Leach's Lists: 2016 NCAA Bracket To Win Your Office Pool And Impress Your Friends
By Dan Leach
@dtmleach
The madness has officially begun!
Just watch the NCAA Tournament promo and tell me you are not unbelievably fired up for one of the greatest times of the year to be a sports fan. I am going to breakdown the bracket from all angles, give you some sweet sleepers and games you can't miss in the first round, all to help you finally win that bracket contest over the guy, girl or colleague obsessed with college hoops you have been trying so gallantly to defeat for years.
Two quick local notes: Michigan deserved to be in and even with their first First Four game in Dayton, beggars can't be choosers. Michigan State absolutely deserved a No. 1 seed and the committee did them wrong. They might have the last laugh though as their path as the highest No. 2 seed sets up super nicely for them to make a run for the eight Final Four under Tom Izzo.
HERE…….WE…..GO!
Check out Dan's Bracket HERE
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Sleepers
Connecticut – What is it about the Huskies and multiple OT games in March.?
It took a halfcourt buzzer beater and four overtimes for UConn to get past Cincinnati in the AAC quarters, then they blasted Temple and Memphis en-route to the title. Kevin Ollie's boys are straight up ballin' and with kids like Shonn Miller who can do it all and Sterling Gibbs who can drain the three. The Huskies can get scoring from up and down their roster and play some of the best D in the country.
They come in allowing only 63.2 points a game, good for 12th best in Division 1. Love them to get by Colorado in first round and give Kansas all they can handle in Round 2.
Texas – The Longhorns will try to Shaka the world in March and have the type of team that if playing at their optimal can do just that. They get a tough matchup in the first round against MVC winner 11 seed Northern Iowa, but this Texas team has played some of the best in the land all season long and has been unafraid. They rocked Oklahoma back at the end of February who they could play in a potential Sweet 16 game and have the nation's fourth best strength of schedule coming in.
Guard Isaiah Taylor is legit in all aspects and 6-foot-9 center Cameron Ridley is a beat to contain on both ends of the floor averaging almost a double-double a game. If this team gets going they will be hard to stop.
Green Bay – The surprise winner of the Horizon League -- beating Valparaiso on the way to the title -- is one of the top 10 scoring teams in the country and also one of its most balanced. Jordan Fouse -- 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds -- is a presence inside and out and Carrington Love with 17.7 points per game can score from all over the floor.
The Phoenix get a tough matchup with Texas A&M in the first round, but could have the medicine to stun the Aggies if they are able to get the game into the 80s or higher.
Hawaii – The Rainbow Warriors are back in the tourney for the first time in a decade and have quietly played some impressive basketball out in the Pacific Ocean on their way to a 27-5 record and a Big West regular season and conference tourney title. They can score -- almost 78 points a game -- and also play D allowing just 66.5 per game, good for 32nd best in the country. They have a tough draw with an opening game against a solid Cal Bears squad and a potential matchup with Maryland in the second round, but this is the type of team that could end up capturing the nation's heart is they get things going.
Toughest Opening Round Game For A No. 1-3 Seed
No. 3 West Virginia vs. No. 14 Stephen F Austin: Yes, the fighting Bog Huggins are playing some great basketball and gave Kansas a run for its money in the Big 12 title game, but they run into a Lumberjacks team that is playing even better. The Lumberjacks just won their third straight Southland title and have won 20 straight. Remember three years ago, SFA upset VCU in the first round and last year almost got by Utah. They can score the ball as good as anyone in the land and will be unafraid of the big, bad Mountaineers.
Best Opening Round Game
No. 7 Wisconsin vs No. 10 Pittsburgh: The Badgers were one of the hottest teams in the country before their stunning Big Ten tourney loss to Nebraska and people seem to forget went to the championship game last year. It's a much different Badgers squad this year with a new coach, but they still can absolutely ball.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has had a rough go of it in the last month, but did get a stirring win over Duke and a nail-biting win over fellow tourney team Syracuse in the ACC tourney. The Panthers are immensely talented and are the type of team that if hot could go on a serious run in the Big Dance.
Look for this game to have the feel of a heavyweight fight from the start and go down to the wire with more drama than an episode of House of Cards #UNDERWOOD2016
Must-See First Round Games
South Region
No.4 California vs. No. 13 Hawaii – The Rainbow Warriors are a ton of fun to watch and will turn in the surfboards to give the Golden Bears a run for their money.
