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For the amateur bracketologist like myself, a lot of March Madness prep is done during Championship Week.
Basically every Division I conference in the nation has their league broadcast nationally at some point the last 14 days.
Catching glimpses of all of the major conference tournaments — and some mid-majors too — many national analysts have been quick to name one conference superior over another.
Last year Bill Walton donned the Pac-12 the “Conference of Champions.” Boy, was that NOT the case this season.
Then, during the Southeastern Conference Tournament, ESPN broadcasters started naming the SEC the most-talented conference from top to bottom.
And of course there’s the Big 12. Led by ever-so-dominant Kansas, nine of 10 teams won at least eight conference games this season.
But there’s one conference everyone seemed to leave out this season.
Sorry, Penn State faithful. It’s not the Big Ten.
The ACC.
Don’t believe me? Just watch.
South Region
The home of No. 1 overall seed Virginia.
And the most-underseeded team in the entire field — No. 4 Arizona — too.
Arizona aside, the South features the easiest bracket for a No. 1 seed. Either Arizona or Kentucky will be knocked out before the second weekend — barring some upset in the first round that causes one or both of the blue bloods to go down before the would-be second-round matchup.
Cincinnati is the weakest two seed in the field. While I like the Bearcats and believe they’re Elite Eight-bound, North Carolina, Purdue and Duke all have legitimate title hopes.
It seems like every year at least one double-digit seed makes its way to the Sweet 16. This year it’s No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago.
The Missouri Valley Conference champ ranks 23rd in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com, makes 40 percent of its attempts from 3-point land and has a road win against Florida on its resume. The Ramblers are a savvy pick.
No. 10 Texas is a good pick for a first-round win over Nevada. If the Longhorns star big man Mo Bamba comes back from his toe injury, which is likely, I like them against a struggling Nevada team.
The big upset comes in the Sweet 16 when Arizona takes down the Cavaliers. It’s nothing against Virginia, but the Wildcats have Deandre Ayton — in my opinion, the top player in the nation.
Both teams play similar styles of defense, but Arizona has too much firepower, with four different players averaging 20 points per game — led by Ayton and Allonzo Trier.
After Cincinnati takes down Loyola-Chicago in the Sweet 16, their season comes to a halt, facing the buzzsaw that is Arizona.
West Region
There are four legitimate Final Four contenders in the West. And top seed Xavier has the worst claim to a regional championship.
No. 9 Florida State, No. 10 Providence and No. 12 South Dakota State pull off upsets in the first round before falling later on in the weekend.
Like Virginia, the Musketeers will run into trouble in the Sweet 16 against a four seed. WCC champion Gonzaga is much better than its seed.
While Zach Collins and Przemek Karnowski have since moved on, the Bulldogs sport a trio of talented forwards, including 6-foot-11 NBA prospect Killian Tillie, who can shoot 50 percent from 3-point range.
Xavier may have All-American Trevon Bluiett to lead a tremendous offensive attack, but the Musketeers struggle on the defensive end, which will ultimately be their downfall.
No. 2 North Carolina vs. No. 3 Michigan is going to be quite the matchup. Its a rematch of a non-conference bout that the Tar Heels won easily earlier this season, but John Beilein’s squad is much-improved since then.
The trendy pick might be to take the Wolverines, but North Carolina has the veteran leadership to keep it trudging on. The Tar Heels move on to set up an rematch from the 2017 national championship.
North Carolina may have 10 losses, but this team is no joke. Heels move on after taking down the Zags.
East Region
This is where we find Villanova, which has the easiest draw for a No. 1 seed.
After seeing a bunch of upsets in the West, No. 9 Alabama is the lone lower seed to win its first-round matchup. I’m a big fan of the Crimson Tide and Collin Sexton, but it’s a short run for Bama. Villanova is too tough.
West Virginia takes down Wichita State in the second round before falling to Villanova in the Sweet 16.
Purdue runs all the way to an Elite Eight matchup with the 2016 national champions.
Led by 7-foot-2 center Isaac Haas and All-America-potential guards Carsen and Vincent Edwards, the Boilermakers have a legitimate shot at winning the national title. And to give themselves an opportunity, they’ll take down the Wildcats in an enticing matchup to punch their ticket to the Final Four.
Midwest Region
You have to feel bad for Kansas.
With Duke and Michigan State in the bottom half of the bracket, the Jayhawks have the toughest road to San Antonio.
We have three first-round upsets in the Midwest — No. 9 NC State over No. 8 Seton Hall, No. 11 Syracuse over No. 6 TCU and No. 10 Oklahoma over No. 7 Rhode Island. Yes, the Orange beat Arizona State in Dayton and make a little noise after being the last team to make the Big Dance. Syracuse is better than folks make them out to be.
From there it’s chalk until the Elite Eight — No. 1 Kansas over No. 4 Auburn, and No. 2 Duke over No. 3 Michigan State — then it gets crazy.
Duke over Kansas.
The Blue Devils have too much talent not to make a serious run at the Final Four. If they can get by Sparty, and that’s a big if, they’ll set up another ACC-Big Ten showdown in the Final Four with Purdue.
Grayson Allen is playing out of his mind right now and next to Ayton, Marvin Bagley III is probably the best player in the entire tournament.
If Duke is playing at its best, then the Blue Devils can beat anyone. That is also a big if.
Final Four
We haven’t seen a Final Four without a No. 1 seed since No. 11 seed George Mason made its improbable run in 2006.
First up we have Arizona vs. North Carolina. A bunch of young guns vs. some elder statesmen.
Here’s the thing. While Ayton is an absolute monster and the Wildcats have three different starters who shoot 50 percent from the field, the Tar Heels are extremely well-balanced. North Carolina is great on the offensive boards, above average on both sides of the floor and can move the ball around with such precision.
The Wildcats’ potential is better, but the Tar Heels are much more consistent. North Carolina is moving on.
Remember that ACC strength?
Duke has the playmakers both inside and out to beat an uber-talented Purdue squad. The Blue Devils and Boilermakers were going in opposite directions to end the season, and while I like Purdue to make a run to the Final Four, Duke has the talent all over the court to match up and takeover in this game.
North Carolina-Duke IV.
What more can be said at this point?
While Duke got the last laugh in the regular-season finale, North Carolina walked away with a winning smirk in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
It’s as simple as an Allen hip check, but it was unnecessary and I’m sure it hasn’t gone over well in the North Carolina locker room since. In such an even matchup, that’s all it might take for the Tar Heels to have an edge.
North Carolina repeats as national champion.
