A year has passed and it is finally time for the best four week period of the year. It is time for March Madness and for me to make my predictions. As the defending Minaret champion, there is a ton of pressure on my back for this year’s pick.
I am going to incorporate the same strategy that I used last year when I picked the University of Connecticut to win it all. That strategy was to pick with my heart and push any logic to the side. This does not mean that my pick is going to be stupid or crazy but I am going to pick the team that I want to see win the championship.
I desperately want to say UConn will win it all and if Syracuse was in the same region it would already be written in stone. I mean how great of a matchup would that be. Connecticut could beat any team in the field this year but it is just a matter of which players show up for Coach Calhoun.
I have decided to push UConn to the side and pick another team to take home the championship. The team that will be cutting down the net in early April will be the University of North Carolina.
I will be the first one to admit that it will be difficult for them to come out of their region let alone win the championship. They are in arguably the most difficult region with Kansas, Georgetown, and Temple. They are also dealing with an injury to one of their top players, John Henson.
These are both difficult things to overcome but if there is one coach and one group of players that can make it happen, it is Roy Williams and North Carolina. During Henson’s time off, the freshman, James Michael McAdoo stepped up big time. This speaks wonders to the Tar Heels depth. On any given day, a different player can step on the court and be a star.
Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes are two of the best forwards in the league right now.
The seven-foot Zeller has played big this season, literally. He has averaged 16.5 points and 9.3 rebounds a game this season. Barnes has also stepped it up and is one of the main reasons why the Tar Heels are a number one seed.
North Carolina ranks first in the NCAA in rebounds per game and second in points per game. These are two very important statistics. The team that plays the best down low and has the ability to get rebounds on the offensive and defensive boards has the best chance to win the National Championship.
Roy Williams could also have the opportunity to face his old team, the Kansas Jayhawks. There would be no way that he would lose to that team. Not only have the Jayhawks over performed all season but Williams’ pride is too large and he would get his team motivated and into the Final Four.
It is going to be interesting to see if my bracket works two years in a row but either way: it’s going to be one crazy month of March.
Joe Beaudoin can be reached at jbeaudoin@spartans.ut.edu.