Before we even look at the storylines, here's the key dates for the tournament:
First Four: March 19-20 (truTV)
First and Second Rounds: March 21-24 (CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV)
Regional Semifinals and Finals: March 28-31 (CBS, TBS)
Final Four: April 6 (CBS)
National Championship: April 8 (CBS)
So here's what we got so far. Virginia, Duke, North Carolina and Gonzaga landed the top seeds in the brackets, and if your Virginia, you have to be a little skeptical after what happened last season. One big question that a lot of fans have is can Duke be the team they have been most of the year? Well for starters, Zion is back and healthy. And that's going to be a big improvement for the Blue Devils who have seemed to struggle without the big man in their lineup. Duke went 3-3 down the stretch without Zion and the only time they scored more than 80 points in a game was against a below average Miami team. Just by comparison, Duke scored fewer than 80 points six times in 25 games with Williamson in the lineup. That's a scary thought, because when Zion came back for the ACC tournament, Duke started to look like their old selves again. Sure, Duke wasn't perfect with Zion playing, look at the loses to Gonzaga and Syracuse as perfect examples. But with Zion playing, Duke could be on the right path to a sixth National Title.
While Duke is the odds on favorite to win, there's a few schools to watch out for in this tournament. I wouldn't totally sleep on the defending champions Villanova. Nova is sitting as a 6th seed in the South region, who will be facing the likes of Virginia, Syracuse Purdue and Tennessee. Virginia is the top seed there, but with what happened last year, I'm not sure how much trust I'd really put into them going deep in this tournament. Then there's Gonzaga. They have an 82% chance, according to ESPN's BPI index to make it to the final four. It did sting for the Zags that they only scored 47 points in the loss to Saint Mary's in the West Coast Conference title game, an d it also hurts that they've lost to both Tennessee and North Carolina during the season as well. But the Bulldogs had a huge win over Duke back in December, and that was with a healthy Zion too, so it has to leave one to believe that they are going to be a threat in this tournament. The Bulldogs are the top seed in the West, something that hasn't happened since 2017. That year, just a reminder, they went all the way to the title game before losing to North Carolina. The Bulldogs have the skillset to make a lot of noise this year.
So to does the Tar Heels of North Carolina. Roy Williams bunch had won seven straight games to close out the regular season. North Carolina even managed to stand toe to toe with Duke in the ACC tournament semifinals, proving their two wins against their rivals during the regular season when Williamson was out weren't mere flukes. With Cameron Johnson and Luke Maye leading the charge for Carolina, they're going to be a real tough team to play against in this tournament. Also have a feeling that Houston could be making a lot of noise as well, as they were one of the top defensive teams in the entire country all year.
Who could really pull off upsets in this year's dance? Watch out for the 12 seeds, they usually find a way to steal a game or two this year and I would be surprised if Murray State snags one against Marquette in the opening round. I can also see Ohio State stealing a game in the opening round as well.
That being said here's my final four:
Duke over Gonzaga 80-67
North Carolina over Villanova 79-71
National Title
Duke 79, North Carolina 78
What say you for the big dance?
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