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It’s March and time for the madness to begin, with that comes all the excitement and of course predictions. The first round of the tournament begins Thursday March 16th. Now that all 68 teams have their designated opponent, its time to fill out those brackets and make your predictions.
I have high expectations for the Houston Cougars, they have all the intangibles that it takes to win a national title. Great coaching, two NBA-ready guards, and a very talented roster. Talented enough to win six games straight and become National champions. Houston enters the tourney with the best overall record in NCAA Men’s basketball, with a (31-2, 17-1 American Athletic Conference) record .
So I’ll get straight to the point and say, Houston is my pick to make it all the way to the Final Four and will be cut down that net on April 3rd right in their own backyard at NRG Stadium.
This Kelvin Sampson-led club will be tough to match up against, as they are the most well-rounded team in the NCAA. They wear their opponents down with a systematic pace, constantly boxing out in the paint and dominating on the offensive boards, thriving on second chance points. Houston is well balanced and was the only team with a top-11 offense and defense in adjusted efficiency rating.
Marcus Sasser G.
Senior Marcus Sasser is Houston’s star guard and the team’s leading scorer with 17.1 ppg. Currently nursing a groin injury, that is causing some doubts for many that had Houston as the clear favorite. The cougars will need their star player at full health if they expect to make a run, and avoid a upset with a early exit out of the tourney. Assuming Sasser is healthy enough to stay on the court, he should make a major impact in the tourney cementing himself as a future first round NBA draft pick, along with teammate All-American forward Jarace Walker.
Here is a look at my bracket and predictions as I have Houston and Arizona in the “BIG DANCE”.
Top 4 Seeds
- Houston (31-2, 17-1, American)
- Alabama (28-5, 16-2, SEC)
- Purdue (28-5, 15-5, Big 10)
- Kansas (27-7, 13-5, Big 12)
- Out of the four, I have Purdue making a second-round exit with a loss to Memphis, despite having the best player in college basketball in Zach Edey.
- I have Alabama losing to the University of Arizona in the final four with Arizona advancing to the national championship.
- The Jayhawks will lose to Gonzaga in the final four.
- Last, I have the Houston Cougars going threw the bracket and beating Arizona in the National Championship and cutting down the net.
C.C.