2018 March Madness Predictions (Final Four, Elite Eight, First Round)

We’re not that far away from the beginning of March Madness — the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. While the exact seedings will not be finalized until the end of the conference tournaments, which means that we don’t know what the final matchups will be, we’re taking a look today at the ESPN Bracketology predictions and using those to come up with some March Madness betting predictions about who will make it to the Elite Eight and the Final Four — and who will wash out after the first round.

2018 March Madness Predictions (Final Four, Elite Eight, First Round)

It’s not a place…#MarchMadness is a sound! And it starts MARCH 13TH! pic.twitter.com/eGT4sP3xOO

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) February 17, 2018

South Region

Virginia comes in as the projected top seed here, and if they can win out in the ACC’s regular season and do well in the conference tournament, they will have earned it. They would face the winner of Nicholls State and Savannah State, according to this projection, and should roll easily. The 8-9 match up in that bracket would feature Alabama and Seton Hall — and I have a lot more respect for the rigor of the Big East and Seton Hall’s success than for what Alabama has done, so I would pick the Pirates with the 9-seed. Other upsets from that bracket for me would include Vermont over West Virginia — no one crashes quite as splendidly as Bob Huggins and the Press Virginia attack, which does terrifically for the first two-thirds of the season but then bogs down in crunch time. The play-in winner of Louisville and St. Bonaventure would face Michigan (6), and Michigan has been foundering in Big Ten play — another potential upset. Nevada has risen to a 7-seed and takes on Virginia Tech in this bracket, and the ACC exposure of the Hokies could lead them to take down a Nevada team that has not had many challenges in conference play. Elite Eight: Virginia vs Auburn Regional Champion: Virginia

West Region

The top seed here is projected to be Kansas, who may be the shakiest of the four one-seeds. To be sure, Kansas has emerged in the Big 12, but a lack of depth and a lack of commitment to rebounding has caused them some real problems in conference play. I don’t think Harvard would upset them in the first round, but they would potentially have to get through Rhode Island or Arizona to get to the Elite Eight. On the bottom half of the West bracket, we have a number of potential upsets. Oklahoma is projected as a 10-seed in this bracket, and it is true that they have absolutely fallen off the table in the Big 12 — and could slide all the way out of the tournament at this rate. But right now, if Trae Young can figure things out, Oklahoma could turn around and surprise 7-seed Houston, so keep an eye on that. Also, 11-seed Baylor has beaten Kansas among some quality wins and could take down 6-seed Butler. And what about North Carolina? That projected three-seed has a lot to do with name recognition rather than quality of play. I think they’d get by Charleston, but how much further would they go after that? Elite Eight: Arizona vs Michigan State Regional Champion: Michigan State

East Region

Villanova is projected as the top seed here, with a bout with the winner of Wagner and Southern as their opening round game. The nine-seed Arkansas could very easily take down 8-seed St. Mary’s (CA), who has only had to deal with Gonzaga in conference play. Buffalo is a 13-seed that could definitely use their guard speed to surprise 4-seed Tennessee. North Carolina State is a projected 11-seed who has pulled off some big ACC wins this year, including wins over North Carolina and Duke. Could they shock 6-seed Arizona State, who has shown a lot of inconsistency this season? Absolutely. 10-seed Providence, who has a win over Villanova this year, could upset 7-seed Missouri. And how far will 2-seed Duke go without Marvin Bagley? Elite Eight: Villanova vs Texas Tech Regional Champion: Villanova

Midwest Region

I see Xavier as the top seed and Florida Gulf Coast as the projected 16-seed here, and I remember the year FGCU dunked their way to the Final Four, shocking everyone in their path. Can they become the first 16-seed ever to knock off a 1-seed? Xavier has been tough to deal with this year, but if they falter down the stretch in the Big East tournament, they won’t keep that 1-seed. USC and Syracuse are projected to take the play-in to face Kentucky, and either of those teams could upset a Kentucky team that hasn’t played defense all season. Middle Tennessee is a projected 11-seed that could surprise Florida State. Wichita State is a 3-seed that should beat Belmont but might not go much further. Can Kansas State surprise Florida as the 10-seed? They have better interior defense and can grind opponents down. Elite Eight: Xavier vs Kansas State Regional Champion: Xavier