March Madness has made its way to Boulder, and for a good reason: The Buffaloes are in the NCAA Tournament.
While I’m sure the majority of our sports writers are tempted to have CU go all the way, here are the determining factors of which teams we think are going to be wearing out their dancing shoes. There’s still time to follow our lead or stay very far away from our choices.
Marlee Horn (Marlee.horn@colorado.edu):
I spent a lot of time on this bracket, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. I made three other brackets, all with University of Kentucky and Syracuse University making it to the final. In this one, I did something that kind of hurts my heart. I put Duke University in Kentucky’s place. Kentucky is great at making it to the Final Four, but it has a hard time closing things out (which was evident in the SEC Championship game). Yes, they’re the No. 1 overall seed, but I’m unsure if they can take it all the way. When people chose Duke to win it all in 2010, I thought they were crazy, and the Blue Devils ended up winning it all that year. It was hard for me not to just pick teams I really like, but I do have Colorado going to the Sweet 16 and Florida State University going to the Elite Eight.
I don’t have Colorado State making it beyond the first round.
Caryn Maconi (Caryn.maconi@colorado.edu):
My Colorado Buffs will make it to the Final Four. My brother works for the athletic department at Florida State University, so I really want to see our teams take each other on in the semifinals. As much as I want CU to make it to the championship game, I think FSU will oust the Buffs. I have Michigan State University and Florida State playing in the national championship, with the Seminoles taking the title. With a national championship under their belts, FSU will sell lots of tickets next year, which means my brother will make more money. So maybe one day he can buy me a car. Go Noles!
Ryan Sterner (Ryan.sterner@colorado.edu):
Back in 2007, my high school held a city-wide bracket challenge. My friend’s mom ended up winning by picking the names of places she’d been to or colleges that sounded “cute.” This bracket is an homage to my friend’s mom and her flawless logic and stay-at-home determination. I picked Syracuse.
Scott Annis (Robert.annis@colorado.edu):
University of North Carolina is mad after being upset in the ACC Tournament. I think the team will bring aggressiveness and carry it all the way to a championship. University of Missouri has been undervalued all season, but I have them in the finals. They hustle like no other team and rarely turn over the ball. My biggest upset comes in the Sweet 16 with Wichita State University beating Kentucky. Kentucky is a young team (as always), and Wichita State is a very experienced team with a lot of scorers. They are a top 10 shooting team who averages more points per game than Kentucky.
Andy McDonnell (Andrew.mcdonnell@colorado.edu):
CUI Sports made brackets on what they believe will be the outcome for March Madness. (CU Independent/Andy McDonnell)
Covering Colorado as they won the inaugural Pac-12 Championship was an exciting moment, one that will be hard to surpass on my momentous moments list since I became a Buff, but I would not dare turn my back on CU less than 48 hours after it. I’m picking, and truly believing, in the Buffaloes to win the National Championship. Yes, I said National Championship. It’s not the sole reason, but I have to. It’s “destiny.” If I were to pick somebody other than the Colorado Buffaloes to win it all, which I’m most definitely not, then I’d go with…
Mark McNeillie (Mark.mcneillie@colorado.edu):
I tried to be original. I really did. I tried to pick some good upsets, but really, I don’t see anything major happening in this tournament. Three teams have separated themselves from the rest, and I really can’t see it going any other way. I’ll probably regret this. My Final Four is North Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky and Syracuse. Mizzou has a rather easy field to get through, and Michigan State University is probably the weakest No.1 seed. I think Kentucky will win. Too much talent not to. A rematch between North Carolina and Kentucky in the final will be a fantastic game. As far as the Buffaloes, there will be no one-and-done. The Buffs will beat University of Nevada, Las Vegas, but will fall in the third round to Baylor University. And those kids from Fort Collins? They’re getting blown out by Murray State University.
Joe Wirth (Joseph.wirth@colorado.edu):
I’ve seen upsets and I’ve seen No. 1 reign,
I’ve seen Cinderella stories I thought would never end.
I’ve seen lonely times when my picks and reality wouldn’t amend,
but I always thought I’d see UK versus UNC again.
Read it and weep, y’all. I’m going to Carolina in my mind. The Buffs will fight valiantly and dance their way all the way to the Sweet 16, only to be taken down by another team from “Tobacco Road” in the Duke Blue Devils. Because of a weak field this year, there aren’t going to be too many upsets and no big Cinderella like Butler University and George Mason University in the past. But watch out Rick Pitino, growing up at Davidson basketball camp, I know just how tough Bob McKillop grooms his teams to be
Shay Knolle (Shay.knolle@colorado.edu):
This bracket isn’t based on numbers, in-depth research, hours of painstakingly detailed analysis, school history, favoritism or any college basketball knowledge whatsoever. I (admittedly) don’t follow college basketball as close as I should. So, essentially every pick was made based on pure gut instinct and an unexplainable soft-spot for a certain team in the Big 10 (Michigan State). Dumb luck trumps expertise any day.
Contact CU Independent Sports Writers at Tips@cuindependent.com.
