This is what a perfect NCAA tournament would look like

What would a perfect NCAA tournament look like?

Ideally, you get plenty of upsets in the opening round, but most of the favorites survive. The later rounds of the tournament are filled with battles between juggernauts — save for one Cinderella that somehow crashes the party.

Forget my instant predictions for now. This is the NCAA tournament we want to see.

First round upset we want to see: No. 11 Loyola-Chicago over No. 6 Miami

The Ramblers won the Missouri Valley by four games and beat top-five Florida on the road. They have a super cool 98-year-old nun on their side who legitimately writes scouting reports. Head coach Porter Moser wears weird jackets. There’s basically nothing to dislike about Loyola.

Player we want to see go HAM: Mohamed Bamba, C, Texas

Everyone knows about Bamba’s ridiculous arms (7’9 wingspan) and likely status as a top-five draft pick. We’ve been waiting for him to dominate all season like Marvin Bagley and Deandre Ayton, but it hasn’t happened yet. Opening-round opponent Nevada has no one with Bamba’s size, and neither would No. 2 Cincinnati in round two. It would be great to see Bamba turn potential into production.

Games we need to see

Kentucky vs. Arizona in the second round

Wildcats vs. Wildcats. Two of the greatest recruiters in the game with blue chip talent up and down the roster. Kentucky responded to a four-game losing streak by winning seven of their last eight to close the season. Take away the three-game losing streak Arizona had at the Battle 4 Atlantis in November and they look like the preseason juggernaut we expected. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Allonzo Trier. Deandre Ayton vs. Kentucky’s cavalry of athletes in the front court. This would feel like an Elite Eight game in the round of 32.

Virginia vs. Arizona in the Sweet 16

Two of the game’s most successful coaches who have still never made the Final Four. Virginia’s team of no name all-stars vs. Arizona’s army of five-star recruits. How on Earth does Virginia possibly stop Deandre Ayton? Can Arizona really beat a team that just went 20-for-21 in ACC play? Even as the No. 1 overall seed, Virginia would feel like an underdog in this game, especially without injured wing DeAndre Hunter. How do underdogs typically win? By slowing the pace to a halt and never making mistakes. That’s UVA’s game.

Who should make it out alive? Arizona

A school in Arizona’s, uh, position easily could have suspended players, made a coaching change, or self-imposed a postseason ban. Arizona wasn’t about to do any of that. It knows it only has Ayton for one year. It knows this team is good enough to make a Final Four. Just imagine the horror on Mark Emmert’s face if Arizona gets through this region. We need it.

First round upset we want to see: No. 12 South Dakota State vs. No. 5 Ohio State

South Dakota State is making its third straight trip to the dance, but it hasn’t won a game yet. Mike Daum is a certified superstar, a 6’9 big man who can score all over the floor. Ohio State has 54,000 more students and .... so much more money. Who cares. We are all Jackrabbits.

Player we want to see go HAM: Rob Gray, G, Houston

Gray is a fearless bucket-getter, a 6’1 guard who takes a lot of shots and fully believes he’s going to hit all of them. The degree of difficulty on some of his attempts is off the charts ... but don’t tell that to Rob Gray. These are the last games of his college career and you can bet he’s going out fighting against the dying light.

Games we need to see

No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 2 North Carolina in the Sweet 16

This would just be a beautiful offensive basketball game. North Carolina actually has shooters this year and a stud senior point guard in Joel Berry who can get everyone involved. John Beilein’s teams always run sublime sets, and are rolling entering the tournament as winners of nine straight. This would be a revenge game after UNC walloped Michigan in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge to start the year. Or for the fans: a revenge game from the 1993 national title.

No. 4 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 North Carolina in the Elite Eight

A rematch of last year’s national championship game. Both sides lost their stars, but return a lot of key pieces. Last year’s game was largely ruined by the officiating. Let’s run it back one more time.

Who should make it out alive? Gonzaga

If the national championship was a seven-game series, I maintain the Zags would have won the title last year. They deserve another shot at glory.

