Bracketology 101

    March 1^st means it’s time to start your research and catch up with the rest of the college basketball junkies.  College basketball is one of the sports that falls short of the excitement of football but is superior to every other viewing option. I’ll start by apologizing in advance to the soccer and hockey purists out there because I do love both, but today I want to talk March Madness.  In this blog I’ll discuss a few different things.  Number 1, the blueblood schools that can make it to the final four.  Number 2, the non-bluebloods that can make it to the final four, and the teams that have the potential to get hot & make a sweet sixteen run when they are high seeded or at the moment, “on the bubble.”  Also known as upset teams.  Disclaimer, I watch a lot of college basketball, basically every night, but I am not telling you these are the teams that you should pick. If you want to take my advice, then do it.  If not, all good too.

         So, what is a blueblood?  A blueblood basketball university is a university that has historically won multiple championships. Remember, it is not easy to make it through every round and then beat a top 4 team twice to win the whole thing. This includes teams like UCLA (11 titles), Kentucky (8), North Carolina (6), Duke (5), Indiana (5), Connecticut (4), Kansas (3), Villanova (3), and I would say Michigan State not because they’ve won 2 titles but because they’ve been in the final four 10 times are all considered blueblood schools.   Now, out of these schools which ones can make a run to the final four this year?   Duke? Yes.  Kentucky? Yes. UCLA? Yes.  Villanova? Yes.  And finally, Kansas? Yes.  All these teams have the pedigree, coaching, and talent to make a run.  The strength of schedule for these teams would agree with me but there are some red flags for a few of these schools.  

Kentucky has the talent and coaching but they are a different team on the road.   This year Kentucky is 17-0 at home but 5-5 in away games.   We all know the Kentucky diehard fans travel well, but playing on a neutral court is nothing like playing in your home stadium.   Kentucky might get it done, but their record away from Rupp Arena scares me too much to pick them compared to some of these other bluebloods.

Kansas is also another team that has the blueblood label, but I don’t think they have the team chemistry to get it done this year.   Kansas has had a tough time beating good teams all year.  They recently lost to Baylor (see non-blueblood schools that can win it all) and they got embarrassed on the Road in Kentucky earlier this year.   They’ve also played in some very close games.  They beat Iowa State by 1 this year and they barely topped Kanas State in a rivalry game.  Close games are no coin flip but if you play in enough of them, you’re bound to lose.   Kansas is a team that has the talent, but I think will fall short of the final four.  

Obviously, North Carolina, Michigan State, and Indiana are not final four teams.   In fact, Indiana and Michigan State are on the bubble to even get in, but if you’re looking for a high seed to make a run…. Michigan State might fit the bill.  The Big 10 is tough and if Michigan State can get in the tournament, which I believe they will, they might be primed for an upset run to the sweet sixteen.    Indiana is not a contender and North Carolina lacks the guard play, defense, and continuity to be taken seriously this year. In fact, they seem like a team that could be upset early in the tournament.