With the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament beginning Thursday and the madness beginning, your esteemed Maneater sports staff members have gathered together each of their top picks for the basics. From Cinderella to bracket buster to overall champion, take advantage of the knowledge we offer before locking in your brackets.
##**Bruno Vernaschi, sports editor**
This year’s tournament is a tricky one. You’ve got the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats, who, at this point, look like a group of extraterrestrials from a certain Warner Bros. classic. Then you’ve got a team like Kansas, who despite a somewhat decent record, has had some despicable losses. I tend to think I’m more knowledgeable than I am when it comes to March and always try to predict the most obscure outcomes, which always leads to me busting my bracket on my own. However, this will be my year.
**Champion:** (1) Wisconsin
Kentucky is too easy to call. Villanova is overrated and depends too much on the three-ball. I have chosen Duke to win it all the last three years, only to be let down _hard_ in the Round of 64 two out of three times. With just No. 1 seeds in mind, you toss all of those out and who’s left? I had my doubts about the Badgers, but watching them beat Michigan State via an 11-0 overtime performance put those to rest. It helps I have a deep-seated desire to be best friends with Frank Kaminsky, who is far too lovable and far too good to pass up ‘Sconsin.
**Cinderella:** (8) San Diego State
Every year, there’s going to be a Cinderella. The team who stays at the ball way past midnight and ruins your chances at winning $1 billion from Warren Buffett. It’s inevitable. I would gladly pick Northern Iowa, as I have them going far in this tournament, but being a top-10 ranked team with a No. 5 seed, that’d be cheating. I’ve gone with SDSU –– a team who took down fifth-seeded Utah earlier this year and only lost to No. 2 Arizona by two points. Behind an unstoppable defense that limits its opponents to just 53.1 points per game (the second best in the nation), I firmly believe the Aztecs have what it takes to beat Duke in the Round of 32. Put them in that glass slipper and send them off to the Sweet 16.
**Upset:** (14) Georgia State over (3) Baylor
I would gladly go with the first No. 16 seed to take down a No. 1 seed. Being right would make me a March Madness god. Being wrong would make me look like a dunce. So I’ll stay away from picking Lafayette over Villanova and settle for something more realistic. Any team whose coach tears his achilles while celebrating the team’s first tournament appearance since 2001 deserves to have a go. Remember Kevin Ware? The Louisville player who [suffered a horrendous compound fracture during the 2013 tournament](http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2013/03/31/louisvilles-kevin-ware-suffers-gruesome-leg-injury-players-emotional/2040609/)? He’s now a Panther. His ability to return from that injury, putting up 18 points in the team’s conference championship, demonstrates his grit. Georgia State is led by R.J. Hunter, the coach’s son who averages a whopping 20.1 points per game. Although this may not be a great three-point shooting team, its player’s ball-handling and inside-the-arc shooting will get them through the Bears.
##**Michael Natelli, assistant sports editor**
We made it. No more Dickie V for the rest of the college basketball season, baby! Oh, and there’s also some sort of tournament going on. The Troy Bolton East High Wildcats jersey in my closet gives me all the credential for you to trust my opinion here. I may have failed to score a single basket in my final year playing organized basketball (fifth grade was way before my growth spurt, in my defense), but that means I spent a lot of time watching and observing how other players played the game, so I’m kind of an expert.
**Champion:** (1) Duke
I promise I don’t have a chalk bracket, but Duke is the real deal. They have arguably the easiest path to the Final Four of any one-seed, so it will likely only take one top performance by the Blue Devils (against Michigan State, if you ask my bracket) to make it to the National Championship. Even with the premise that they play as high a seed as possible each step of the way, a 16-seed, San Diego State, Georgetown and Gonzaga are all manageable for Jahlil Okafor and company. And despite their impressive record, Villanova has never been a strong tournament team under Jay Wright, and Duke shouldn’t have a problem taking on the Wildcats if that ends up being its Final Four matchup. And let’s assume they play Kentucky in the championship. For as much talent as the Wildcats have, they lack a go-to guy like the Blue Devils have in Jahlil Okafor. If the Missouri Tigers can hang with the Wildcats for 32 minutes, the Blue Devils can beat them in 40.
**Cinderella:** (10) Indiana
You could make the case that Indiana shouldn’t even be in the tournament, but they are, and they have a winnable set of potential matchups. They first take on Missouri Valley Conference product Wichita State that has minimal experience against top-tier talent, a team that Yogi Ferrell and company should be able to pick apart on a good day. From one game to the next, the Hoosiers can look as different as day and night. But Indiana’s depth should be able to push them past the Shockers, setting them up for a probable matchup with upset-prone Kansas. While the Tiger in me never wants a Kansas win, this objective analyst has watched Kansas get upset enough times to believe a high-scoring Hoosiers squad has what it takes to win. They would likely go on to take on Notre Dame, a team whose spotty defense can only hold up for so long. In short, while it’s far from a lock, there’s no reason the Hoosiers can’t be playing in the Sweet 16 or beyond.
