Wednesday, March 20, 2019

MY 2019 NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET CHEAT SHEET


MY 2019 NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET CHEAT SHEET
Our college hoops experts give you everything you need to set the best possible bracket. ESPN
Making your NCAA tournament picks is as much an art as it is a science. To aid you in your quest to become master of the bracket, we've corralled the best minds in the game to provide you with all the info you need to pick winners and emerge victorious in bracket contests.
Breaking down every team in the tournament from every angle:
Duke Blue Devils
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Virginia Cavaliers
North Carolina Tar Heels
The rest of the NCAA field.
GIANT KILLERS
Which underdogs are primed to make some noise and cause first-round upsets? The Giant Killers use a statistical model to help spot the teams most likely to outplay their seeds and take down the top squads in the bracket.
Top upset picks by region
East
  • No. 11. Belmont Bruins vs. No. 6 Maryland Terrapins (32 percent chance)
Midwest
  • No. 12 New Mexico State Aggies vs. No. 5 Auburn Tigers (24 percent chance)
South
  • No. 11 Saint Mary's Gaels vs. No. 6 Villanova Wildcats (26 percent chance)
West
  • No. 12 Murray State Racers vs. No. 5 Marquette Golden Eagles (34 percent chance)
MY BRACKET
I walk you through his entire bracket, game by game, and shows that picking the winner takes more than five minutes.
SWEET 16
WEST
Gonzaga vs. Florida St.
Buffalo vs. Michigan
SOUTH
Tennessee vs. Villanova
Virginia vs. Kansas State
MIDWEST
North Carolina vs. Auburn
Houston vs. Kentucky
EAST
Duke vs. Virginia Tech
Michigan St. vs. Belmont
ELITE EIGHT
WEST
Gonzaga vs. Michigan
SOUTH
Virginia vs. Tennessee
MIDWEST
North Carolina vs. Kentucky
EAST
Duke vs. Michigan St.
FINAL FOUR
Michigan vs. Duke
Virginia vs. North Carolina
TITLE GAME
Duke vs. North Carolina
Winner: North Carolina
VEGAS INSIGHTS
Which teams are the best bets to win it all, and which under-the-radar teams could make a surprising run? Our Vegas Insiders get you caught up on the best picks from the desert.
BEST VEGAS TITLE VALUES
Gonzaga (+450)
Virginia (6-1)
Tennessee (16-1)
Florida State (30-1)
TOP LONG-SHOT TITLE PICKS
Auburn (60-1)
Virginia Tech (80-1)
Nevada (100-1)
Louisville (100-1)
TOP NBA PROSPECTS IN THE TOURNAMENT
No. 1: Zion Williamson, PF, Duke
No. 2: Ja Morant, PG, Murray State
No. 3: Cam Reddish, SG, Duke
No. 4: RJ Barrett, G/F, Duke
HELPFUL HISTORICAL FACTS
When making your Final Four picks, consider these historical facts from the past 20 tournaments:
  • Seven of the past 10 champions had a player averaging at least 18.0 points per game (PPG)
  • 11 of 14 (78.6 percent) Final Four teams with an FG% of at least 56 percent made it to the title game (eight winners)
  • Three of the past four champions had the highest remaining FG% among Final Four teams (top-10 rate in the country)
  • Nine of 15 Final Four teams with an FG% of 50 percent or lower did not make the title game
  • Of the 80 Final Four teams the past 20 seasons, 67 (83.8 percent) held a top-10 rating in the polls at one point during the season.


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