March is upon us which means it is time for the NCAA tournament. This tournament is just like last year’s, as almost any of the top teams can win. The draft class this year is stacked, and it will make for an exciting group of players to watch.

Most-Likely Upsets:

Davidson over Kentucky-

Davidson is 10-2 over their last 12 games, and they have beat Rhode Island to get into the tournament. Kentucky is just 7-5 and has a very young team going into this one. It should be close, but Kentucky may come to the game cocky.

Loyola-Chicago over Miami-

Despite not playing any teams in the top-25, this year, Loyola should be able to pull out a victory over an inconsistent Cane squad. The Ramblers have four players averaging ten points or more per game, and the team shoots over 50% from the field. They also boast a top five defense in the nation.

New Mexico State over Clemson-

Clemson’s season took a turn for the worse when star forward Donte Grantham tore his ACL and announced that he would be out for the season. They have been up and down since his absence, going 7-6, beating a top team like North Carolina and losing to shaky teams like Virginia Tech and Florida State.

Texas over Nevada-

Nevada lacks depth, which is key to winning tournament games, and Texas has one of the best defenses in the nation. It should be a low scoring game as both teams don’t boast great offenses, but Texas should come out on top because of the experience of their strong schedule.

East Region Winner-Villanova

Villanova is known for making large runs in the tournament, and they will continue again this year. The best teams they will have to play are Wichita State and Purdue. Both teams are talented, but they won’t have too much of an issue pulling those off. Nova is deep, and they are led by Big East player of the year, Jalen Brunson and potential top 10 pick- Mikal Bridges.

South Region Winner-Virginia

The Cavaliers will have a tougher run to the final four, having to most likely play Arizona in the sweet sixteen and either Tennessee or Cincinnati. Virginia’s defense will be the key factor that gets them into the national championship. Teams are averaging just 53.4 points per game against them and they have only lost two games this year in arguably the best conference in college basketball.

West Region Winner-Michigan

After being seeded fifth in their conference tournament, Michigan showed again that they can come up big in March and beat Purdue and Michigan State on back to back days to win the Big 10 Tournament. It’ll be a tough run to the final four, as they’ll likely have to face Houston, North Carolina, and Gonzaga to get to San Antonio, but they’ve already proved that they can beat some of the top teams on short rest.

Midwest Region Winner-Michigan State

Michigan State is going to show the selection committee that they should have been a number two or one seed this March. They’ll probably have to take down Duke and Kansas to get to the final four, but Michigan State is known for being clutch as soon as the calendar flips from February. The Spartans will have likely lottery picks, Jaren Jackson and Miles Bridges leading them right past some of the top teams. They’re going to have a lot of close games, but their shooting will end up helping them cut down the nets against Virginia in the National Championship.