**Upset:** (15) Belmont over (2) Virginia
Every year, one upset happens in the first round that leaves the nation saying, “That should _not_ have just happened.” Why not Belmont over Virginia? It’s hardly a likely outcome, but if the likely outcomes always happened, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation, and I’d be asking Warren Buffett for a billion dollars in exchange for my bracket. While the Cavaliers have lost just three games all year, they’ve also lost two of their last three. That could either motivate them or knock them down, but the Bruins will hope it’s the later of the two.
##**Daniel Witt, beat writer**
Oh, what I would give to see Missouri senior guard Keith Shamburger popping treys in this year’s tournament. But alas, the Tigers finished 9-23. Nevertheless, my 10 brackets and I are ready for the madness. Both my proudest and least proud prediction came in March 2012, when, in my high school’s newspaper, I called Mizzou’s loss to 15-seed Norfolk State.
**Champion:** (1) Kentucky
The Wildcats are on a whole other level than the rest of the field. When it comes down to it, they cannot and will not be beaten. Proof comes in the form of their 32-point win over Kansas (a 2-seed) in November, and a 15-point win over the 5th-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks this past weekend.
**Cinderella:** (11) Ole Miss
The Rebels are already battle-tested, outscoring offensive powerhouse Brigham Young in a 94-90 shootout Tuesday night. Ole Miss is led by junior guard Stefan Moody, who averages 16.3 points per game.
**Upset:** (15) New Mexico State over (2) Kansas
The Aggies ride into the tournament as one of the country’s hottest teams. They are on a 13-game winning streak, and haven’t lost in nearly two months. Plus, this is a very overrated Jayhawks squad. Plus, it’s Kansas.
##**Will Jarvis, beat writer**
Before you judge my pick for the champion, remember that this is March “Madness.” Not March “Predictable.” Every year, this tournament has taken logic, put it through a food disposal, and churned out the most utterly ridiculous, statistically-defying results in sports. The odds of picking a perfect bracket are one in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808, which means I have a better chance of marrying a Victoria’s Secret model than getting this right. In the meantime, I’ll hit the gym, pray my jawline becomes more defined and give this whole bracketology thing my best shot.
**Champion:** (1) Wisconsin
Wisconsin might be the only team in America that can beat the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats. With senior leadership from big-man Frank Kaminsky and a plethora of upperclassmen, the Badgers should be able to hold on down the stretch of the craziest tournament in sports.
**Cinderella:** (11) Dayton
The Flyers may be the biggest anomaly of this year’s season. Without a player over 6-foot-6, Dayton barely lost the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship and managed to accumulate a 25-8 record. They have to win a play-in game just to make it to the Round of 64, but with wins over Virginia Commonwealth and Ole Miss, the Flyers have proven they can play with top teams. Last year, they showed America what it took to be an Elite Eight team, so why not this year?
**Upset:** (15) New Mexico State over (2) Kansas
The Aggies boast four guys taller than six-foot-eight, making it tough for offenses to penetrate the lane. By controlling the paint and the rebound margin, New Mexico State could prove to be difficult for a Kansas. The Jayhawks may have been perfect at home this season, but on neutral ground they’re just 2-2. If there’s one thing this tournament has continually shown us, it’s that anything can happen.
##**Jason Lowenthal, beat writer**
Back in my glory days of picking games, I won my high school’s 323-member bracket group two years ago and took home a pretty penny and then came in 16th last year, so I know what it takes to win your little pool that you have with your roommates. I’m the type of guy who spends days in quiet contemplation, irrationally deciding the fates of 68 college basketball teams, and I’m proud of it.
**Champion:** (1) Wisconsin
Wisconsin, unlike any other team in the nation, has the size to match up with Kentucky. The ability to the Badgers’ bigs (Frank Kaminsky, Nigel Hayes) to shoot the ball will force Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns out to the perimeter, away from their natural habitat underneath the basket.
**Cinderella:** (13) Eastern Washington
The Eagles will take down the most over-seeded team in the bracket, Georgetown, before busting some brackets by knocking off Utah to advance to the Sweet 16. If you don’t know the name already, check out Tyler Harvey. He is the nation’s leading scorer at 22.9 PPG, a one-man show for EWU, and is poised to become this year’s tournament darling.
**Upset:** (12) Buffalo over (5) West Virginia
Buffalo coach Bobby Hurley has been to the big dance before as a point guard at Duke and has one of the tournament’s most dynamic players in Justin Moss (17.9 PPG, 9.2 RPG). The Bulls aren’t the trendiest 12-5 upset this year (Stephen F. Austin is tilting the scale), but I think Buffalo will be the 12-seed to get it done against West Virginia. Don’t be surprised to see New Mexico State shock Kansas, as well. Not saying it will happen, but watch out, Jayhawks.
