Final Four Staff picks
Christian McKinnon
Kansas shouldn’t have any real trouble until the Sweet 16, where they’ll most likely meet Maryland. Maryland is a team with a few NBA guys, but Kansas should get past them. I have Kansas playing against Miami, the 3 seed, in the Elite 8. Miami isn’t a school typically known for its basketball prowess, and I give the edge to the more experienced Jayhawks.
Oklahoma is another lock for the Final Four. The Sooners will have to go through Texas A&M and Oregon. I’m still not convinced that Oregon is a legitimate No. 1 seed, so I’m feeling pretty confident we’ll see the Sooners in Houston.
It’s anyone’s ballgame in the East region. I expect West Virginia to come out on top. They will play the winner of Kentucky-North Carolina, and I expect the Mountaineers to beat the worn-out winner of that matchup.
Michigan State, for one reason: Tom Izzo. Izzo finally has a team with the talent to win it all. With the success Izzo has found with lesser teams, I expect him to win it all with the talent he has this year. I expect Sparty to be the last team dancing at the end of the tournament.
— christian.mckinnon.15@gmail.com
Twitter: @CFMcKinnon
Daniel Hansen
Oklahoma, Michigan State, UNC, and Cal will meet this year in the Final Four.
This year, the tournament will come down to three factors: athletic ability, star power, and coaching. Oklahoma, Michigan State, Cal, and UNC will rely on those factors to make it to the Final Four.
Oklahoma has the best player in the tournament on their side with Buddy Hield. A stellar supporting cast around the Wooden Award contender should propel the Sooners into the Final Four.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is arguably the best coach in the country, having gone to seven Final Fours of the past 20. MSU should again make it.
While not a popular pick, Cal was one of the hottest teams in the country over the second half of the season and has the athletic prowess to make a deep tournament run.
UNC, led by coach Roy Williams, has both the coaching and star power necessary to survive the turmoil that is March Madness and make it to Houston.
North Carolina is my pick to take it all. Williams and a star-studded Tar Heels team overcomes an all-time great performance by Hield to bring home the championship.
Or I could be completely wrong. But that’s March Madness.
— onthecornerofmainstreet.dh@gmail.com
Twitter: @TheGrandDanny
Thomas Sorenson
I think Kansas, Oklahoma, UNC and Michigan State are going to be the Final Four teams this year, and I’ve got the Jayhawks taking it all.
KU is talented and deep. Four different players average double figures for the Big 12 champs, including senior Perry Ellis.
For Oklahoma, senior guard Buddy Hield is the key. He put up an incredible 46 points against KU in January and is the second-leading scorer in the nation at 25 points per game. Oklahoma has both experience and continuity — the Sooners had the same starting five for every game this season and four of the five are upper-classmen.
North Carolina is led by 6-foot-10 senior forward Brice Johnson, who averaged 16.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Joel Berry III, Marcus Paige and Justin Jackson all average in double-figures for the Tarheels.
Finally, Michigan State very well could have been a one-seed. The well-named Tom Izzo is among the best coaches in the nation and senior guard Denzel Valentine is one of the best all-around players, averaging 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists while shooting 45 percent from deep.
— thomas.sorenson@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @tomcat340
Ben Fordham
Arizona will face Oklahoma and Seton Hall will take on Kentucky in this year’s Final Four. The tournament is so unpredictable every year but these match ups are very possible.
Duke and Kansas are hard to bet against because both schools have great coaches and talented players but I can’t see either school making it to the Final Four this year.
Seton Hall could surprise a lot of people in this tournament. The Pirates have played extremely well the past few months with impressive wins over Xavier, Villanova, St. John’s and Providence.
Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield is the best player in college basketball and more than capable of leading the Sooners to the Final Four. Oklahoma could be the best team in the tournament.
John Calipari will find a way to get Kentucky back to the Final Four. The Wildcats are dangerous and hungry after a disappointing Final Four loss to Wisconsin in last year’s tournament.
Oklahoma will defeat Calipari and the Wildcats in the championship game to earn the program’s first NCAA Tournament title.
— bfordhamsix@gmail.com
Twitter: @bfordham6