Here are my game-by-game NCAA bracket picks, one by one (and not displayed by just filling out the bracket and posting it) because it just never comes out right when I try anything else.
Though this isn't right, either, of course. But any other way just takes too much time and more energy than my paper and I have currently.
Mostly, I'm posting this to get a record of the first two rounds and to see how awful I can be in public. I will update this if it's relevant once they get to the Sweet 16.
To the picks...
As I wrote Sunday, this year I am picking Duke, the 2 seed in the East, to win the whole thing.
(History of my national-title picks since 2001 later in this item. It's not great.)
Also, as usual I went heavy with the 12-5 upsets, probably went way too far with Butler and Creighton, and couldn't pull the trigger on Northwestern over Gonzaga. Let's see how it turns out.
* My first-round selections (upsets in ital)...
---EAST/
1 Villanova over the 16 play-in winner.
8 Wisconsin over 9 Virginia Tech.
12 UNC-Wilmington over 5 Virginia.
4 Florida over ETSU.
6 SMU over 11 play-in winner.
14 New Mexico State over 3 Baylor.
7 South Carolina over 10 Marquette.
2 Duke over 15 Troy.
---WEST/
1 Gonzaga over 16 South Dakota State.
8 Northwestern over 9 Vanderbilt.
12 Princeton over 5 Notre Dame.
4 West Virginia over 12 Bucknell.
11 Xavier over 6 Maryland.
3 Florida State over 14 Florida Gulf Coast.
7 Saint Mary's over 10 VCU.
2 Arizona over 15 North Dakota.
---MIDWEST/
1 Kansas over 16 play-in winner.
9 Michigan State over 8 Miami (Fla).
5 Iowa State over 12 Nevada.
13 Vermont over 4 Purdue.
6 Creighton over 11 Rhode Island.
3 Oregon over 14 Iona.
7 Michigan over 10 Oklahoma State.
2 Louisville over 15 Jacksonville State.
---SOUTH/
1 North Carolina over 16 Texas Southern.
8 Arkansas over 9 Seton Hall.
12 Middle Tennessee State over 5 Minnesota.
4 Butler over 13 Winthrop.
6 Cincinnati over 11 play-in.
3 UCLA over 14 Kent State.
10 Wichita State over 7 Dayton.
2 Kentucky over 15 Northern Kentucky.
*** My Sweet 16/
-EAST:
1 Villanova over 8 Wisconsin.
4 Florida over 12 UNC-Wilmington.
6 SMU over 14 New Mexico State.
2 Duke over 7 South Carolina.
-WEST/
1 Gonzaga over 8 Northwestern.
12 Princeton over 4 West Virginia.
3 Florida State over 11 Xavier
2 Arizona over 7 Saint Mary's.
-MIDWEST/
1 Kansas over 9 Michigan State.
5 Iowa State over 13 Vermont.
6 Creighton over 3 Oregon.
7 Michigan over 2 Louisville.
-SOUTH/
1 North Carolina over 8 Arkansas.
4 Butler over 13 Middle Tennessee.
3 UCLA over 6 Cincinnati.
2 Kentucky over 10 Wichita State.
*** My Elite Eight:
-East/
1 Villanova over 4 Florida.
2 Duke over 6 SMU.
-West/
1 Gonzaga over 12 Princeton.
2 Arizona over 3 Florida State.
-Midwest/
1 Kansas over 5 Iowa State.
6 Creighton over 7 Michigan.
-South/
4 Butler over 1 North Carolina.
2 Kentucky over 3 UCLA.
*** My Final Four/
East: 2 Duke over 1 Villanova.
West: 2 Arizona over 1 Gonzaga.
Midwest: 1 Kansas over 6 Creighton.
South: 2 Kentucky over 4 Butler.
Then... Duke over Arizona, Kentucky over Kansas.
And that gets me to Duke over Kentucky for the national title.
---Here are my previous national-title picks, going back to my first pick, in 2001...
2016 4 Kentucky. Result: Lost in the regional semis to Indiana. (Champion: Villanova.)
2015 1 Kentucky. Result: Lost in the Final Four to Wisconsin. (Champion: Duke.)
2014 4 Michigan State. Result: Lost in the regional final to UConn. (Champion: UConn.)
2013 pick: 1 Indiana. Result: Lost in the regional semis to Syracuse. (Champion: Louisville.)
2012 pick: 1 North Carolina. Result: Lost in the regional final to Kansas. (Champion: Kentucky.)
2011 pick: 1 Kansas. Result: Lost in the regional final to VCU. (Champion UConn.)
2010 pick: 1 Kansas. Result: Second-round loss. (Champion: Duke.)
2009 pick: 2 Memphis. Result: Third-round loss. (Champion: North Carolina.)
2008 pick: 1 Kansas. Result: Kansas wins title. Yay.
2007 pick: 1 North Carolina. Result: Lost in regional final. (Champion: Florida.)
2006 pick: 1 UConn. Result: Lost in regional final. (Champion: Florida.)
2005 pick: 4 Louisville. Result: Lost in Final Four. (Champion: North Carolina.)
2004 pick: 1 Duke. Result: Lost in Final Four. (Champion: UConn.)
2003 pick: 1 Kentucky. Result: Lost in regional final (Champion: Syracuse.)
2002 pick: 1 Kansas. Result: Lost in Final Four. (Champion: Maryland.)
2001 pick: 1 Stanford. Result: Lost in regional final. (Champion: Duke.)
The post My NCAA picks, game-by-game, riding hard with the 12-5 upsets and... Butler and Creighton? appeared first on Talking Points.
