as any we’ve ever seen? My logic is that with 20-25 indistinguishable teams in the tournament, superior coaching and guard play will prevail, so I’m rolling with Bill Self, Buddy Hield, Roy Williams, and Tom Izzo.”
– Marc Roberts (Daily Fantasy Basketball Podcast)

Q2. What cinderella team do you think has the best chance of making it deep in the tournament and why?

South: Wichita St (11) | East: S.F. Austin (14)
“Do we count Wichita State as a cinderella team this year? As an 11-seed relegated to one of the play-in games, the Shockers could be classified as an NCAA sleeper, and I think they have a very good chance to make an Elite Eight run in what I view as a wide-open bottom half of the South Region. But if you are looking for a more traditional “cinderella”, I think Stephen F. Austin could make a tournament run as a 14-seed in the East Region. The Lumberjacks have the nation’s longest active winning streak at 20 games and led the country in forcing turnovers at 18.6 per game. SFA is a senior-led group with experience in the cinderella role, as they beat VCU as a 12-seed in 2014 and almost upset fifth-seeded Utah a year ago.”
– Jason Willan (The Fake Basketball)

West: Wichita St (11) | Midwest: Gonzaga (11)
“11th seeded Gonzaga performed like a five seed this year, and has a relatively easy path to the sweet 16 (Seton Hall and Utah). I also think 11 seed Wichita St. qualifies under the superior coaching and guard play provision if they play their way into the field of 64 – they are currently the 12th ranked team in the country according to KenPom.”
– Marc Roberts (Daily Fantasy Basketball Podcast)

South: Vanderbilt (11) | West: Northern Iowa (11) | East: Iowa (7) | Midwest: Seton Hall (6) 
“Northern Iowa is not happy to see Shaka Smart in round one, but if any double-digit seed can make the final four, it is this MVC team with wins against UNC, Iowa State and Wichita State, to go with 12 victories in their last 13 games and an unrelenting defense. Vanderbilt could lose the play-in-game to a talented Wichita State team, but they are capable of beating very good teams, as they displayed in wins against Kentucky and Texas A&M. Chances are, you overlooked Seton Hall, as is tempting since they drew Gonzaga, but this team has wins over Xavier and Villanova as part of their 6-3 record vs. top 50 teams. Iowa was ranked in the top five early in the season before stumbling down the stretch, and don’t be quick to forget about their two wins over Michigan St.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

West: St. Josephs (8)
“I think St. Joseph’s has a real shot to make it to the Elite 8 if they can keep it rolling from the A10 tournament. DeAndre Bembry is one of my favorite players to watch and it would be cool to see them take down a one seed if they get past Cincinnati. While not a real “Cinderella” I have Purdue going pretty far as well.”
– Dennis Esser (Coach Esser)

Final Four & Championship Picks from Other Experts: