One of the best sporting events of the year is here, the 2015 NCAA Tournament! At this time of the year, folk are either calling out of work, have scheduled days off, or at work watching the tournament instead of working. Here is my one and only bracket that I will use in all of the pools I enter. I also will give you some of my first round upset specials as well. You can also join the Sports Trap Radio 2015 Bracket Challenge. The winner will be our special guest co-host on Sports Trap Radio the following Tuesday from 6:30pm-8:30pm EST.
Midwest
Top Four Seeds: Kentucky, Kansas, Notre Dame, Maryland
Upset Specials
I really like the 11 seed Texas over 6 Butler, with Texas advancing to play Notre Dame in the round of 32. I like Notre Dame to win that game, but Texas with their superior size could make it a game. Longhorns freshmen PF/C Myles Turner is going to be a top 5 pick in the draft and has the talent to dominate on both ends of the floor.
I know a lot of people like the 7 seed Wichita St to possibly make it to the second weekend of the tourney, but I like the 10 seed Indiana Hoosier, led by the young and talented backcourt of Yogi Ferrell and James Blackmon Jr. Ferrell will expose the Shockers Fred Van Fleet’s inability to stop dribble penetration.
I have the 1 seed Kentucky defeating 3 Notre Dame in the regional final and making it to the Final Four.
West
Top Four Seeds: Wisconsin, Arizona, Baylor, UNC
Upset Specials
I only have one double digit seed advancing in this region and it’s the 10 seed Ohio St. I like the Shaka Smart led VCU Rams, and their style of play, but I like Buckeye star freshman guard D’Angelo Russell a bit more. He’ll have a big game helping his team break that Havoc press and lead his team to victory.
Baylor is the 3 seed, and I have them defeating the the 2 seed Arizona Wildcats in the round of 16. Arizona is very good defensively, but they don’t shoot the ball well consistently from the outside. Baylor has great length, and they play that 2-3 zone with man principles, they also rebound the ball well out of that zone. I like them to send Arizona packing.
In the regional final, I like the 1 seed Wisconsin over the 3 seed Baylor. Wisconsin has been the second best team in the country all season, and the will get another shot at Kentucky in the Final Four.
East
Top Four Seeds: Villanova, Virginia, Oklahoma, Louisville
Upset Specials
The classic 5 vs 12 matchup…. it’s the higher seeded Northern Iowa, lead by one of my favorite college basketball players Seth Tuttle, vs the Wyoming Cowboys led by Larry Nance Jr. I will go out on a limb and say that both teams from the Missouri Valley Conference go out in the round of 64. Nance Jr. leads his team to the upset victory over Northern Iowa.
Not only do I have the 9 seed LSU beating the 8 seed NC State, which isn’t a stretch, I also have them knocking off the number 1 seed Villanova Wildcats in the round of 32. The Tigers have a set of first round picks in forwards Jerrell Martin and Jordan Mickey, which gives them an huge advantage in the paint. Not only do they beat Nova in the round of 32, but I also like LSU to knock off the 4 seed Louisville Cardinals as well, making it to the regional final.
The buck stops for LSU in the regional final, they lose to the 2 seed Virginia Cavaliers.
South
Top Four Seeds: Duke, Gonzaga, Iowa St., Georgetown
Upset Specials
I like the 10 seed Davidson to knock off the 7 seed Iowa. I wasn’t a big fan of Iowa during the season, especially with their guard play, which wins in the tournament. Davidson’s three best players are guards: Tyler Kalinoski, Jack Gibbs, and Brian Sullivan, and they combine for 46.1 ppg, 12.4 rpg, and 12.8 apg, while shooting 40% from three point land as a whole. They will be the difference in this ball game.
In the round of 16, I’m taking the 5 seed Utah Utes to defeat the 1 seed Duke Blue Devils. Not only does the Utes have decent size, but they have two guards who could give Duke’s guards fits with dribble penetration. Delon Wright and Brandon Jackson are among the best backcourt duo’s in the country. They will be the deciding factor in the Utes victory over the Blue Devils.
This is the year in which Gonzaga makes it to the Final Four, they are a complete veteran team with experienced guard play, shooters, and size in the paint. They win the South region.
My Sweet 16
Midwest: 1 Kentucky over 4 Maryland 3 Notre Dame over 2 Kansas
West: 1 Wisconsin over 5 Arkansas 3 Baylor over 2 Arizona
East: 9 LSU over 4 Louisville 2 Virginia over 3 Oklahoma
South: 5 Utah over 1 Duke 2 Gonzaga over 3 Iowa St
Elite 8
Midwest: 1 Kentucky over 3 Notre Dame
West: 1 Wisconsin over 3 Baylor
East: 2 Virginia over 9 LSU
South: 2 Gonzaga over 5 Utah
Final Four
In a battle of one seeds, Wisconsin gets another shot at beating Kentucky, but the Wildcats are too deep, too big, too athletic, too talented. I like them to beat the Badgers in a close game.
This is Mark Few’s best Gonzaga team in my opinion. They have more scoring then Virginia, and their ability to shoot the ball from the outside will open things up inside of that Cavalier pack line defense. I like point guard Kevin Pangos to lead the Bulldogs to the title game.
National Championship Game
Kentucky has been the best team all season, they have the most size, the most talent, and a coach in John Calipari that has gotten better as a coach during his tenure in Lexington. They have 9 to 10 guys that all will play someday in the NBA, led by the freshman phenoms, Karl Anthony Towns and Devin Booker. With them being so deep, if two guys are having a bad game, it’s players coming in that could start anywhere else, coming in to pick up the slack. They defend, they rebound, they can run, and if they are shooting the three well, it’s a wrap. They win it all and finish the season 40-0.
Muslim Football Scout 