March Madness has arrived: Here’s do’s and don’ts when filling out your bracket
Mackenzie Salmon shares some of the biggest do’s and don’ts when filling out your March Madness bracket this year.
USA TODAY
It could be wild West Region in the men’s NCAA Tournament, so hold on to your cell phones, student journalists!
Yes, we’re referring to you, Riley Hall, the Arkansas staffer who knocked a phone out of a student journalist’s hand phone and threw it to the ground Friday after the Razorbacks lost to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.
Now the Razorbacks get another chance – to behave themselves, and to prove they’re better than you might think.
Speaking of coaches, can Rick Pitino stay focused on his job at Iona while speculation heats up that he’s about to leave for a better job?
And can Howard, UNC Asheville or Grand Canyon can pull off a monumental upset?
BRACKET TIPS: How to fill out your tournament projections and win your pool
BRACKETS ARE BACK: The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back. $1 MILLION grand prize for a perfect bracket.
Best first-round match: Arkansas vs. Illinois
Plenty of talent here. But there was a reason Arkansas coach Eric Musselman was dropping f-bombs after his team’s loss to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament. His team lost four of its past five games. But they’re hardly short on talent with three McDonald’s All-Americans (guards Jordan Walsh, Anthony Black and Nick Smith Jr., with Black and Smith projected as top 10 picks for the NBA draft). Illinois has stumbled late, too, but don’t forget the Illini beat UCLA in November and Texas in December. Their top two scorers, guard Terrence Shannon Jr. and forward Matthew Mayer, are both senior leaders.
REGIONAL BREAKDOWNS: East | South | Midwest | West
LEFT OUT: The five biggest tournament snubs led by Oklahoma State
HIGHS AND LOWS: Winners and losers from the NCAA Tournament field
Potential upset: UNC-Asheville over UCLA
If UCLA hadn’t lost defensive whiz Jaylen Clark to injury in the regular-season finale, there’s a good chance the the Bruins would have had a No. 1 seed and a path to the Final Four. Now, they’re facing a possible letdown – with dynamic center Adem Bona having suffered a shoulder injury during the Pac-12 tournament semifinal. An UNC-Asheville upset would hinge on Drew Pemper, the Tennessee transfer and senior center who scored a school-record 48 points against Presbyterian on Jan. 25. He leads UNC Asheville with 21.1 points per game and 9.4 rebounds per game. Sure, UNC Asheville ranks 146th overall in the Pomeroy efficiency ratings and UCLA ranks second. Yes, UNC Asheville has one Quad 1 victory and UCLA has seven. That’s why they call it an upset, folks.
The sleeper: Northwestern
The Wildcats got a No. 7 seed but seemed to be trending down after losing four of their last five games. Dismiss the Wildcats at your own peril. In its last game, Northwestern fell in overtime to Penn State, which nearly beat Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament final. The Wildcats have six Quad 1 victories and are 13th in defensive efficiency. Northwestern’s Chris Collins was voted Big Ten Coach of the Year for a reason. It’ll be no shock to see the Wildcats, making only their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament, reach the Sweet 16.
The winner: Kansas
Good news for the Jayhawks – they wouldn’t have to play Texas again until the Final Four. Even better news – Kansas head coach Bill Self is expected to rejoin the team. He was discharged Sunday from the hospital, where he checked in Wednesday with chest tightness and balance problems. While Self was gone, Texas exposed Kansas’ vulnerabilities by beating the Jayhawks for the second time in nine days. But Kansas is battle-tested thanks to Big 12 conference play and has 15 Quad 1 victories – more than any team in the country. Among Kansas’ talent-rich roster, freshman guard Gradey Dick is the one catching the eyes of NBA scouts.
NCAA Tournament West region schedule
Wednesday, March 15
In Dayton, Ohio
No. 11 Nevada (22-10) vs. No. 11 Arizona State (22-12), 9:10 p.m., truTV
Thursday, March 16
In Des Moines, Iowa
No. 1 Kansas (27-7) vs. No. 16 Howard (22-12), 2 p.m., TBS
No. 8 Arkansas (20-13) vs. No. 9 Illinois (20-12), 4:30 p.m., TBS
In Sacramento, Calif.
No. 7 Northwestern (21-11) vs. No. 10 Boise State (24-9), 7:35 p.m., truTV
No. 2 UCLA (29-5) vs. No. 15 UNC Asheville (27-7), 10:05 p.m., truTV
Friday, March 17
In Albany, N.Y.
No. 5 Saint Mary’s (26-7) vs. No. 12 Virginia Commonwealth (27-7), 2 p.m., TBS
No. 4 Connecticut (25-8) vs. No. 13 Iona (27-7), 4:30 p.m., TBS
In Denver
No. 3 Gonzaga (28-5) vs. No. 14 Grand Canyon (24-11), 7:35 p.m., truTV
No. 6 TCU (21-12) vs. No. 11 Arizona State/Nevada winner, 10:05 p.m., truTV
