BluePrints staff makes their Final Four picks
There have been enough upsets in their year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament to break anyone’s bracket a dozen times over. The reigning national champion North Carolina Tarheels are out after losing to Texas A&M, the ACC Champion Virginia Cavaliers lost to a sixteen seed, and Michigan State lost to an 11-seeded Syracuse team hungry to prove itself.
With all this turmoil in the tournament, the BluePrints sports staff decided to make a new brackets from the sweet sixteen and on. Our national champion picks come down to a Final Four matchup between Duke and Villanova. Both teams had strong regular seasons, and have shown no signs of weakness in the tournament so far.
John Robert Oates’ Pick
Elite Eight: Kentucky, Nevada, Villanova, Purdue, Gonzaga, Michigan, Kansas, Duke
Final Four: Kentucky, Purdue, Michigan, Duke
National Championship: Kentucky vs. Duke
Champion: Duke
Duke can take it all. They have the talent with Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr., and they have Coach K, the best coach in the NCAA. This is Duke’s best team since the 2015 national champions team with a potent offense and solid defense. Duke will ride into the national championship game as a one seed in everything but name.
Kentucky has a different story. They have been doubted and will play as an underdog in their matchups. If they can beat Nevada. Kentucky has the offense to win a championship, but their defense shows cracks like we saw in the game against Davidson.
Sachio Goodie’s Pick
Elite Eight: Kentucky, Nevada, Florida State, Texas A&M, Villanova, Purdue, Kansas, and Duke
Final Four: Kentucky, Texas A&M, Villanova, and Duke
National Championship: Kentucky vs. Villanova
Champion: Villanova
Villanova looks like the best team in the East offensively and defensively, and fans are sleeping on the one seeds. Villanova is the best one seed in this tournament, and they earned it. Unlike the lower seeds making noise Villanova has the gas in the tank to win it all. The big reason why Kentucky is going to be in the Final Four because of Coach John Calipari and his coaching can only take them so far before the lack talent causes them to crash and burn. can take them before they crash.
Tristan Lankford’s Pick
Elite Eight: Kentucky, Nevada, Gonzaga, Michigan, Villanova, Purdue, Clemson, and Duke
Final Four: Kentucky, Michigan, Villanova, and Duke
National Championship: Michigan vs Duke
Champion: Duke
If you look at Duke and how their playing, I think Wendell Carter Jr., Marvin Bagley III, and Grayson Allen are really syncing right now. Duke has been riding a hot streak since the ACC Tournament and the only reason why their not the one seed is that loss to Virginia Tech. Michigan, on the other hand, is a dark horse and has a potent offense, they work as a solid team.
Denton Redmond’s Pick
Elite Eight: Kentucky, Loyola, Villanova, Purdue, FSU, Michigan, Kansas, and Duke
Final Four: Kentucky, Villanova, Michigan, and Duke
National Championship: Kentucky vs. Duke
Champion: Duke
Duke has stepped it up in the second half of the season. They’ve manhandled their opponents with Marvin Bagley and Trey Duval stepping up in the tournament. Kentucky has also improved in this part of the season, but they don’t have the weapons and chemistry to beat Coach K.
