Embrace March Madness: The 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is Here

The time for talk of rankings and bubble teams is over. With the official release of the 2016 bracket for the NCAA tournament, it’s put up or shut up time for the top 68 college basketball teams in America. Here’s what I think will happen:

Despite the fact that there isn’t a top tier of elite national contenders, I expect the top seeded teams will do very well. Of course there will be some exciting upsets (I’m looking for UNC-Wilmington to upset Duke and for Butler to take down Virginia in the second round), but it seems that come Final Four time, it will be many of the usual suspects. The fact remains that for any team to win this tournament they need to accumulate 6 straight wins, each against top quality opponents. It’s simply not feasible for small-time schools and average teams to do this.

For me, the Final Four will consist of Kansas, UNC, Michigan State, and Texas. The only real surprise of this group is Texas. I feel like they have that quirky team that will be able to build a strong run, led by intriguing point guard Javan Felix. That being said, Kansas will be too strong for them at that point.

However, the team I foresee claiming this year’s tournament in North Carolina. After a relatively inconsistent majority of the season, they really turned it on down the stretch and won the ACC tournament. They’ve won 5 straight games, each against teams in the NCAA tournament, including a 1-seeded Virginia in the ACC Championship Game. That win showcased something different for Carolina: an ability to defend. If they can focus on defending, they will overcome their 3-point shooting woes, and guys like Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige will make the necessary drives and dunks to claim this national title. It’s UNC all the way!