March Madness predictions 2019: Virginia is going to win it all. West Region

Posted July 9, 2019

First Round

#1 Gonzaga vs. #16 Fairleigh Dickinson: Jahlil Jenkins and Darnell Edge were awesome at the First Four, however, the Zags have too good of an offense. Pick: Gonzaga
#8 Syracuse vs. #9 Baylor? Syracuse in the NCAA championship? GotId proceed with the Orange. Select: Syracuse
#5 Marquette vs. #12 Murray State: I literally looked as the heart eyes emoji if they announced this game. Ja Morant vs. Markus Howard. Superstar vs. Superstar. Could we keep whichever one loses and replace one of those Pac-12 teams? No? Fine, let’s go together with the Racers since the regular season closed . Pick: Murray State
#4 Florida State vs. #13 Vermont: FSU is very, very good. They ought to be a No. 3 seed. The Catamounts aren’t poor, but the Seminoles’ length and athleticism will be a lot for them to conquer. Pick: Florida State
#6 Buffalo vs. #11 St. John’s: Buffalo is under-seeded, in my estimation. The Bulls have been No. 22 on KenPom, and possess the No. 19 crime and No. 29 defense. CJ Massinburg is a fictitious star, and I think the Bulls are just too much for St. John’s. Pick: Buffalo
#3 Texas Tech vs. #14 Northern Kentucky: DE-FENSE [CLAP CLAP] DE-FENSE [CLAP CLAP] The Red Raiders have both the No. 1 defense AND Jarrett Culver. Their crime has struggled at times, but they won’t have a problem with the Norse. Select: Texas Tech
#7 Nevada vs. #10 Florida: KenPom has this as a pick’em (one stage Nevada triumph ), and Vegas favors the Wolfpack by two. Nevada is more prone to falling from early and using drives and threes in the Martin twins to scale back in. The Gators have finished the season strong and seem to be peaking at the right time. Even with Jordan Caroline being among my favourite players, I think Florida understands this in a close one. Pick: Florida
#2 Michigan vs. #15 Montana: Michigan got a bad draw in needing to play the exact same team they faced in the opening round this past year. This Montana group was considerably better than this one, and the Wolverines rolled. They will roll. Select: Michigan
Second Round
#1 Gonzaga vs. #8 Syracuse: Syracuse against Gonzaga. No history there, right? In 2016, the Orange snuck by Gonzaga by three to make the Elite Eight in which they mad Virginia to make a Final Four. This season, the Zags get revenge. Select: Gonzaga
#5 Murray State vs. #4 Florida State: The Ja Morant Cinderella story concludes. Mfiondu Kabengele along with the Seminoles do only enough to slow down the Racers and move to the Sweet 16. Select: Florida State
#3 Texas Tech vs. #6 Buffalo : UPSET PICK. BUFFALO TO THE SWEET 16. The Bulls have a difficult defense and will make things hard enough for TTU to evaluate they move on. Select: Buffalo
#2 Michigan vs. #10 Florida: I’ve noticed this particular bowl game before. Iggy Brazdeikis, Jordan Poole, Charles Matthews, and Jon Teske are just too much for the Gators within this one. Pick: Michigan
Sweet Sixteen
#1 Gonzaga vs. #4 Florida State: Dealing with FSU’s length and their capacity to disrupt the Zags on offense. The Seminoles do not have the best offense, but they’re strong enough to maintain Gonzaga honest. This should be an wonderful game, so that I hope we get to see it. Pick: Florida State
#2 Michigan vs. #6 Buffalo: After viewing the No. 1 defense in TTU, things only let up slightly for Buffalo using Michigan’s No. 2 defense. It’s too much for the Bulls in back-to-back games and they run out of steam in the second half. Select: Michigan
Elite Eight
#2 Michigan vs. #4 Florida State: Another great game if we could get it. I enjoy Michigan’s defense here as the big men indoors can bang with the best of them. I really don’t trust FSU’s shooting enough to allow them to get enough on Michigan’s defense. Pick: Michigan