Final Four, Elite Eight and First-Round Upsets 2019 March Madness Picks

We’re getting even closer to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament — the NCAAB betting event that most people know as “March Madness.” We still have the rest of conference play to finish up, as well as conference tournaments, before we come to Selection Sunday and the first week of tournament play, but it’s not too early to start thinking about which teams might make the quarterfinals and the Final Four — and which teams will wash out in the first round, to the disappointment of their fans. This article is based on the projected bracket that NCAA.com basketball analyst Andy Katz has put together, with our own thoughts on who might advance.

Final Four, Elite Eight and First-Round Upsets 2019 March Madness Picks

Here is Sunday morning’s updated @CBSSports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings from @GaryParrishCBS — with some words on Gonzaga at the top. 1. Gonzaga 2. Duke 3. Virginia 4. Tennessee 5. Michigan 6. UK 7. UNC 8. Nevada 9. MSU 10. Houston …https://t.co/Ha25azhTLk

— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) 17 de febrero de 2019

The 1-seeds?

In Katz’s bracket, the 1-seeds are Gonzaga, Tennessee, Virginia and Duke. Despite the fact that Duke lost at home to North Carolina this week — losing freshman phenomenon Zion Williamson to a knee injury in the process — they still have beaten Virginia twice and also have taken down Louisville and Kentucky. Williamson is not expected to play against Syracuse this weekend and remains day-to-day. Tennessee might find trouble if they take any more SEC losses, though.

First Round Upsets?

Katz’s projections have Syracuse facing Temple as 7- and 10-seeds in the East region. Syracuse did go down to Duke and win, and they also beat Louisville at home, but they have taken some head-scratching losses this year as well, and despite the unique success of that 2-3 zone, they have a hard time scoring points. Temple could take advantage of that — and they are the only team to beat Houston this year. Another 10-seed over 7-seed upset could see Wofford knock off Cincinnati in the West region. Cincinnati has played reasonably well in the American, but that conference is down this year, while Wofford has rolled over conference opposition and also did well in a reasonably difficult non-conference slate. Mick Cronin’s Bearcats have historically underperformed in March Madness, and a first-round exit would not be a surprise. Villanova has already lost to Penn and Furman this year, and yet Katz has them slotted as a 5-seed in the South, set to play New Mexico State in the first round. Villanova does not have the strong guard play they have had in seasons past, and they also don’t have the solid interior presence. They also lost at Georgetown in Big East play. So while New Mexico State does not have imposing talent, they do have the stability in the backcourt to exploit Villanova’s lack of ball security. Houston is slotted as a three-seed in the Midwest, with UC-Irvine slotted as their 14-seed opponent. Houston only has the one loss so far (to Temple), but that is a Temple team that also got routed by Tulsa. Could UC-Irvine, or another automatic qualifier, knock off the Cougars? Houston is definitely over-seeded on the basis of a cupcake nonconference schedule and a softer-than-usual slate in the American, so this upset could become reality.

Elite Eight?

• West: LSU, Michigan State
• Midwest: Iowa State, North Carolina
• South: Texas Tech, Kentucky
• East: Duke, Michigan 

Final Four?

• West: Michigan State
• Midwest: North Carolina
• South: Kentucky
• East: Duke

Obviously, a lot could change between now and then — particularly the automatic qualifiers, and the regional placements of each team. However, my projections have three top seeds falling. Tennessee seems to be fading a bit down the stretch, and I have them falling to an Iowa State team that sneaks up on people in the Big 12, thanks to their tough guard play. I also see Gonzaga as fragile due to that long, easy stroll through the West Coast Conference, and LSU has flown under the radar a bit in the SEC. Virginia showed their tournament fragility a year ago in headline-worthy fashion and has never quite lived up to their claim to contender status, even though they have played well in the ACC, while Texas Tech pushed Duke hard in nonconference play and has stirred matters up in the Big 12. Finally, I do see Duke pushing to the Final Four, assuming that Zion Williamson return to form, and Michigan is also a solid contender based on the balance of their play this season.