Donovan West, Editor-in-Chief
We are one week into March Madness, and the 16 teams left are destined to make the upcoming weekend sweet. Although there haven’t been the biggest upsets or craziest moments so far, March has never and will never disappoint. Here are my picks for the upcoming weekend’s games.
South Region (Atlanta)
No. 1 Auburn Tigers 81, No. 5 Michigan Wolverines 73
No. 2 Michigan State Spartans 72, No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels 64
No. 2 Michigan State Spartans 78, No. 1 Auburn Tigers 76
Senior Captain Jaden Akins played his best game of the season in Michigan State’s Round of 32 game against New Mexico, and a continuance at this level would be monumental for the Spartans’ chances. If Akins and freshman Jase Richardson can be a go-to one-two punch on the offensive end, then the depth and defensive ability of the rest of Tom Izzo’s team will be enough for them to “win the weekend” as Izzo says and move onto the Final Four, taking down the top-seeded Auburn Tigers in the process.
East Region (Newark)
No. 1 Duke Blue Devils 83, No. 4 Arizona Wildcats 68
No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide 87, No. 6 BYU Cougars 82
No. 1 Duke Blue Devils 77, No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide 74
Duke is clearly operating as the best team in the sport right now. They have lost just one game in their 30 since Thanksgiving, and in that span have only played two single-digit games (the two games Cooper Flagg missed). Arizona and Caleb Love simply do not have enough talent to match Duke’s plethora of future lottery picks, and Alabama’s lack of defense will eventually prevent them from reaching the promised land. According to all of the predictive metrics, this year’s Duke team is one of the best in the history of college basketball, and they are too talented to fall short of a Final Four.
Midwest Region (Indianapolis)
No. 1 Houston Cougars 74, No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers 67
No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats 76, No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers 74
No. 1 Houston Cougars 78, No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats 73
When faced with an incredibly tough draw, facing a Gonzaga team in the Second Round that projects as a top ten team in the sport, Houston and LJ Cryer responded by flexing their winning DNA. Cryer had 30 points, and the rest of Kelvin Sampson’s team did just enough to hold off the talented Bulldogs and advance Houston to its sixth straight Sweet 16. I don’t expect the winning to stop anytime soon, as Purdue and a potential Kentucky matchup in the Elite 8 would not scare me if I were Houston. The Cougars have the best defense in the country and have only lost one regulation game all season; Sampson’s team will continue dancing.
West Region (San Francisco)
No. 1 Florida Gators 76, No. 4 Maryland Terrapins 68
No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders 79, No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks 75
No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders 83, No. 1 Florida Gators 82
Texas Tech has one of the best players in the country, JT Toppin, leading one of the best offenses in the country. In the Round of 32, Texas Tech beat Drake by 13, who beat Missouri by 10 in the Round of 64, who won at Florida during the regular season. The Red Raiders won at Houston and at Kansas this season, proving their ability to win away from home. Florida has looked like a top-three team in the country in recent weeks, but I think UConn exploited some weaknesses. If Texas Tech can bring the same physicality and toughness that UConn did, their shotmakers should do enough to pull off the upset and beat the Florida Gators.
