Your Final Four Predictions?

[dukiejay]

We've all had a couple hours to look at the brackets....what does everyone think?

I'm sure I'll catch some heat, but I'll go Arizona, UNC, Villanova and Michigan State.

Villanova over Arizona in the national championship game.

 

[ticket2ride04]

We've all had a couple hours to look at the brackets....what does everyone think?

I'm sure I'll catch some heat, but I'll go Arizona, UNC, Villanova and Michigan State.

Villanova over Arizona in the national championship game.

Zona
UNC
Duke
Nova

Zona wins it all

 

[DukeRulesBasketball]

Arizona
Duke
Michigan
I’m go on a limb and say WVU

 

[FearTheBeard]

UVA
Michigan
Nova
KU

UVA over Nova

Will there be a DI bracket group this year?

 

[HeLooks2MuchLikeDave]

UVA, UNC, Nova, MSU

 

[WI#1Dukie22]

Duke over Iona

 

[BlueDevilWildcat]

UVA, UNC, Kansas, Butler.

UVA > Kansas.

 

[HeLooks2MuchLikeDave]

UVA, UNC, Kansas, Butler.

UVA > Kansas.

I could see UVA finally breaking through this year

 

[denverexpat]

Zaga, Virginia, Duke and Nova...Nova wins it all
Not getting the Arizona love....close wins and some losses to marginal teams at best. Losses to NCST, Purdue by a bunch, Colorado and UCLA who were minus 3 players this year....bama and A & M their best wins out of conf but by close margin. Feel free to tell me why i'm worng! No one is shy on here!

 

[dachampishere2]

Why is Arizona getting all of this pub all of a sudden? They played in a conference that got a 3-team bid. Out of conference they weren't good. I mean Ayton is a great player but he didn't really help them win anything out of conference. Maybe I missed it.

NC State with the upset with the upset of Kansas. You heard it here first

 

[Baller224]

Virginia - Michigan - Nova - Duke

 

[Bod1ne]

UVA, Purdue, Duke & Michigan.

Duke over UVA

All Duke needs to do to be nearly unbeatable is be less careless with the ball and get a couple guys to be a little more active on defense. We've seen both happen at times this year, so it's not a pipe dream.

 

[hallside]

Arizona, Michigan, Nova, Duke.

If this tourney plays out like the regular season, it should be one for the books.

 

[Mac9192]

Arizona, Michigan, Nova, Duke.

If this tourney plays out like the regular season, it should be one for the books.

I like that one, or at least the team that starts with D. Going to be a lot of maalox mashers the next few weeks. I just want Duke to be the last one standing.

 

[pisgah101]

-Virginia
-Gonzaga
-Nova
-Don't know really struggling with our side! Nobody can beat us but if we lose it's because we beat ourself

 

[tedmon23]

Zona
Zags
Purdue
M state

I know not likely to happen, because Miller and Painter can’t typically win a big game, but a lot of this year didn’t seem likely to happen.

Typically a team from the previous final four makes it back and I’m sure as hell not picking unx to do it.

 

[DiehardDukeFan4Life]

Virginia
Michigan
Villanova
Duke

Duke over Michigan

 

[Alaskan_Assassin_21]

 

[tclark6]

We've all had a couple hours to look at the brackets....what does everyone think?

I'm sure I'll catch some heat, but I'll go Arizona, UNC, Villanova and Michigan State.

Villanova over Arizona in the national championship game.

I think UVA got screwed and UNC got the easiet path to the Final Four. The format of the selection show was awful that I still can't focus on the bracket right now..lol!

 

[QC Dukie]

If unx doesn’t make the final four out of that bracket, it will be the most epic failure ever in college basketball.

 

[Canadian Dukie]

UVA,CAROLINA,NOVA,DUKE....we beat Michigan state,we got this

 

[sheyduke]

I’m one bracket I have
Virginia
Florida st
WVU
Duke

Duke vs Virginia
Duke wins

In my sons bracket he has
Virginia
Michigan
Villanova
Duke
Duke and Virginia
Duke wins it all

 

[DukeDenver]

UVA, UNC, Kansas and Purdue

 

[K-oach Q]

UVA
Michigan
Villanova
Mich State...

 

[stroke the post]

UVA , UNC , Mich St, Nova

UVA > MSU

 

[Showenuff]

Arizona, UNC, Villanova and Duke.

 

[pisgah101]

A lot of duke love on CBS.com

 

[BluePhil]

I hate it but:

1. Virginia keeps going - they are very efficient and I think they got a soft bracket.

2. UNC or Michigan with a slight lean in favor of UNC.

3. Villanova - They have a couple of sleepers in their bracket but they keep on making it a tradition to get in the final four.

4. Michigan State - I want so badly to say Duke, but I do not think this years team has what it takes to win. They get taken out by Mich State. If by some miracle they make the elite 8, they lose the next game. We watch on the sidelines while UNC - who has been better coached this year gets another final four under their belt while we speak of could've been and maybe get like KY and celebrate a meaningless draft victory.

 

[K-oach Q]

Another thing to consider also...Mich St probably plays Syracuse and their 2/3 zone then possibly us....I would say playing Syracuse then having roughly a week and then playing us in a 2/3 zone does us zero favors or advantages....I think it’s a huge disadvantage....

 

[HeLooks2MuchLikeDave]

I think UVA got screwed and UNC got the easiet path to the Final Four. The format of the selection show was awful that I still can't focus on the bracket right now..lol!

Agree with your second and third point. UNC has potentially one game (Michigan) that could trip them up before they get to the FF. And I trust Michigan to beat UNC about as much as I trust Roy to call a timeout in a crucial spot.

