WEST

1 Wisconsin vs 16 Coastal Carolina
Wisconsin may be the second-best team in the nation right now. Potential Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky can singlehandedly lift the Badgers over the Chanticleers. Throw in Sam Dekker and Josh Gasser, it will take something very, very special for Coastal Carolina to overcome the number one seed.

Wisconsin over Coastal Carolina

8 Oregon vs 9 Oklahoma State
Eighth seed vs. Ninth seed is always a tough matchup to pick, but I’m taking the Ducks. Even though Oregon underwhelmed during the season, I can not go against the talent of PAC-12 player of the year Joseph Young. While he may jack up a lot of shots putting up 16.2 shots and 7.1 three-pointers, they can be justified when you average 20.2 PPG. It’s not like he is a one-dimensional player, as he can get to the bucket and convert, shooting 91.8 percent from the charity stripe. Also, the Ducks won seven out of last eight games, with their only loss coming to a very good Arizona team. On the other hand, the Cowboys lost six of last seven games to close out the season. While all the signs point to Oregon coming out victorious, it will be still be as close as the seeding suggests.

Oregon over Oklahoma State

5 Arkansas vs 12 Wofford
Two words – Bobby Portis. While when you think of big men in the SEC, Kentucky pair Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein will come to mind. But who won the SEC player of the year? You guess it. The Arkansas sophomore made his presence felt in the conference. 6’ 11” Portis will tower over Wofford that has no player taller than 6’ 8”. Even though the Terriers won fifteen of the last sixteen games, they are overseeded at 12. Wofford can give them trouble if they control the tempo and slow the game down, but there will be too much size for them to handle.

Arkansas over Wofford

4 UNC vs 13 Harvard
Who knew those nerds at Harvard could play ball? The Crimsons were everyone’s favorite underdog last year and they pulled out an impressive upset over the Cincinnati Bearcats. However, to pull off a similar result this year will be much more challenging. Sure, Harvard’s slow pace will give UNC trouble. Wesley Saunders is a terrific basketball player who can put up serious scoring numbers. However, like Wofford, Harvard will have some trouble controlling the bigs of the Tar Heels, such as Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks, and Isaiah Hicks. While the Ivy League champs have a chance to pull off an upset, it will take a monumental game from Saunders to advance.

UNC over Harvard

6 Xavier vs 11 Ole Miss
I was expecting BYU to come out victorious, but Ole Miss eventually wrestles victory away from the Cougars. The Rebels are better matchup for the Musketeers, as BYU’s run-and-gun style with long-range threats would have given them trouble. However, do not expect this to be a walkover for Xavier, as its turnover issues can come back to haunt them. While fatigue could be a factor for Ole Miss, the confidence boost it got from the win. If Moody and Co. start hitting those three balls, watch out. A key player is the big man for Xavier, Matt Stainbrook, who gives an option down low, rather than relying on jumpers. If him and other bigs can keep their opponents off of the glass, the chances will be limited for the underdogs. Maybe it would’ve been different with BYU.

Xavier over Ole Miss

3 Baylor vs 13 Georgia State
Believe it or not, Georgia State is more than Team Kevin Ware. The Panthers are quick, crafty team that ranks sixth in the nation in steals and fourteenth in field-goal percentage. Despite the absence of their best player, Ryan Harrow, Georgia State found a way to scratch and claw their way to victory in Sun Belt championship. However, no one, I mean absolutely no one can handle 6’ 8”, 280-pound wrecking ball that is Rico Gathers. Center Curtis Washington will likely be his main defender, and while Washington is two inches taller, he only weighs 230-pound. If Gathers bullies like he should and the Bears perimeter defense holds up, they should advance without too much trouble.

Baylor over Georgia State

7 VCU vs 10 Ohio State
This is a great test to see if D’Angelo Russell is, in fact, headed to stardom. VCU’s suffocating hard-pressure defense will challenge Russell’s ability to handle different pressure, defense, as well as the big stage. Is he up for it? I believe so. Don’t be surprised if he puts on double-double, twenty-five points performance. The Buckeyes can light it up from the floor, as they were ninth-best shooting team in the nation. While the Rams swipe 9.7 steals per game, it does not directly relates to limiting the points. Both team averaged over seventy points per game, and it will be a rare high-scoring game. However, expect Russell to take over the game in final minutes and prove his star quality once again. Major upset alert.

