Well the NCAA brackets are out, and if you are an ACC Team in the Tournament I think the brackets are pretty favorable. Miami was snubbed from a NCAA bid. It wasn’t an earth shattering snub. The Hurricanes were squarely on the bubble coming to Selection Sunday. They had the one great win at Duke, and a win against NC State, but in the end there weren’t enough high end wins. That said you could certainly make an argument for Miami over an Ole Miss, Georgia or UCLA.
#3 Notre Dame – MidWest
Projected – Elite 8
Somebody had to be in Kentucky’s bracket right? Before they get there, I like this draw for the Irish. Northeastern won’t pose a problem for Notre Dame. The winner of Texas/Butler will have trouble defending the Irish. In the Sweet 16, the Irish could face a Kansas team that I have not liked all year. The Jayhawks won’t have an answer for Jerian Grant.
Of the ACC’s participants the Irish are one of the most equipped to beat Kentucky. Kentucky has not faced a team anywhere near as efficient as Notre Dame is on offense. The Irish will obviously be undersized against Kentucky, and that will be their eventual undoing.
#4 North Carolina – West
Projected – Sweet 16
The Heels will get Harvard in round 1, and will have to much size for them. Arkansas is an overrated 5 seed, that lost to Clemson earlier in the year. UNC should be able to get to the sweet 16 before facing Wisconsin. I think the run ends there, as the Heels run up a very good Wisconsin team, that is extremely sound fundamentally. The Heels can play excellent basketball in stretches, but have trouble consistently putting a full 40 minutes together.
#8 NC State – East
Projected – Round of 32
NC State is big enough to match up with LSU’s size in round 1. LSU is another SEC team that lost to Clemson earlier in the year. The Wolfpack then got the weakest 1 seed in Villanova. I really think the Wolfpack can win that game, but I just don’t have the guts to call it. The Wolfpack’s inability defend to Duke in the ACC Tourney left a bad memory for me.
#4 Louisville – East
Projected – Sweet 16
If Louisville had Chris Jones, I’d almost certainly have them through to the Elite 8. Frankly the Cardinals haven’t played well for the most part in recent weeks. UC Irvine shouldn’t be an issue in round 1. Northern Iowa is well coached, but I don’t think will have the athleticism to keep up with the Cardinals. Like with NC State, the Cardinals can beat Villanova, I just can’t pull the trigger.
#2 Virginia – East
Projected – Final 4
I’m going to take a chance on Virginia here. Nobody knows if Justin Anderson will return to his pre-injury form. If he does then I’m very confident the Hoos will come out of this region, and be a national title threat. If he’s still struggling though, Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans are a potential landmine in the round of 32.
Oklahoma is the 3 seed in this region, but a healthy Virginia is better than they are.
#1 Duke – South
Projected – National Title Game
I said on twitter, that Coach K hand picked this region for the Blue Devils. Not only does Duke get their first two rounds in Charlotte, but neither San Diego St. or St. Johns in round should threaten Duke.
Georgetown is a gift of a 4 seed, and if its Utah at 5 you still heavily favor Duke. Gonzaga is the 2 seed and a good team, but I don’t think they can handle the Duke guards. This really is a favorable bracket for Duke. If Duke can’t at least get to the Elite 8, I’d be shocked.
The Final 4 could be a matchup with Virginia. A healthy Cavalier team is a toss-up, and I’d take Duke over anyone else in the East. Could we see a Duke\Kentucky Final?
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