theScore64: Predicting the entire NCAA tournament bracket
With the NCAA tournament field set and brackets across the country ready to be filled out, here's a completed bracket to give you an idea of how this year's Big Dance may play out.
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Midwest Region
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Kentucky didn't exactly get an easy draw. A round of 32 matchup with either Cincinnati or Purdue will be a slugfest, Maryland just beat a No. 1 seed (Wisconsin) less than a month ago, and whoever survives the bottom half of this region will be tough and battle-tested. Even so, the smart money's on Kentucky. ... No. 12 seeds are 6-2 against No. 5 seeds in the last two NCAA tournaments. West Virginia is no easy out, but Buffalo is a hot pick to get past the Mountaineers. ... A bit of a surprise to make the tournament based on record, Texas has a lot of talent and can run with anyone when firing on all cylinders. ... Coming off an early exit in the Missouri Valley tournament, expect Gregg Marshall to have Wichita State ready to hit the ground running. The Shockers don't have an easy road by any means, but without the pressures that were on the squad a year ago, they could make a run.
West Region
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As far as 16 seeds go, Coastal Carolina isn't half bad, and Oregon may be the most dangerous eight-seed. But Wisconsin is as rock-solid as a No. 1 can be. ... No. 12 seeds beat No. 5 seeds with pretty fair regularity. Once they get by that matchup, they make it through to the Sweet Sixteen about half the time. North Carolina failed to make it through to the tournament's second weekend each of the last two years. ... Xavier's over-seeded at No. 6, and Baylor is low on talent this year, skating by on a great job done by the team's coaching staff. Whichever of BYU or Ole Miss survives the First Four will be in a good spot. ... Ohio State has good enough ball handlers in the backcourt to neutralize VCU's "Havoc" defense. ... Arizona looked destined for a spot in the Final Four a year ago. That was, until it ran into Wisconsin.
East Region
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There was some concern that Villanova would be overlooked when the No. 1 seeds were handed out despite winning its final 15 games. Now that it's happened, the Wildcats look vulnerable. ... Virginia may have missed out on a No. 1 seed, but riding alongside Villanova and Oklahoma isn't all bad. ... If Northern Iowa's schedule set up a little differently, there's a conceivable chance it could be a No. 2 or 3 seed. The Panthers didn't stand a chance with what they were walking into at Wichita State on Feb. 28. With no true road games in their way now, watch out. ... Louisville hasn't scored more than 60 points against a tournament team since Valentine's Day. ... Michigan State may have ousted Virginia a year ago, but Tom Izzo doesn't have the horses to work with that he did then. ... One would have to be a real fan of the game to appreciate a Virginia-Northern Iowa matchup in the Final Four.
South Region
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Duke's road to the Elite Eight may as well be paved in gold. ... Utah could have been a good dark horse had it landed in a better situation. Delon Wright is legit. There are just too many teams that can score at will in the region for the Utes to be able to keep up. ... Gonzaga's current roster may be the best the Bulldogs have ever put out. While the program has come to be known for its ability to play in the month of March, the Bulldogs have only qualified for the Sweet Sixteen twice in the last 13 seasons, with the last trip coming in 2009. ... Iowa State won each of its last five games despite trailing by double-digits in each of those contests, including coming back from deficits of at least 11 points in each of three Big 12 tournament games en route to winning the conference title. Getting behind big is never encouraged, but that the Cyclones have the ability to come back from those kinds of deficits speaks to the team's character.
Final Four
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A Final Four rematch between the Wildcats and Badgers. Wisconsin's better than it was a year ago, but John Calipari's crew is leaps and bounds ahead of where it was then. ... Iowa State's offense versus Virginia's defense would be a very intriguing battle of opposing forces. The Cavaliers can score better than the Cyclones can defend. ... Kentucky hit some stumbling blocks against lesser competition during its SEC schedule, but the Wildcats have handled the step up in class very well. In three games against opponents ranked inside the top 10 of the AP poll, Kentucky won by an average margin of 17.3 points, and in 13 games against tournament teams, the Wildcats won by an average margin of 15.4 points.