##**Harry deGrood, beat writer**
As a four-time champion of my family’s “March Madness Bracket Showdown,” I would consider myself the most qualified person on this staff to give you my picks. Some people say that I pick games better than Beyoncé can sing. I will neither confirm nor deny this statement. You’re just going to have to take me on my word that, when it comes to March Madness, “I’ve been Steph Curry with the shot, boy.”
**Champion:** (1) Kentucky
This is obvious, right? The Harrison twins are back to hit threes and toss dimes. Willie Cauley-Stein dunks over people like they’re only little children. (What is this? A basketball arena for ants?) And Karl-Anthony Towns is just perfecting his NBA resume. It’s hunting season for the blue and white platoon, and they’re bigger, faster and stronger than every team in this tournament. Fun fact: The only team that is bigger than the Kentucky Wildcats, NCAA or NBA, is the Minnesota Timberwolves.
**Cinderella:** (10) Davidson
I’ve been getting inside reports from a trusted source (my uncle Jim, a Davidson alumnus) that the guards that Bob McKillop is coaching this year are the best guards the Davidson program has seen since Stephen Curry. So I suggest you watch some old Steph Curry NCAA tournament highlights, grab some popcorn and watch the Davidson three-point contest commence.
**Upset:** (16) Coastal Carolina over (1) Wisconsin
I’ll admit it, I have never watched Coastal Carolina play a single basketball game in my life. But after minutes and minutes of analytical research, I’ve come to the conclusion that good ole’ Coastal Carolina hangs tight with just about anyone they play. They hung tight in losses to Ole Miss and UCLA, and they proved that they can take down big name programs with a close win against Auburn. All of these games were played on the road, as well. I think this might be the year the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina show the world what they’re all about.
##**Quinn Malloy, beat writer**
I’m from Brooklyn, so I know basketball. For wisdom, look below.
**Champion:** (2) Kansas
I’m going with the big kU on this one. The Jayhawks have been playing impeccable basketball all year and are going to steamroll the competition in this year’s tournament. Especially the Tigers … of LSU. If anybody reading this would like to challenge me on my prediction, my twitter handle is @QuinnMalloy.
**Cinderella:** (16) Coastal Carolina
I’m a Harvard man, but not in this context. The Crimson will fall to North Carolina by a score of 75-57. My Cinderella team is Coastal Carolina, because go Chanticleers (or mythical roosters, for the laymen among you).
**Upset:** (13) Harvard over (4) North Carolina
75-57.
##**Thomas Cuda, beat writer**
While I do not usually like to pick chalk, in this year’s tournament it is difficult to avoid. Kentucky, Duke and Wisconsin were all deserving of their ratings. Villanova is a good team, but if history holds true, they will not get far. Here are my predictions with this in mind:
**Champion:** (1) Duke
Big players shine in the tournament; Jahlil Okafor will be no exception. The Duke center will be too much for anyone in his region to handle and will be the player that Kentucky will not be able to shut down.
**Cinderella:** (11) Boise State
I think Boise State will win the play-in game against the Dayton Flyers, knock off Providence and slide past Oklahoma. The game against Providence will be close, but they will be able to beat the Big East finalists. Oklahoma is a good team that plays to their opponents, which, come tournament time, is grounds to believe that they can be knocked off.
**Upset:** (7) Michigan State over (2) Virginia
A team that lost the Big 10 Conference Championship in overtime, Michigan State has the players to make a run. Their only concern is their free throw shooting, which is a lowly 63.3 percent. This team is hot, and has the ability to stun No. 2 Virginia.
##**Scott MacDonald, managing editor**
I have not properly followed college basketball since the fifth grade. My college basketball knowledge is thus limited to the 2003-04 season, and my picks are based on personal preference.
**Champion:** (3) Iowa State
My fellow Ames High School alumnus Fred “The Mayor” Hoiberg has truly taken “Hilton Magic” to epic levels. To be sure, his Cyclone squad does have a serious first-half problem (their last five or six wins have come following double-digit halftime deficits), but since the NCAAs are essentially one big second half, I’m sure they’ll keep their insane second-half energy from the tipoff. Also, Iowa State University employs both of my parents, so I imagine I’ll benefit from a Cyclone championship in some way.
**Cinderella:** (12) Buffalo
It’s their first trip to the Big Dance. It’s their first Mid-American Conference title. But mainly, I spent the summer at SUNY-Buffalo, and the city got that massive freak snowstorm this winter. They’ll beat Kentucky.
**Upset:** (15) Belmont over (2) Virginia
On Dec. 30, 2003, Belmont defeated a nationally-ranked Mizzou 71-67 at Hearnes Center. I was in the stands; it was a crushing and definitive end to my childhood and a tragedy that haunts me to this day. Do not underestimate Belmont. Also, Natelli picked Belmont, so I feel better about this.