First round upset we want to see: No. 13 Marshall over No. 4 Wichita State

The best way for an underdog to win is to limit possessions and slow the tempo. Marshall ain’t about that life. The Thundering Herd are top 10 in the country in pace and shoot three-pointers on 45 percent of their possessions. Head coach Dan D’Antoni runs his team just like his brother Mike. He also went on one of the all-time great rants last year defending analytics in basketball:

Player we want to see go HAM: Collin Sexton, PG, Alabama

Sexton went bananas in the SEC tournament, single-handedly taking ‘Bama off the bubble with a buzzer-beater vs. Texas A&M and a 31-point explosion vs. Auburn. He is a one-man offensive force, unstoppable going to the basket and suddenly hot from behind the three-point line. He’s also a singular competitor won’t go down without a fight. You do you in March, Collin.

Games we need to see

No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 9 Alabama, second round

Collin Sexton vs. the world. Don’t ruin this for us, Virginia Tech.

No. 4 Wichita State vs. No. 5 West Virginia

Two teams that will beat the hell out of each other, with two surly-ass head coaches who will provide great reactions and even better press conferences. This game will be ugly as sin, yet beautiful.

Who should make it out alive? Villanova

Villanova’s offense isn’t just No. 1 in the country — it’s the second best of the KenPom era, dating back to 2002. Jalen Brunson is a lot of fun when he gets going, and he’s flanked by a a group of teammates who can score all over the floor. ‘Nova plays gorgeous ball when they’re firing on all cylinders.

First round upset we want to see: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Penn

A 16 over a 1 is one of the last great sports thrills left. It has to happen eventually. Penn is pretty solid for a No. 16 seed — 12-2 in the Ivy League with a KenPom ranking of No. 128, which is higher than one No. 14 seed and three No. 15 seeds. If Kansas is without Udoka Azubuike ... maybe Penn can make it interesting? We’d love to see it.

Player we want to see go HAM: Trae Young, PG, Oklahoma

Young’s golden boy status has officially worn off, but there’s no better place to get it back than at the NCAA tournament. Young had so many amazing games in the first half of the year — we’d love to see him get back to it. It would rule to see him go off against Duke in the second round.

Games we need to see

No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 Michigan State

This is a national title-quality game in the Sweet 16. These two teams already played one of the best games of the season in the Champions Classic, when Grayson Allen put up 37 to carry the Blue Devils without an injured Marvin Bagley. Bagley vs. Jaren Jackson would be a dream matchup for NBA scouts who will be deciding between the two in the top five of the draft come June. You can make the case these are the two most talented teams in the field.

No. 8 Seton Hall vs. No. 3 Michigan State

With Kansas already out in this mythical bracket, Seton Hall might be the best foil for MSU. The Pirates have three great seniors in Desi Rodriguez, Khadeen Carrington, and Angel Delgado and a solid sophomore shooting guard in Myles Powell. Like my colleague Mike Rutherford noted, a team seeded No. 7 or lower has gone to the Final Four each of the last five years. Hall might fit the profile this year.

Who should make it out alive? Seton Hall

I just ... don’t feel good rooting for Michigan State this year. As a country, we root against Duke on principle. Penn over Kansas would be sooo funny (LMAO ROTF). So why not Seton Hall? In a perfect world, they could bring back Isaiah Whitehead for the tournament to finish his career with his fellow classmates.

No. 4 Arizona over No. 3 Gonzaga

Ideally, this is the Rui Hachimura game. The Japan-born forward has been viewed as Gonzaga’s X-Factor all season, and he seems like he gets better every week. At 6’8, 225 pounds, Hachimura could form a supersized front line with Johnathan Williams III and Killian Tillie to pack the paint against Deandre Ayton.

But ... we’re still taking Ayton.

No. 1 Villanova over No. 8 Seton Hall

All offense. Lots of threes and guards on both sides who can break each other down off the dribble. Angel Delgado bullying folks for a double-double. Mikal Bridges doing Superman dunks. These two teams played a great game on Feb. 28, with Brunson taking over down the stretch and ‘Nova winning by one.

It’s tough to beat a good team three times, but Villanova is up for it.

Arizona over Villanova

Cut down the nets and hang up a wiretap. This is the most humiliating possible result for the NCAA — so it’s the result we should all be rooting for.