Analysis: Gonzaga pick for national title
You start with 65 schools and a lot of empty lines headed to the middle of the page.
There are a hundred good reasons to move one team along to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament and a hundred more why it should be somebody else. There has to be a No. 12 that beats a No. 5 because it has happened 15 of the last 16 years.
The last six years have seen at least half the Final Four come from one conference.
So much to consider, so few lines:
Chicago Regional
Top-seeded Illinois has the “Ralph Kramden” run to the Final Four with buses the mode of transportation to the first and second rounds in Indianapolis and the regional in Chicago before the Final Four in St. Louis. The Illini might get a scare from No. 9 Nevada, and then comes fifth-seeded Alabama, which knocks off No. 4 Boston College.
Second-seeded Oklahoma State will get through the bottom of the bracket by beating sixth-seeded LSU after the Tigers knock out Arizona, but Illinois defends the honor of the No. 1 seeds.
Albuquerque Regional
Top-seeded Washington doesn’t even get to the Sweet Sixteen, falling to No. 9 Pittsburgh in the second round. The Panthers will face fifth-seeded Georgia Tech in the semifinals after the Yellow Jackets beat No. 4 Louisville.
West Virginia stuns second-seeded Wake Forest in the second round, but then the seventh-seeded Mountaineers’ run is ended by No. 3 Gonzaga.
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The Bulldogs beat Georgia Tech.
Syracuse Regional
The toughest of the regionals will see the top four seeds advance, but it will also be the one to provide the 5-12 upset: New Mexico over Villanova.
The round-of-16 matchups have top-seeded North Carolina against No. 4 Florida, and the Tar Heels win. Second-seeded Connecticut beats No. 3 Kansas, keeping North Carolina coach Roy Williams from facing the school he took to the Final Four three times.
UConn edges the Tar Heels to move on to the Final Four.
Austin Regional
Fourth-seeded Syracuse ends top-seeded Duke’s effort to tie North Carolina’s record of 15 Final Four appearances.
Third-seeded Oklahoma can’t handle Andrew Bogut inside against No. 6 Utah, but the Utes’ run comes to an end against second-seeded Kentucky.
Final Four
The semifinal between Connecticut and Syracuse is a matchup of the last two national champions. Connecticut wins this one.
Gonzaga adds to its lore with a real giant-killing of Illinois, and then wins it all.
It’s my sheet.