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Arizona favored in wild NCAA bracket predictions
19 Mar
Summary
- Arizona is the top pick for the national championship in a staff survey.
- Multiple double-digit seeds are predicted to advance to the second round.
- Bold predictions include significant upsets and unexpected Final Four runs.
Arizona is the favored team to win the men's NCAA Tournament, according to a recent staff survey. Fourteen out of twenty-eight writers and editors selected the Wildcats as their national championship pick. The aggregated bracket predictions indicate potential for significant upsets, with several double-digit seeds expected to advance beyond the first round.
Notable upsets predicted include No. 10 Santa Clara over No. 7 Kentucky and No. 11 South Florida over No. 6 Louisville. Bold individual predictions also feature longshots like Akron, Penn, Hofstra, and even a 15-seed receiving votes. These picks signal a tournament that could deviate sharply from traditional seeding outcomes.
Looking further into the tournament, only Arizona, Michigan, Florida, and Houston received unanimous votes to reach the Sweet Sixteen. Several top seeds, including Gonzaga and UConn, are flagged as potentially vulnerable in earlier rounds. The Elite Eight predictions show Michigan as the only unanimous selection, with no seed lower than a No. 7 receiving any votes to advance that far.
In the Final Four, thirteen teams garnered at least one vote, with seven of the top eight seeds making the cut. Despite Arizona's favorite status, the Big Ten conference has received championship votes for Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois, potentially ending a 26-year title drought. Bold predictions also suggest an all-Big 12 championship game and a Cinderella run by Miami (Ohio).
