2012 NCAA Tourney Picks
By Jake Vigliotti
Well And this is another of year of Antsmarching.org doing the NCAA picks for you, to make your life easier. How are going do that? By giving you the winning bracket! Just like we did in 2010, when we had Butler in the final 4, this year’s bracket will give you that cash that you so deserve. We give you the picks in long, rambling form, and then the junior version of what was said. You’ll figure it out.
We start in the South, top left. Kentucky has been the best team all year, that’s why even though they lost in the SEC finals, they still get the #1 overall seed. They’ll cruise pretty far, no doubt. This is similar to the 1996 Kentucky team, 1 loss going into the SEC tourney, lose to Mississippi St, and then go on and win the NCAA’s. And just like that year, they go in to the tourney and there’s a team in there with just 1 loss (Murray St this time around). The whole bracket in the south sets up pretty well, except for the fact that Indiana looms if they can advance that far. But Of course, Indiana has their own match up problems, as VCU or Wichita St could give them problems. And lets not forget that defending champ Uconn is a potential 2nd round matchup for Kentucky. And you have to wonder if UNLV can be this years sleeper team? Dukes in the bracket too! And Duke Is Duke! They certainly have the type of team that can make a run deep into the tourney. This whole bracket is just too difficult to determine!
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Kentucky , UCONN, VCU, Indiana, UNLV, South Dakota St, Notre Dame, and Duke.
Kentucky, VCU, UNLV, and Duke.
Kentucky and UNLV
Kentucky wins the South
Top right and it’s the East. Syracuse is just smothering with their zone defense, but teams that can shoot can shoot their way out of it. So a streaky hot team like Kansas St can give them fits. And lets not look past Vanderbilt, they just knocked out Kentucky by shooting lights out. Florida state is white hot, and Ohio St is basically a 2nd #1 seed in the bracket. And Of course giant killer Gonzaga is in there with Wisconsin’s slow down game. And Harvard make the tourney for the first time since like forever ago! Always have to watch the smart kids. But they are playing Vandy, who is also smart! Texas is young and talented too, the kind of team that might not be fazed by playing the big boys. This bracket is a mess!
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Syracuse, Kansas St, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Texas, Florida St, Gonzaga, Ohio St.
Syracuse, Wisconsin, Florida St, Ohio St
Wisconsin, Ohio St
Wisconsin to the Final 4.
Bottom left, And oh how I love you, Tom Izzo. Izzo has caused me more heartache by picking him blindly to go further than they should, but at the same time won us the 2010 bracket by putting them and Butler in the final 4. This year’s bracket is tough for them, Memphis potentially, Louisville, Murray St (who has but a single loss), Missouri and all their guards, and streaky Florida. And Virginia is a bit of a giant killer at 10. And we love 10 seeds to advance further than people expect. They have a pretty good track record vs 2’s (providing they beat the 7’s of course). It’s no cake walk for the Spartans, that’s for sure. There’s some talent around in this bracket for sure!
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Michigan St, St. Louis, Long Beach St., Louisville, Murray St, Iona (in the BYU/Iona matchup game on your bracket sheet), Virginia, Missouri.
Michigan St, Long Beach St, Murray St, Virginia.
Michigan St, Virginia
Michigan St. back to the Final 4.
Final bracket, bottom right. North Carolina is the #1 seed, and rightfully so. The bracket sort of opens up for them, providing they don’t get run off the floor by Creighton in the formerly known as 2nd round (now 3rd rd). Temple is a solid team in the bracket too, And Kansas is probably the best 2 seed out there (with all due respect to Ohio St). Last year, San Diego St made a run, and this year they are definitely a sleeper. We still have a love affair with John Thompson III,but he broke our hearts last year, so we’re a little gun-shy on him. Can there be an upset here? Is it possible that 3 #1 seeds can make the final 4, after all the chaos we’ve had for the last 2 years? Especially with how much better the smaller schools have been recently? Say it ain’t so!
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North Carolina, Creighton, Temple, Ohio, San Diego St., Georgetown, St. Mary’s Kansas.
North Carolina, Temple, San Diego St., St. Mary’s.
North Carolina, San Diego St.
North Carolina in the Final 4
Three #1 seeds, and #4 Wisconsin sliding in to break up the #1 party. How will this shake out? Is it similar to 1996? Does Tom Izzo cut down the nets again? North Carolina return to glory, or does the slow-down game of Wisconsin prevail? Different styles, at play, but only one team can come out on top!
Kentucky over Michigan St.
North Carolina over Wisconsin
Kentucky is the NCAA Champs.
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