No. 8 Colorado vs. No. 9 UConn – Could be first round's most exciting game.
East Region
No. 7 Wisconsin vs. No. 10 Pittsburgh – Easily one of the most fascinating games of the opening round with two teams that have some of the bigger wins in the country over the last month of the season.
No. 8 USC vs. No. 9 Providence – Two teams that could make deep runs if they are able to shock the world and beat UNC in the second round. This game will be a war from the opening tip.
West Region
No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 12 Yale – The Bulldogs are in the Big Dance for the first time since JFK was in office. Baylor a "bear" to contain.
No. 4 Duke vs. No. 13 UNC-Wilmington – Duke is a mess and the Seahawks come in winners of 16 of their last 18. Recipe for disaster? Keep abreast of the UNC's Chris Flemmings who can take over a game in a heartbeat.
Midwest Region
No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 9 Butler – The Fighting Tubby Smiths against the ultimate Cinderella. Sounds like a matchup made in heaven. By the way. this is the fifth team Tubby has taken to the Big Dance.
No. 4 Iowa State Vs. No. 13 Iona – The Gaels could be the tourney's darling, Cyclones better be ready.
Toughest Path For a Top Seed To Houston
Virginia: The Cavs once again one of the best defensive teams in the land, but when you take a look at their draw even the slappiest of UVA fans has to be fearful. Tony Bennett's squad could play a solid Texas Tech squad in the second round then could have to deal with A.J. Hammons and the Boilermakers in the Sweet 16. If they are lucky enough to get to the Elite Eight, their reward.......MSU!
Who Will Be Cutting Down the Nets on April 4?
Kansas: I rarely go with the overall chalk in the tourney (actually this is only the third time I have gone with the overall No. 1 seed in the past 14 years).
That is simply because it rarely is that overall top seed cutting down the nets when all is said and done. This Kansas team is different though. In a year where the NCAA tourney might be the most unpredictable in years, the Jayhawks are the one team that has shown throughout the entire season that it is the most flawless.
While the fact that a true outsider Donald J. Trump has a legit chance to be the President of the United States, it is going to be a true Blue Blood with the most legit chance to cut down the nets in Houston in April. The Jayhawks are simply the most balanced team in the nation, in the top 15 in scoring and allowing only 67 points a game.
Perry Ellis has been phenomenal all season long, and Wayne Selden Jr. and Frank Mason III might have extra monikers in their name, but are both capable of taking over games. I look for super sophomore Devonte' Graham to be the surprise of the tourney and be a huge factor in helping lead Kansas to their first title since 2008.
Bill Self will get his second National Title and they will be dancing in the streets of Lawrence baby, come April 4th!
Vegas Odds To Win The Title
Kansas 7/1 ($100 wins $700)
North Carolina 8/1
Michigan State 8/1
Kentucky 14/1
Virginia 14/1
Oklahoma 15/1
Villanova 15/1
Xavier 16/1
West Virginia 20/1
Duke 22/1
Michigan 100-1
2016 BRACKET TIDBITS (Assist from @RJBELL)
- There has been only one Elite Eight team seeded worse than No. 11 in modern era out of 248 since 1985.
- A double-digit seed has made the Sweet Sixteen in 29 of the last 31 years! Best chances in my eyes this year are No. 13 Iona and No. 13 Hawaii.
- No. 1 seeds make the Elite Eight more than No. 5 seeds win a single game.
– There are 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 possible brackets (9.2 quintillion). That's the number nine followed by 18 zeros! That's over one million times bigger than nine TRILLION! An example of how big that number is …...
If one bracket per second were filled out, it would take 292 BILLION years to fill out all possible brackets.
So tell that to your resident office pool smack talker.
Since 1985 (Modern Era)
- No No. 16 seeds have ever won a game (DTM thinks this could finally be the year, but probably not).
- No. 15 seeds are 7-for-124
- At least one top four seed has lost in the first round in 27 of the last 31 years.
- No. 12 seeds have won at least one game in 24 of the last 27 years — surprisingly though none did last year.
- No. 9 seeds have an overall winning record against No. 8 seeds.
