March Madness has finally returned! With Selection Sunday in the books, we have some experts who are ready to throw their hats in the ring and take a shot at which schools are poised to make it to the Final Four and which team is primed for a Cinderella run. This year’s tournament is wide open, and all of our featured experts picked different final four combinations and four different potential Cinderella hopefuls.
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March Madness Final Four Predictions
Q1. Who are your picks for the Final Four and why?
Alabama, Marquette, Kansas and Texas
“Despite all of the legal issues, Alabama has been the best team in the country so far this season. Winning the SEC Tournament is just another feather in the cap and I think they can come out of the bracket’s weakest region. I thought Marquette deserved a 1-seed, especially with Houston getting beat in the AAC title game. The East is a brutal region but Marquette got the better half of it. I think the Big 12 was the nation’s toughest conference and both Kansas and Texas are built to make a run. If they meet in the Final Four, I think Kansas will get some revenge with Bill Self back on the sideline.”
– Jason Kamlowsky (FantasyPros)
Alabama, Marquette, Houston and UConn
“Alabama is scary-good and should plow through a relatively easy region in the South. Shaka Smart has worked wonders with offensively efficient Marquette, which is riding a nine-game winning streak that included victories over UConn, Creighton and Xavier (twice). I’m concerned about Marcus Sasser’s groin injury, but with a reasonably healthy Sasser, Houston might have the most complete team in the field. UConn is a dangerous team that deserved better than a 4-seed and will enter the tournament breathing fire after a two-point loss to Marquette in the Big East Tournament.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Alabama, Houston, Gonzaga and Marquette
“Alabama is the deserving top overall seed in this year’s tournament, and they have the easiest region to navigate in the South. Barring any more off-court drama, they should be clear favorites to emerge from the South, even though the winner of Maryland-West Virginia could give them a surprisingly tough second-round game. In the Midwest, Houston is the best team in the country according to KenPom and other analytics, but it’s Texas that finished second in the sport’s best conference and won the Big 12 Tournament under an interim head coach. Plus, Houston may not even make it to the regional final if they have to go up against Indiana, who has the country’s best player in Trayce Jackson-Davis, in the Sweet 16. Take the Longhorns. The West is this year’s Region of Death, with Kansas, UCLA, Gonzaga and UConn, not to mention plenty of other talented teams scattered throughout with Arkansas, Illinois, Saint Mary’s, Northwestern and TCU. It will be a bloodbath from which anybody could emerge, but I’ll take Gonzaga now that they don’t have the expectations of a No. 1 seed. The East is led by Purdue, a team almost everybody is fading given their March history, lack of experienced guard play and slow finish to the regular season. Part of me wants to fade the public and actually take Purdue, who has the National Player of the Year in Zach Edey, but the way Marquette is playing right now should scare everybody in that region. Take Shaka Smart to make it back to the Final Four, this time as a 2-seed.”
– Ryan Wormeli (FantasyPros)
Alabama, Marquette, Texas and UCLA
“In the South, the only team that can possibly beat Alabama is Arizona. Yet, the Wildcats are going to have a tough time even getting to the regional final to face the Crimson Tide. The East is the most wide-open bracket, but I love Marquette based on how they played in the Big East Tournament. In the Midwest, Texas will survive a region loaded with teams that are missing key players or could see them competing in a limited role. The West is the toughest region to pick because Kansas, UCONN, and UCLA are all legitimate Final Four contenders. I like the Bruins because of their experience in the tournament, and the fact that they will get Kansas or UCONN after what is sure to be an exhausting game between the two.”
– Phil Wood (Bet On Phil Wood)
Alabama, Oral Roberts, Iowa and Gonzaga
“Alabama boasts a potential top-five 2023 NBA Draft pick in Brandon Miller, who is averaging a robust 19.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 three-pointers, and 2.1 assists through 34 games. Alabama also leads the nation in defending 2-point field goals, led by defensive stalwarts Noah Clowney (1.1 bpg) and Charles Bediako (1.7 bpg). Oral Roberts is my sneaky pick to shoot themselves into the Final Four. Led by the nation’s seventh-leading scorer, the Golden Eagles are second in the nation with 10.6 three-pointers per game on 37.0% shooting. Iowa has a gritty team led by Kris Murray, twin brother of NBA rookie sensation Keegan Murray. Kris is a menace on both sides of the court, averaging 20.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.3 three-pointers, 2.0 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals through 28 games. For just the second time over the last six seasons, Gonzaga is not a one seed. The Bulldogs come into the tournament on a nine-game winnings streak, including a convincing 26-point victory over St. Mary’s in the WCC championship. The Zags boast two future NBA players in Julian Strawther and Drew Timme, whose past tournament experience should vault them to the Final Four.”