Ohio States over VCU

2 Arizona vs 15 Texas Southern
You have to feel bad for Texas Southern to be the first team that will feel the wrath of Arizona after being handed the two seed. Both teams ride 11-game winning streak into the big dance, but Arizona did it against much better opponents. Stanley Johnson can prove to the world that he deserves the attention he got in the beginning of the year with a huge tournament, and his march to recovery starts with a date with Tigers. I just can’t see the underdogs topping the enraged Wildcats right now. Arizona is on its way to get revenge on Wisconsin, and the minnows are nothing but stepping stones.

Arizona over Texas Southern

SOUTH

1 Duke vs 16 Robert Morrison
Remember when Duke lost to 15-seed Mercer last year? Remember when Duke lost to 15-seed Lehigh three years ago? Will Duke choke again in the first round? Will this finally be the year that the mighty 1-seed goes down to 16-seed? Answer is no, kids. There is simply too much Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Quinn Cook, Justice Winslow, and Co. for Robert Morrison. However, being a Blue Devils fan, I may be biased.

Duke over Robert Morrison

8 San Diego State vs 9 Saint John’s
Chris Obeka will be dearly, dearly missed…. If the Johnnies were playing against a legitimate big. SDSU had a hellish time trying to score against Nevada. Stopping their ultra-inefficient offense shouldn’t be too much of a problem, even though their best defender is missing. On the other hand, Saint John’s isn’t a great three-point shooting team, and the Aztecs shut down anything that comes in the three-point arc. In a hard-fought, gritty game, if SJU finds its shooting sleeves, they game put the game to sleep.

Saint John’s over San Diego State

5 Utah vs 12 SF Austin
Last year, three of four 12-seeds moved on, one of them being Stephen F. Austin. And they can very well continue this trend. Team that forces tons of turnovers and crashes offensive board like SF Austin can really give Utah, a team that doesn’t force tons of turnovers and crash offensive board, quite a trouble. Also, Utah has lost four of its last seven games, heading the wrong direction before the big dance. Stars on each team Deion Wright and Thomas Walkup will stuff the box score as always. It comes down to the supporting casts.

SF Austin over Utah

4 Georgetown vs 13 Eastern Washington
Georgetown is horribly, horribly overseeded. Also, Georgetown losing to a double-seeded team is a trend that cannot be ignored at this point. Also, Eastern Washington can hit the trey ball. ranking fourth in the nation in three pointers made and eighth in three point percentage. Georgetown, simply cannot defend the arc. However, Eastern Washington seems determine to not play any defense. If Joshua Smith and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera go nuts and drop 60, which is possible, the Hoyas move on. But I’m taking a classic Georgetown upset here.

Eastern Washington over Georgetown.

6 SMU vs 11 UCLA
SMU is the best 6-seed in the nation. UCLA doesn’t really deserves to be here. The namevalue favors the Bruins, but the stats favor the Mustangs. You get the point here. Nothing to see here. Move along.

SMU over UCLA

3 Iowa State vs 14 UAB
Raise your hand if you heard of UAB before. Ok. Keep your hands up if you heard of them because of their prestigious basketball program. That’s what I thought. The Blazers lost to North Texas, Rice, Florida Atlantic, and Florida International in last seven games. Not exactly household names there, as all of those teams finished the season under .500. Now, they are bring that turnover-prone, erratic shooting offense to ultra-uptempo Iowa State. Georges Niang is one of the best player in the country, and him alone can probably win in this matchup. Expect tons of fastbrakes and potential thirty point blowout.

Iowa State over UAB

7 Iowa vs 10 Davidson
Davidson likes to shoot threes. Like, a lot of threes. But in case you haven’t realized, Steph Curry graduated already, and they don’t have anyone that can be a game changer. Meanwhile, Iowa has a great matchup against a guard-oriented team, as their big men can tower over small lineups that the Wildcats like to run. If Davidson hits twenty threes, sure they can pull an upset. But if not, Iowa’s big will eat both the paint and the Wildcats alive.

Iowa over Davidson

2 Gonzaga vs 15 North Dakota State
NDSU was everyone’s trendy upset pick against Oklahoma State last year, and they delivered. This year, however, is much, much different. While the Bisons are improved team from last year, and could’ve made some noise if they had drawn the likes of Georgetown or Utah. However, Gonzaga has eight players that can drop twenty on pretty much any team in the nation, including Kyle Wiltjer and Kevin Pargos. It will take something extremely special from Lawrence Alexander for this upset to happen.

Gonzaga over North Dakota State