But no way UVA got screwed. They got the easiest potential 8/9 matchup. Sure, they have a tough potential Sweet 16 matchup. But the bottom half of the bracket is cake. And the toughest potential Final Four opponent is UNC whom they beat handily twice.

 

[dukegrad02]

Virginia, Villanova, Michigan, Duke

Nothing would make me happier than completing the path below to win the Championship. #6 and pure accomplishment. Nobody could argue we got it easy

Iona

Rhode Island

'
Michigan St.

'
Kansas

Villanova

Virginia

 

[dbav]

Duke out of the Midwest. That's all I got.

 

[dukedevilz]

A lot of people seem to think that UNC has a fairly manageable path to the FF - and they might be right. But their 2nd round game will not be easy. Certainly they have an edge playing in Charlotte, but Providence and Texas A&M are both really, really good. Providence just recently defeated Xavier in the Big East Tournament - and they took Nova to overtime in the Finals. They also beat Villanova in the regular season. That is a tough bunch of kids. Texas A&M has one of the best frontcourts in the nation. Talent-wise, I would say A&M is a top 10 team. I've honestly been worried for the past month that we might face A&M in the second round. Should be an interesting game whoever they play...

Past that, you're looking at potentially Michigan in the Sweet 16, who many would argue is the hottest team in the country with a 9-game winning streak, including wins over Ohio State, Michigan State, and Purdue. They also commit the second fewest turnovers in the nation (behind only UVA), and they have the #5 rated defense according to the KenPom efficiency metrics . Unless Jon Teske is in the game (12.9 minutes per game), Michigan is always going to have 5 guys in the game that can hit the 3 with relatively good accuracy. Michigan State strikes more fear in people, but Michigan might be the better team.

In the Elite 8, the two likely teams would be Xavier and Gonzaga. Everyone is dismissing Xavier in the West - very similar to how people were brushing off Gonzaga in 2017. I suppose people are always looking for a 1-seed that looks beatable, because naturally we don't like the idea of putting 4 #1 seeds in the FF. But let's remember that Xavier won the Big East outright with a 15-3 record; the Big East is the second highest rated conference according to the RPI. They probably aren't a top 5 title contender, but they could certainly go to the FF and make some noise. Finally, there is Gonzaga. The Zags, to me, look like the best team in the region. On top of that, the Regionals will be played in LA, which is certainly preferable to Gonzaga over UNC. Also, Gonzaga has more NBA talent on their roster than the Heels. Hachimura and Tillie will be 1st round picks whenver they come out (maybe Norvell, too). So UNC is certainly one of the favorites in the West, and they're certainly capable of returning to the FF, I just think the path they're going to have to take to get there is a bit challenging.

Anyway, my picks:
Virginia
Gonzaga
Villanova
Michigan State

Villanova over Virginia

 

[dachampishere2]

I hate it but:

1. Virginia keeps going - they are very efficient and I think they got a soft bracket.

2. UNC or Michigan with a slight lean in favor of UNC.

3. Villanova - They have a couple of sleepers in their bracket but they keep on making it a tradition to get in the final four.

4. Michigan State - I want so badly to say Duke, but I do not think this years team has what it takes to win. They get taken out by Mich State. If by some miracle they make the elite 8, they lose the next game. We watch on the sidelines while UNC - who has been better coached this year gets another final four under their belt while we speak of could've been and maybe get like KY and celebrate a meaningless draft victory.

I’m still trying to figure out this Michigan State hype. They haven’t done anything impressive this year. Big Ten was weak and their non conference schedule was pathetic

 

[Kobe #1]

Virginia
UNC
Florida
Kansas

I have Virginia over KU

 

[Mac9192]

I really want to say Duke coming out of the Midwest, but I can't. This team has just shown consistently that they're inconsistent. Hurts me to admit this. There is no evidence for anyone to pick us other than the "hope" that we play up to our talent.
We've had 33 games to become a really good team, but we aren't.
This team can win 6 in a row, but I'm not willing to put any money on that happening. Believe me, I want to be wrong.

 

[Mac9192]

I’m still trying to figure out this Michigan State hype. They haven’t done anything impressive this year. Big Ten was weak and their non conference schedule was pathetic

It's not so much the hype over anyone else, as much as it is our inconsistent play. We haven't shown championship play yet, and anyone who says otherwise needs to take off the duke goggles.

 

[hallside]

Is this a karma thing or do this many posters really believe Duke won't make it?!

Not knocking anyone, just surprised only about half think we'll make it to San Antonio. Tough bracket for sure, should be interesting to see how it plays out.

One thing seems sure, if we end up winning it all, it looks like we will really have to earn it.

 

[dukiejay]

I really want to say Duke coming out of the Midwest, but I can't. This team has just shown consistently that they're inconsistent. Hurts me to admit this. There is no evidence for anyone to pick us other than the "hope" that we play up to our talent.
We've had 33 games to become a really good team, but we aren't.
This team can win 6 in a row, but I'm not willing to put any money on that happening. Believe me, I want to be wrong.

That's pretty much the same as me. We're the best team in the country when it comes to playing well in 10 minute stretches, but far too often we go into extreme funks where scoring and protecting the basketball almost seem impossible.

I'm not worried about Iona, Oklahoma-Rhode Island, Michigan State or Kansas. I'm worried about us. We should and can beat every single team in our path. It's just that we've displayed so much inconsistency throughout the season that I find it hard to envision being able to keep the switch on for a full 40 minutes.

 

[pisgah101]

Is this a karma thing or do this many posters really believe Duke won't make it?!

Not knocking anyone, just surprised only about half think we'll make it to San Antonio. Tough bracket for sure, should be interesting to see how it plays out.

One thing seems sure, if we end up winning it all, it looks like we will really have to earn it.

Not karma. We want Duke to make it but be honest. What 4 game stretch have you seen from us that we're capable of getting there?