It's good to know that I'm not the only one who doesn't think this has been one of college basketball's better years. In fact, a lot of people think the game is getting very boring. That's the NBA's biggest problem and, unfortunately, it's starting to creep into the college game. We're going to see a shorter shot clock next season, and the fact that the game is becoming completely unwatchable under the current rules is a big reason why.
Perhaps the other reason why I haven't been feeling this college basketball season as much as those in years past is because Kentucky is so head-and-shoulders above everyone else that you can't even come up with a short list of teams you think can compete for the National Championship. That's why nearly 50 percent of the brackets in ESPN's Tournament Challenge have the Wildcats cutting down the nets in Indianapolis to cap the first-ever 40-0 season.
I'm with them. Kentucky is such an overwhelming favorite to win the national title that it would seem incredibly silly to go against them. I've been saying all year that Duke is the only team that comes anywhere close to Kentucky, and I don't think that's any different now. We'll be seeing a lot of blue and white at the National Championship Game. Because I don't know who stops either Kentucky or Duke.
In the Midwest, they gave Kentucky a little bit of a challenge with Kansas as the 2-seed, Notre Dame as the 3 and Maryland as the 4. You've also got Wichita State, who's incredibly underseeded at 7. Then there's Texas, a bubble team that many thought shouldn't even be in the Tournament, yet doesn't even have to play in the First Four. And you know what? I think Texas can beat Butler in the first game. Just like I'm going with Buffalo over West Virginia as the annual 12-5 upset. Wichita State's going to give Kansas an awfully hard time, too, but I do think the Jayhawks prevail.
I generally try to avoid taking the chalk, but that's exactly what I'm going to do in the Midwest. I see Maryland, Notre Dame and Kansas all getting through to join Kentucky in Cleveland. Kentucky rolls over Maryland, while Notre Dame-Kansas is a phenomenal Sweet 16 matchup. When they beat Duke during the regular season, I sat there thinking "Notre Dame is good." Then they go win the ACC Tournament for their first-ever conference title. (All those years in the Big East and Notre Dame can't even get to the final, yet they win the ACC in their second season!) Anyway, that big-game team shows up against Kansas. Notre Dame vs. Kentucky in the regional final, with Kentucky moving on to another Final Four.
The West is interesting. Last year in the West Regional Final, second-seeded Wisconsin beat top-seeded Arizona in overtime in one of the best games of the Tournament. That game was in Anaheim. This year's regional final could be another rematch, this time in LA with the seeds reversed. Wisconsin deserved that fourth No. 1 seed, but it really didn't matter which one got the 1-seed. Because whoever it was knew they were going to have to travel west and face Arizona in a virtual home game in LA. Arizona and Wisconsin are probably Nos. 4 and 5 overall, which is why they're together. But, again, it's a huge advantage for the Wildcats that it was the No. 1 seed in the West at stake.
Arizona remembers what happened last year, has that home fan advantage, and is coming off a Pac-12 title. Wisconsin's coming off a title, too, but I just have a feeling about the Wildcats. As for the rest of the West, I'm really feeling a Harvard upset over North Carolina, despite the fact the Tar Heels went to the ACC title game. Either way, I'd be taking Arkansas in the second round. If BYU beats Ole Miss, I can see them beating Xavier. Neither one will beat Baylor, though. Wisconsin-Arkansas and Baylor-Arizona before our Wisconsin-Arizona rematch, with the No. 2 seed winning again. Except this time, the No. 2 seed is Arizona.
Villanova. That's a team that has the potential to either cut down the nets or make an early exit. If they play the way they did in the Big East Tournament, they'll be very tough to beat. But again, they also seem susceptible to an upset. In fact, I think the East is the region where more than one top seed is likely to fall. After all, we can't have three different Wildcats in the Final Four? Can we?
While I think Villanova won't have any problems with either Lafayette or NC State (who I see getting by LSU), Northern Iowa in the Sweet 16 will be another story. In fact, that's where I've got my first 1-seed going down. Northern Iowa beats Villanova in the Sweet 16 (that's assuming, of course, the Panthers knock off Louisville, which is by no means a guarantee). On the bottom half of this bracket, I have to take a second to talk about Dayton. I know the rules say that if they're one of the last four teams in, they'll play in the First Four with no considerations taken about the fact they're hosting. But the NCAA Tournament also doesn't let teams play on their home floors for a reason. That's something they've got to look into. Because it's unfair to Boise State to have to play a road game against literally the last team in the Tournament.
After getting that home win in the First Four, I see Dayton making another long run. This is, after all, pretty much the same team that reached the Elite Eight last season. They'll beat Providence, and they can beat Oklahoma, too. Virginia, meanwhile, is one of the most overrated teams in the nation. The No. 2 seed is going down. To who? Michigan State. This is their time of year. I don't care that they're a 7-seed. Just look at what they did in the Big Ten Tournament. Sweet 16, Dayton vs. Michigan State. Michigan State wins, plays Northern Iowa in the Elite Eight, and makes yet another trip to the Final Four (although, amazingly, they haven't been since 2010).
Lastly, we've got the South Region. Everybody loves to hate on Duke and pick the Blue Devils as their early-round upset victim. That ain't happening this year. This region is way too friendly for the Dookies. The only team that has any chance of challenging them is the Gonzaga-Iowa State winner, which I actually think will be Big 12 champion Iowa State. Gonzaga will make another Sweet 16, but that first Final Four will have to wait another year.
Duke's opponent in the other Sweet 16 game will be another Cinderella candidate. Stephen F. Austin might be the 12 seed, but they're going to beat a Utah team that's nowhere near as good as it was two months ago, then knock off Georgetown. You can bet every team they play will watch tape of those Creighton and Xavier Big East Tournament games that expose every one of Georgetown's weaknesses. That, combined with a recent history of choking in the Tournament, is bad news for the Hoyas.
So, in the Final Four, we've got two sets of Wildcats facing off, as well as Coach K vs. Coach Izzo. Arizona will give Kentucky its best game of the season, and this could be Duke-UNLV 1991 all over again. Except I think the Kentucky Wildcats have enough to get by the Arizona Wildcats and move into the Championship Game at 39-0. They'll then finish off that historic 40-0 season with a win over Duke.
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