– Jacob W. Dunne (Triple Play Fantasy)
Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Purdue
With Villanova not making the Dance and Kentucky underachieving, the Wildcats to look out for this March are the boys from Tucson. Lute Olsen (RIP) might not be patrolling the sidelines anymore but luckily for Arizona, neither is Sean Miller. Tommy Lloyd has his Cats once again highly seeded (Ranked 10 on KenPom) and primed for a deep March run and unlike past years, his squad has the seasoning to make said run. Texas was able to thump the Jayhawks twice in a week, winning the regular season finale in Austin and then drubbing them by 20 in Kansas City in the Big 12 Tournament Final. Texas is ranked 6th on KenPom in Adjusted Efficiency Margin and if not for a bad three-game stretch to end February very likely would have won the Big 12 Regular Season title as well. The defending National Champion Jayhawks led by superstar Jalen Wilson and freshman sharpshooter Gradey Dick have their work cut out for them if Kansas wants to repeat. The West Region is as loaded as a region has ever been with four teams ranked in KenPom’s top 10, making the West essentially the antithesis of the Midwest. The Jayhawks (#9 on KenPom), led by Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self, have the talent to make another deep run, but depth is their biggest issue. Purdue has something no one else has, one of the biggest (literally) weapons in the history of college basketball; 7’4” Zach Edey. Edey led the Boilermakers to a 29-5 record, good enough to clear the rest of the Big Ten by an incredible three games, not surprising for the team ranked 7th on KenPom in terms of Adjusted Efficiency Margin. Since the calendar flipped to March, Purdue is 5-0 including a relatively easy run to the Big Ten Tournament championship regardless of the final scores.
– Luke Monaldo (FantasyPros)
Check out all of our coverage for the 2023 NCAA Tournament
Q2. What Cinderella team do you think has the best chance of making it deep in the tournament and why?
Charleston
“The College of Charleston won 31 games this season, tied for most in the country. That is notable because the last three teams to win 31 games won at least one NCAA tournament game. The Cougars are led by head coach Pat Kelsey who is making his third appearance in the tournament as a head coach. He has yet to secure a win but with a senior-laden backcourt led by graduate transfer (and former D2 All-American) Dalton Bolon, Charleston appears poised to make a run. They get San Diego State in a 12-5 matchup and then could see a banged-up Virginia team in the Round of 32. I like to Cougars to make the Sweet 16.”
– Jason Kamlowsky (FantasyPros)
Utah State
“Utah State doesn’t have an easy path as a 10-seed, but the Aggies are a dangerous team. They shoot the lights out, rebound effectively and can get points from any of their five starters. Utah State won’t have any soft matchups, but the Aggies are capable of getting to the regional final in the South.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Oral Roberts
“It’s been a regular season full of chaos, parity and a record number of changes at the top of the national rankings. The question now is if the madness will extend into March. Or will college basketball swerve once again and wind up with a chalk-heavy postseason? Either way, there’s always at least one Cinderella. Betting against Duke in the NCAA Tournament is one of our most sacred annual traditions, and this year we get to do it with a team that’s been here before. Oral Roberts made a shocking Sweet 16 run as a 15-seed in 2021 by upsetting Ohio State and Florida, and they will be a popular bet to do it gain on the back of their superstar guard Max Abmas, who is built for March. The bet here says Oral Roberts knocks off America’s most hated team, then an injured Tennessee squad, on the way to their second Sweet 16 in three years.”
– Ryan Wormeli (FantasyPros)
“You guessed it! Oral Roberts is my Cinderella team. The Golden Eagles are led by 6-1 Max Abmas, the nation’s seventh-leading scorer averaging 22.2 points to go along with 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.5 three-pointers, and 1.1 steals over 33 games this season. The Golden Eagles are riding the nation’s longest winning streak at 17 games. At 7-5, Connor Vanover has been a force all season for ORU, averaging 12.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and is second in the nation with 3.3 blocks per game. You can bet the few three-pointers that don’t go down for Oral Roberts will be pulled down by Vanover and kicked back out to Abmas. If any team is going to win a potential shootout, it’s Oral Roberts.”
– Jacob W. Dunne (Triple Play Fantasy)
Kent State
“This is a team that challenged itself in the non-conference and very nearly came away with a huge victory. They lost just 74-72 to Charleston, 49-44 to Houston, and 73-66 to Gonzaga. The Golden Flashes are going to shock the Indiana Hoosiers in the first round, then they could face a favorable road if Norchad Omier is not 100% for the Miami Hurricanes and Marcus Sasser is limited for the Cougars. While you may raise eyebrows at a 13 seed making the Elite eight, just know that this is a 13 seed that could have easily been an 11.”
– Phil Wood (Bet On Phil Wood)
Penn State
“Yes, I know I have Texas emerging from the Midwest, but hear me out on the Nittany Lions. Left for dead after a brutal 3-8 stretch to start the new year, Penn State rattled off five wins in six games to end the regular season. The Nittany Lions started their Cinderella run early, taking down Illinois, Northwestern, and #19 Indiana on their way to the Big Ten Conference Final where they took #1-seeded Purdue to the limit, falling 67-65. They ended up a 10-seed in the Midwest, arguably the weakest bracket. Their first weekend, a potential Texas two-step of Texas A&M and UT, could be just what PSU needs to keep dancing into the second weekend. PSU ranks 17th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency, one spot above the Longhorns and 14 spots above the Aggies, so they have the firepower to score with anyone. Their yearlong defensive stats aren’t tops, but they proved over the last month or so that they can hang with anyone, even the top-seeded and former #1-ranked Boilermakers, meaning they aren’t scared of giants (Zach Edey) nor of the clock striking midnight. Their final test in their quest for the Final Four would come against the Midwest’s top-seeded Houston Cougars, but again, Penn State appears scared of no one. ”
– Luke Monaldo (FantasyPros)
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