Like you, my initial NCAA Tournament bracket became a dumpster fire thanks to teams like Mercer and Dayton.
NCAA Tournament bracket predictions: Arizona is molding into form
Defense will give the Arizona Wildcats a solid shot at the NCAA Championship.
So here goes another shot to fill out the perfect bracket, this time starting at the Sweet 16. A disclaimer: I’m an Arizona alum, so forgive me for making the homer pick. I have Arizona winning it all in a championship game against Michigan State, but here’s how I see the rest going down.
South
I wrote about the Stanford Cardinal being a bracket-buster but in the end couldn't trust them enough -- they've rarely put it all together for more than a game -- to even think about them knocking off Kansas. That lack of trust will finally pay off in the Sweet 16, where the Dayton Flyers get past the Pac-12's Cardinal.
March Madness: Printable bracket Sweet 16 schedule
The Florida Gators' all-around exceptional play helps them slip past a scary UCLA team, but they have one weakness that's uncontrollable. Human nature is bound to strike for a team that hasn't lost since Dec. 2. That comes in the Final Four.
East
Michigan State’s dynamic team faces a steady Virginia squad, but the Cavaliers will also find that Tom Izzo’s experienced team will be playing desperate ball. The adversity of the season, injuries especially, plus the experience of a Big Ten schedule pushes the Spartans over the top and all the way to the title game against Arizona.
MSU must get through the winner of Iowa State and UConn, and I gave the Cyclones a slight advantage. Fred Hoiberg's team has a little more firepower even without Georges Niang, while UConn is a little too reliant on Shabazz Napier to make plays.
West
Arizona's defense can lock down in the halfcourt, but the ability to force turnovers makes them look like a difficult matchup for San Diego State and then the winner of Baylor or Wisconsin. In the Final Four, the Wildcats will beat a Michigan squad they knocked off in the nonconference schedule, and in a title game, they'll match the Spartans athletically and earn the edge with a better defense.
Midwest
This is a pretty much a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately pick. Kentucky looked pretty darn good against Wichita State, so give them the edge against another experienced team in rival Louisville. The Cardinals haven’t looked as slick as you’d expect against Manhattan or Saint Louis in their tournament run, so the win goes to the youngin Wildcats.
In the other part of the bracket, the Michigan Wolverines finally end Tennessee's impressive run that began in the First Four and then get too hot from the perimeter for John Calipari's Wildcats to cool down.
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