The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, also known and branded as NCAA March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college.
NCAA Tournament: Expert picks| Printable bracket| Picks
Expert picks:
Between the two days, the field will shrunk in half from 64 to 32 teams as a (nearly) sun upto sun down schedule for the sport. It’s part of what makes March Madness, well, March Madness.
Getting some extra skin in the games may be what gets you in the tournament spirit, too.
Below, I’ve called on the expertise of the college hoops team to shed some insight with picks straight up andagainst the spread for some of the top games on Thursday’s extended slate. Our expert brackets may offer some help.
Printable bracket:
No. 1 in the West. Path to the Final Four, if seeding holds: Georgia State, Boise State, Arkansas, Duke. Predicted path: Georgia State, Boise State, Arkansas, Texas Tech. The selection committee gave the overall No. 1 seed the toughest region, with stiff tests in the second, third and fourth rounds.
The Zags have been No. 1 almost every week of the season in the Ken Pomeroy Ratings and never lower than No. 2. They are the best offensive team in the nation per KenPom and in the top 10 defensively.
Picks:
They arguably have the best trio of players in the tournament in big men Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme and point guard Andrew Nembhard—and the supporting cast is plenty capable as well.
Add the elite coaching of Mark Few and both the experience and hunger of last year’s run to the national title game, and this is the team to beat.
The question Gonzaga must answer: Does it have the necessary physical toughness and the every-play intensity? After playing a lot of overmatched competition in the last two months, there is no coasting now.
