March Madness is in full swing! After spending the last week and a half watching Champ Week, Selection Sunday has come and gone and offices around the world have emailed out the brackets for you to fill out. Now I’m assuming a large percentage of you have little to no clue as to how to fill this daunting thing out, but I’m about to give you a few tips on what teams to write in and what ones to cross out. Let’s look at it by each seeding matchup:

#1 Kentucky & #16 Long Island University — Brooklyn

Of all the #1 seeds in the tournament, I only see two reaching the final four. I really don’t have faith in Syracuse, especially facing possible matchups against Wisconsin and Ohio State, and I really think Louisville or Florida will come out of the West, so that just leaves Kentucky and UNC as my picks for the #1 seed. Don’t get me wrong, I love Harrison Barnes and he could lead the team to a championship title along with Zeller and Henson, but with Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist, Lamb, Teague, and Jones as their starting lineup, I can see the Wildcats winning it all this year.

On the flip side, the weakest #1 in my opinion is Michigan State. They have won some critical games as of late, but still have some questionable losses on their resume. They will also match up against who I think is the best #16 seed, LIU Brooklyn. I still believe MSU will win this game (no 16 seed has ever beaten a 1 seed in the men’s tournament) but if there was one upset pick here, this is the one I would pick.

#2 Ohio State & #15 Detroit

This is a tough pick between OSU and Duke for the #2 seed because Duke should cruise to the South final and OSU may stumble against Cincinnati before making it to the East final. That being said, I think OSU has a legitimate chance to make the tournament finals, if not win it all. Sullinger returned to the Buckeyes this year to try and win a championship and they should come out firing on all cylinders. Being in a bracket with Syracuse is a bonus where as Duke will have to beat Kentucky to make the Final Four.

Again, not a very good chance a #2 seed will get upset in the 2^nd round, but if one team can become the Cinderella story, it could be the Detroit Titans. They had some tough losses to some good teams and managed to beat Valpo for the Horizon League Championship, a league college ball fans are all too familiar with. Anyone remember Butler?

#3 Baylor & #14 Belmont

These are all very tough picks. I can easily see any of the #14 seeds upsetting the #3 picks, with the exception of the winner of the BYU/Iona game beating Marquette. Unfortunately, I don’t see any of the #3 seeds making it that far in the tourney, faced with tough matchups in the 3^rd round. If I wanted to pick safely, I would go with Marquette at #3, but they could lose to Murray State or Colorado State in round three. Baylor, on the other, should beat the winner of UNLV/Colorado and meet Duke in the South semis. As for the #14 picks, St. Bonaventure might beat FSU, but has a tough route after that. Belmont has a better chance of making it further.

#4 Louisville & #13 New Mexico State

This is another tough decision because I like all these #4 seeds and see them all wrecking havoc in the tournament. Louisville, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana all have potential to make it far. The best opportunities are for the Louisville and Wisconsin however, and I have both of these teams making it as far as the Final Four. The 4^th seeded teams will have their hands full and I see Ohio or New Mexico State capable of pulling off the upset; I’m leaning only slightly in favor of NMSU.

#5 Wichita State & #12 California (over USF in round 1)

There are two #5 seeds I think will win: Vanderbilt and Wichita State. The other two, I believe, will lose. Temple and New Mexico could fall at the hands of their respective opponents, Long Beach State and California (I think USF is slightly overrated and will lose to the Pac-12 runners-up). These should be some good games and although Vandy might prove me wrong and make it further than Witchita State, it’s hard not to cheer for the Shockers with the season they had.

#6 Cincinnati & #11 North Carolina State

Again I have two #6 seeds making it far and two possible upsets at the #11 spot. Cincy has been on fire lately and I think their momentum will carry them into this weekend. Murray State has just been damn good all year and Isaiah Canaan can win games. They are fun to watch and I am hoping for them to make it far, but Cincy is just playing way too well right now to ignore. On the other side, NC State almost took out UNC for the ACC title, and I could see them clawing their way back to a rematch in the Elite Eight.

#7 Florida & #10 Purdue

These games should present some great matchups in the 2^nd round but of all the 7^th seeded teams, the Gators look the strongest heading into the tournament. They knocked off Alabama, a team I have a lot of faith in this year as you will soon see, and gave Kentucky a run for their money in the SEC Championship. They are great outside shooters that can jack 30+ 3’s a game and hit 30% of them. It will take a great perimeter D to stop them, and I see them as being the surprise guest in the Final Four.

Purdue, as far as #10 seeds go, seems like a good bet. I see them beating St. Mary’s and if not facing Detroit (after the upset over Kansas I mentioned earlier), giving KU a tough battle. If they can make it past rounds two and three, it would be interesting to see how far momentum could carry this Big Ten team.

#8 Memphis & 9 Alabama

Finally we have the closest matchups: #8 vs. #9, and basically I see every 9^th seed winning except for UConn. Memphis should dispense of the Huskies early this year, eliminating the defending champs for another shot at the title; the other 8^th seeds, however, should have trouble. St. Louis, Southern Miss, and Alabama all have great teams and I see all of them making it to the 3^rd round. It’s tough to say who will go further, all being forced to potentially face a #1 seed immediately, but I’m choosing the Crimson Tide to push UNC to the brink of elimination. Of course, St. Louis could beat MSU and Southern Miss could beat Syracuse, it is possible. After all, they call it March Madness for a reason.

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Nick McIsaac is Toronto Standard’s sports writer. Follow him on Twitter (for everything sports related) at @nickclass.

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