-#10 LOYOLA CHICAGO VS #7 OHIO STATE. We were really big on this Loyola team coming into the year, and while there were times they appeared to be disappointing they really did pull it together late and looked impressive in the MVC Tournament. They are looking to get past the Round of 64 for the third time in five years. Ohio State has also shown signs of being really good, so this one should be a good one.
#15 JACKSONVILLE STATE VS #2 AUBURN. Jacksonville State got in via the Atlantic Sun auto-bid even though they didn’t win the conference tournament, but they were still arguably the most deserving team. Many think Auburn is good enough to win it all, and I think they’ll coast in this one.
#14 MONTANA STATE VS #3 TEXAS TECH. I really like this Montana State team and was very impressed with what they did in the Big Sky this year. That being said, I just think this Texas Tech team is too much for them. The Red Raiders proved that they can play and beat the very best, and had some of the best singular wins of any team this entire season. As great as an upset would be, I just don’t see it happening.
#14 YALE VS #3 PURDUE. Yale gets in after winning the Ivy League and beating out a pretty good Princeton team, but Purdue seems to be way over their heads. The Boilers weren’t always flawless, but they have shown that they can be as good as anyone in the country.
#15 DELAWARE VS #2 VILLANOVA. Nova is just too much of a heavyweight. Delaware has had a great season and it’s exciting to see them back in the Big Dance, but I don’t see them staying with the Wildcats.
#10 MIAMI FL VS #7 USC. I’ve liked this Miami FL team all year. They have some huge wins against teams like Duke, and I always thought they should be getting more respect than what they were. Well, now is a chance to really earn some respect! It wouldn’t just shock me if they won today, but I could see them getting to the second weekend of this Tournament.
#11 NOTRE DAME VS #6 ALABAMA. Notre Dame is coming off a thrilling win against Rutgers, so they should enter this game with a lot of momentum and I can actually see that working to their advantage. Alabama had some great wins this year, particularly beating Gonzaga in Seattle, but there were also times where they struggled away from home, so don’t be surprise if the Irish really make them sweat.
#11 VIRGINIA TECH VS #6 TEXAS. I was never all that big on this VA Tech team this year, but I cannot deny that what they did in the ACC Tournament was absolutely incredible. It wouldn’t shock me if they kept it going and managed a win today. Texas is good. Texas is talented. Texas appears to be better. But…VA Tech has picked a great time of the year to be playing their best basketball.
#13 CHATTANOOGA VS #4 ILLINOIS. I know that this is a popular upset pick in certain circles, and Chattanooga certainly had an impressive year, but it seems like every time they had a chance to swing over their heads they came up just short. I don’t think the Illini will have too much trouble moving on.
#15 CAL STATE FULLERTON VS #2 DUKE. Cal State Fullerton is the team most of America will be rooting for!! Duke is the team that most of America is expecting to win!! And…rightfully so.
#11 IOWA STATE VS #6 LSU. I like this Iowa State team, and quite frankly thought they are good enough and did enough to be seeded a little better than 11th. On the flip side, LSU seems to be on a downward spiral with their coach getting fired just prior to the start of The Tournament. Iowa State seems like the team to pick, but who knows? Maybe the LSU players and team really rally around each other and are able to go on a run.
#16 WRIGHT STATE VS #1 ARIZONA. Wright State is coming off their First Four win over Bryant, but are simply way too overmatched against an Arizona team that is good enough to win this whole tournament.
#12 UAB VS #5 HOUSTON. I like this UAB team a lot, and I think Houston is overseeded. I’m genuinely impressed with what Houston has done this year and how they’ve been able to keep winning despite so many key injuries, but I still don’t think their resume indicated they should be seeded this high. UAB will be a popular upset pick and it wouldn’t shock me at all if it happened.
-#10 DAVIDSON VS #7 MICHIGAN STATE. I like how this Davidson team plays, and I’d love to see them get to the Round of 32. Michigan State is a team that we thought would be better, but still appears to have all the pieces to play at a high level and go deep into this tournament. It wouldn’t shock me if the Spartans lost today. It also wouldn’t shock me if they went all the way to the Final Four.
-#14 COLGATE VS #3 WISCONSIN. I like this Wisconsin team a lot and while I’m impressed with what Colgate did in the Patriot League, I just think this Wisky team is way too much for them. It wouldn’t shock me at all if Wisconsin went very deep into this tournament.
-#9 TCU VS #8 SETON HALL. I like what both of these teams did this year and pretty much think this game is a toss up. I think I like TCU just a little more, but both are good, both are battle tested, and both are capable of giving Arizona a game in the Round of 32.