My bracket doesn’t feature any of the teams remaining in the East region, so I’m going to defer to my children.
They correctly predicted Duke to lose in the second round, and have Florida in the Final Four. Meanwhile, in the South region, my son has Butler winning the NCAA championship. Aggressive? Yes. A better option than I had? Definitely.
Since my bracket is completely busted, picking winners against the spread is all I have left to do. And that’s likely the case for you, too.
Butler (+7) vs. North Carolina
Maybe my desire to see my son’s bracket continue to live on is clouding my judgment. But I’m actually surprised this line is so big. North Carolina should have lost to Arkansas. And I wasn’t one of those people clamoring for the Tar Heels to be a No. 1 seed anyway. There’s something missing with this team, but many experts still believe it’s the same one we saw from last year. Sure, there are returning players and their size is an advantage in each game. But there’s just something missing. And that’s why I like Butler to at least keep this game close. The Bulldogs own two wins against Villanova, so we know they can play with anyone. Butler will frustrate the Tar Heels by slowing down the tempo and making it more of a possession game. That fits into Butler’s style and means this will be within one possession in the final minute. — Go Against The Chalk with Butler
South Carolina vs. Baylor (-3.5)
It’s amazing that South Carolina is at this point. The Gamecocks used a 65-point second half surge to defeat tournament favorite Duke in the second round, and it’s hard to imagine anyone who would have predicted that before the tournament started. South Carolina actually isn’t that good as evidenced toward the last part of the season and that will show up this week. Baylor has far more talent and will force the Gamecocks to beat them with shooting. That won’t happen in this game and the Bears win in a rout. — Go Chalk with Baylor
UCLA vs. Kentucky (+1)
The best game of the Sweet 16 is one that is too tough to predict. I would stay away from this game with a 10-foot pole, but since I have to give my opinion, I’m going with the Wildcats. UCLA’s defense doesn’t show up at times, so that could give the Wildcats an edge. Both teams are really good and this could go either way, as highlighted by the one-point spread. If you have to pick it, go with Kentucky. — Go Against The Chalk with Kentucky
Wisconsin vs. Florida (-2)
There’s a reason why these Big 10 teams didn’t do so well in the regular season. Right? The Big 10 has been the story of the tournament so far, but that magical run will end for at least two of those teams. The Badgers were in a perfect position to pull of an upset of Villanova, by being underseeded and matching up well with the Wildcats. Florida, on the other hand, is more athletic and can defend as well as any team left in the tournament. I love the Gators athleticism and see this as being a game more in the range of eight to 12 points, instead of one possession late in the second half. — Go Chalk with Florida
