The last perfect bracket presented this season at the CBS Sports Men’s Bracket Challenge didn’t even make it past the first round. In fact, there were still a few games of the first round left on Friday when the last surviving net crumbled to dust after Villanova’s victory over Delaware.
The March madness is humiliating for sports fans, and the unpredictability is part of what makes office pools and online fan competition so fun. It doesn’t matter if you’ve watched college basketball all season and memorized the difference in each team’s performance, by the Friday of the tournament’s first weekend, your chart may be stinky compared to the one your freshman filled out based on colors. participating teams.
Even our expert roster of writers and analysts at CBS Sports took a big hit on Big Dancing’s opening weekend. Only Chip Patterson, who spends more time on college football than college basketball, still has every one of his Final Four teams alive as Thursday’s Sweet 16 action approaches.
But with the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament approaching, it’s time to take a deep breath and reboot. There is a chance for redemption, and our experts are taking another chance by offering fresh predictions for the future.
What tournament picks can you do with confidence, and which underdog wins more than 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine to see which teams are winning and highlight the difference in every game.all from a proven computer model that crushed college basketball picks.
Gary Parrish, college basketball insider
Gonzaga was my pick to win the 2022 NCAA Tournament before the season even started. I have no reason to change now. According to KenPom.com, Zags is the only team remaining that ranks in the top 10 in both adjusted offensive effectiveness and adjusted defensive effectiveness. They have the best offense in the country and a strong enough defense to win four more games in this tournament and I sincerely believe they will. In every future competition, Gonzaga will probably have the best point guard (Andrew Nembhard), power forward (Drew Timm) and center (Chet Holmgren) on the court. It is this kind of advantage that should lead to Mark Few’s program silencing its naysayers forever and winning the first national title in the school’s history.
Matt Norlander, senior college basketball writer
My brace… some kind of disaster. Okay, these are ruins. Tire fire. A catastrophe of almost the highest order. But! I still have three Final Four teams in this puppy. And my prediction for the championship matches before the tournament remains correct. It will be Gonzaga vs Kansas. The Jayhawks looked as good as any other team in the first two rounds, while Gonzaga scared Georgia State (before he pulled away) and pushed Memphis hard. What a great tilt it was in the second round. I certainly won’t leave those pickaxes. Purdue was also chosen for me in the Final Four, and given how the East has broken, I like it all the more (although I look forward to welcoming the Peacocks as agents of chaos; we’ll see what Friday brings). Since my selection in Illinois is over, I will choose Houston to finish the season in Arizona and then ride with Villanova and her constant bunch of guards and flankers to get through San Antonio and emerge as a champion. Remember that Texas was friendly to Villanova: he won the title in 2016 in Houston and then won the title in 2018 in San Antonio.
Kyle Boone, college basketball writer
Gonzaga was my pre-tournament choice and Gonzaga remains my choice as we head into week two of the tournament. Yes, this team has looked misguided at times, and yes, I’m a bit concerned about the lackluster starts against Georgia State and Memphis. But Zags can flip the switch when they need to, even against teams of the same talent level. I think it’s reassuring that we haven’t seen their best basketball yet. And with a star in Drew Timm on the rise and freshman Chet Holmgren serving as arguably the best defenseman left in the Big Dance, this team’s talent could – and I think it will – lead them to a championship once they’ve won second place in the country. in two of the last four tournaments.
David Cobb, college basketball writer
If a foul had been called in Arizona during TCU’s last possession in Sunday’s second-round game, the Wildcats probably wouldn’t have gone that far. But they are here, and the matches are going in their favor. Arizona’s blazing pace sets it apart from Houston and Villanova, and Arizona should be able to dictate the pace to its liking. A Final Four matchup between Arizona and Kansas would have been an epic showdown between Benedict Maturin and Ochai Agbaji, but the Wildcats play better on the front court. A potential national title game between Arizona freshman coach Tommy Lloyd and the program he has spent the past two decades in is just the perfect storyline. The teams play in similar styles, which makes sense given Lloyd’s background. In the end, Maturin is likely to be the best player on the court and could potentially make the difference in the Arizona-Gonzaga national title game.
Dennis Dodd, Senior Writer
Arizona remains my pick to win it all, mostly because it has it all – elite defensive play, power in center (Christian Koloko) and a deep bench. The second round win over TCU showed the Cats what kind of war the future would bring. But the matchups are favorable. Arizona has more and better athletes than Houston. The West Region final against Villanova Koloko will need the help of Umar Ballu and power forward Azuulas Tubelis against Eric Dixon and Jermaine Samuels. A championship game with Purdue would be an all-out battle. Matt Painter is underestimated as one of the best coaches in the country. With stars all over the floor, Arizona somehow overcomes its “lack” of rebounding to win it all on the 25th anniversary of its latest national title.
Chip Patterson, college basketball writer
Kansas has been on a favorable path, with the No. 2 seed, No. 3 seed, No. 5 seed, and No. 6 seed being eliminated from the Midwest region, but any potential matchups in New Orleans will require the Jayhawks to play better. . So I’m betting not only on Remy Martin’s continued emergence as Kansas’ x-factor, but also on David McCormack being up to the task of controlling Drew Timm and Chet Holmgren all around—or big Arizona players if the Wildcats do it. . from South. I love the Kansas experience and the variety of offensive options that make the Jayhawks hard to prepare and hard to win in a high-stakes tournament environment.
Jerry Palm, expert in braces
My group has suffered significant damage, which usually happens when four double-figure seeds hit the Sweet 16. That said, I still have three of my Final Fours alive and well, so we’ll see how that goes. Michigan and North Carolina, two teams that were ranked well in the preseason for their talent, are finally playing to that talent’s level, and it may not be anytime soon. The selection committee did not give Gonzaga, who took first place in the overall standings, any concessions, but they are still my favorites all the way. Now that my Boilers have crossed Beard off their list of curses, maybe they can finally end their 42 year Final Four drought. The door to Kansas is pretty wide open if they can get to Providence. I’m sticking with my original choice of Villanova in the South region, although it won’t be an easy path starting with Wolverine.