Kyle's Final Four: Duke, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas.
Yes, I took the easy way out by picking mostly top seeds, with Indiana and Kansas being 1 seeds, and Duke being a 2 seed. I did however, take Wisconsin, the 5th seed in their bracket to make it to the Final Four. The Badgers have shown the ability to compete with anyone this year and I see them making a bit of a run before Duke stops them in the Final Four. After Indiana defeats Kansas in the Final Four, the NCAA Championship will be a matchup of two storied programs, the Indiana Hoosiers and the Duke Blue Devils. In the Final, the Hoosiers best the Blue Devils with the help of an outstanding game from Cody Zeller. The Hoosier win a close won to take home their sixth National Championship.
Championship: Indiana 78, Duke 73
Ben's Final Four: Louisville, Gonzaga, Miami, Florida
Miami isn't getting a whole lot of love from most people it seems, despite being a team that probably should have earned a #1 seed. They've beaten UNC three times, NC State twice and Duke by nearly 30 points while they were ranked #1. I also don't think their road to the Final 4 will be that difficult. The only other team that may give them trouble in the East is Indiana, and I have them losing to Syracuse. Louisville is the hottest team in college basketball now. Of their 5 losses, 3 of them were to ranked teams, and if you watched the Big East tournament this year you know how impressive their win against Syracuse was with 56 points in the second half. The Cardinals will need to have more performances like that though, as they have easily been dealt the toughest region with Duke, Michigan State and Saint Louis all being present. However, down low there is hardly anybody in college basketball that can match up against Gorgui Dieng, a big center with an actual skill set. Guards Peyton Siva and Russ Smith took Louisville to the Final 4 last season though and ultimately they have what it takes to do it again. I am going with Louisville to cut down the nets in Atlanta on April 8.
Championship: Louisville 69, Miami 62
Matt's Final Four: Louisville, Ohio State, Kansas, Miami.
Louisville owns the well deserved overall #1 seed as they only have 5 losses, all of them coming to other tough Tourney teams. They've been dominate in the Big East led by Peyton Siva and Russ Smith. The Cardinals have been hot, winning 11 of their last 12 games. They're a great defensive team, on average holding opponents to 57.9 ppg. The only team I see threatening Louisville on the way to the Final Four is a tough Saint Louis squad. I have Kansas coming out of the south region led by possible player of the year, Ben McLemore. They have also only lost 5 games all season, and are an impressive 6-1 against Top 25 teams, demonstrating the can beat the best teams on their way to Atlanta. I believe #2 Miami will defeat #1 Indiana to reach the Final Four. The ACC champions has proven they can also beat the best of the best with a blowout win over Duke and wins against Michigan State, UNC, and NC State. My last Final Four team is #2 Ohio State coming out of the West. I think Gonzaga will fall to Wisconsin and Ohio State will be able to capitalize and beat the Badgers. The Buckeyes also have an impressive defense and a great offensive player in Deshaun Thomas. In the end, I believe Louisville will win the National Championship.
Championship: Louisville 72, Kansas 65
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