Final Four Prediction Roundtable: Who Will Win The NCAA Tournament
A Final Four prediction roundtable with Campus Insiders staff members projecting who they believe will win the NCAA Tournament.
A Final Four prediction roundtable with Campus Insiders staff members projecting who they believe will win the NCAA Tournament.
Jeff Bartl
Final Four Prediction: Villanova, Arizona, Louisville, UCLA
National Champion Prediction: Arizona
Lauri Markkanen. Allonzo Trier. Rawle Alkins. Kadeem Allen. Sean Miller. The Wildcats are deep, versatile and well-coached. They can beat anyone in the country down low and on the perimeter. Not to mention they’re heading into the NCAA Tournament having shot at least 50 percent in five of their last six games. Arizona should’ve been a No. 1 seed and didn’t get the respect it deserved most of the season, including when it was playing so well even when Trier was serving a suspension. I’ve been set on the Wildcats for about a month now, and they’re my team to beat, hands down.
Dave Miller
Final Four Prediction: Villanova, Arizona, Louisville, Wichita State
National Champion Prediction: Louisville
I’m putting myself out there as the lead conductor of the Donovan Mitchell train. The star guard had a breakout season for Louisville en route to being named an all-ACC first team performer. He has improved his accuracy from long range and can carry this team to the Final Four with his scoring ability and defensive acumen at the other end of the court.
As for Wichita State, I am going out on a limb with that risky pick. But Gregg Marshall’s Shockers aren’t a traditional No. 10 seed. Wichita State is deadly from 3-point range, and the team is very deep. A Final Four run is quite possible despite a potential brutal second-round matchup against Kentucky.
In a Wildcats vs. Wildcats Final Four matchup on the other side of the bracket, Arizona will outlast Jay Wright’s defending national champs. In the national championship game, Rick Pitino’s squad will do enough defensively against Allonzo Trier and Lauri Markkanen to squeak out a win in the season’s final contest to conclude a wild 2016-17 college hoops campaign.
Sam Falcone
Final Four Prediction: Duke, Gonzaga, Louisville, UCLA
National Champion Prediction: Duke
Luke Kennard has been the one constant for this Duke team all season. Now, his teammates are starting to get on board after a regular season in which they struggled to put the pieces together. Jayson Tatum is beginning to emerge as a star. Amile Jefferson is providing an important veteran presence. Frank Jackson is starting to look like the player we saw in the first month of the season. And we haven’t even mentioned Grayson Allen yet. Duke looks like the preseason No. 1 team everyone was expecting out of the gate, and its ACC Championship is proof. These Blue Devils won’t be stopped in March.
Brian Stultz
Final Four Prediction: Villanova, Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky
National Champion Prediction: Kentucky
This Kentucky team is hitting its peak at the right moment, winning 13 games in a row behind the amazing play of Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox. Those two freshman, along with Bam Adebayo and the supporting cast are good enough to run through this tournament. John Calipari likes the way his team is playing together, and that will lead to the program’s ninth national title.
Rob Judin
Final Four Prediction: Baylor, Kansas, Arizona, UCLA
National Champion Prediction: UCLA
Lots of people are hopping on the Arizona train right now, and I’ll tag along for a quick ride, but I’m not picking the Wildcats to take all the marbles. They’ll cruise past North Dakota State and will have an easier time with Florida State than many believe. But they’ll eventually fall to Baylor, who I believe will get hot in the tourney and control the paint. Kansas will steamroll just about everyone until it gets matched up against UCLA. The Bruins will rely on Lonzo Ball to have a Carmelo Anthony-like performance and lead them to a national title.
