On April 3, one team will hoist the coveted NCAA men’s basketball tournament trophy in Houston, Texas. This season has felt more wide open than any other, and — in looking at the bracket — there are several teams that have a legitimate shot at a title.
There are a lot of things to take into account when building your bracket like which teams have the hardest paths, KenPom rankings and injuries, location and momentum. Is Duke peaking at the wrong time? Will Marcus Sasser be available? Who has the best vibes right now?
After all that analysis, we asked our staff for their Final Four picks and national champion. Let’s get to it.
Blake Schuster - Kansas
Final Four: Texas A&M, Marquette, Creighton, Kansas
Champion: Kansas
Reasoning: Kansas just played arguably its worst game of the season in a Big 12 tournament title game that saw them down their best defender and head coach. Does anyone see that happening again? Really? Even with a tough draw — and some nonsense logic by the NCAA to put the Jayhawks in the West rather than the Midwest — the Jayhawks remain one of the best teams in the country and have seemingly kept improving with the emergence of big man Ernest Udeh on the bench, the recent scoring of Dajuan Harris Jr. and a defense that can disrupt any offensive style. If Bill Self is back on the sidelines, look for the Jayhawks to cut down the nets again.
Caroline Darney - Texas
Final Four: Texas, Purdue, Virginia, Gonzaga
Champion: Texas
Reasoning: Hi, I’m here to annoy everyone with a Gonzaga pick. The Zags are completely off the radar as a 3-seed this season and don’t have all the pressure of a top-seeded, undefeated squad like in years past. They looked GREAT in the WCC final, so let’s get weird. I worry about the health of Houston, so going with a top notch Texas team out of the Midwest, and if Purdue can’t make it work this year, it might happen any time soon. Virginia will either lose in the first round or make the Final Four. No in-between. Let’s go with Texas to win it. I hate all of my picks immediately.
Prince Grimes - UCLA
Final Four: Houston, Memphis, Arizona, UCLA
Champion: UCLA
Reasoning: I know the biggest surprise here is Memphis, but the Tigers are feeling good about themselves after knocking off Houston to win the AAC. They also have enough bodies to through at Purdue big man Zach Edey in a potential second-round matchup, and they’re a more veteran team than the Duke squad they could face in the Sweet 16. That takes me to UCLA, who I picked to win the whole thing because of the experience of the Bruins’ best players. Those guys have been together so long and they’ve gotten better each year. They’re due for a deep tournament run.
Mitchell Northam - Duke
Final Four: Houston, Duke, N.C. State, UConn
Champion: Duke
Reasoning: Well, I don’t see N.C. State’s kryptonite Clemson in this bracket, so I’m picking the Wolfpack to make a run to the Final Four. And when they get there, Duke and Kyle Filipowski will be waiting for them after eviscerating the East region; Oral Roberts and Purdue and whoever else don’t stand a chance if Jon Scheyer is wearing all-black with all-white Air Forces again. Houston looks great and should breeze through the midwest, and I think UConn can get back on-track by blowing out Rick Pitino in the first round. Duke has won nine games in a row and looks like one of the hottest teams in the country. I like the Blue Devils’ chances of beating Houston in the national title game (as long as Duke can survive Armageddon Part 2 of facing another Triangle rival in the Final Four).
Robert Zeglinski - Duke
Final Four: Houston, Duke, Arizona, Kansas
Champion: Duke
Reasoning: Do I have a legitimate basketball reason for picking the Blue Devils to win the title? I cannot say that I do! Do I have a on-court poetic (and hilariously underrated) reason? I do. Wouldn’t it be incredible to watch a resilient Duke team under Jon Scheyer win the title just one year after Mike Krzyzewski fell short in his swan song? C’mon. Someone’s gotta be with me here. Just imagine Coach K watching the festivities, thinking it could’ve been him at the very end. Someone has to see the blue and white light and the comedy. All of that said: Duke isn’t going anywhere, folks. We’ll still be stuck with them … for years.
Andrew Joseph - Kansas
Final Four: Texas, Duke, Alabama, Kansas
Champion: Kansas
Reasoning: Kansas certainly should have been the top seed in the Midwest, but having to spend a weekend in Las Vegas isn’t necessarily a punishment. If the Jayhawks can make it past UConn — which will be tough given Kansas’ limited bench — the path opens up nicely for Bill Self’s squad. Looking at the rest of the bracket, Duke has been among the nation’s best teams at full strength and seems to be getting hot at the right time. Alabama has to love its path, and Texas has a considerable athletic edge against every team in its region. When it’s all said and done, though, I like Kansas to repeat as champs.
Bryan Kalbrosky - Houston
Final Four: Houston, Marquette, Alabama, UConn
Champion: Houston
Reasoning: Only once since the KenPom era began in 2003 has a team won a national title without finishing top-25 in both offense and defense. The teams that meet that criteria this year are UCLA, Alabama, Houston, Texas, and UConn. Among that group, Houston is the only team that is top-15 in both offense (11) and defense (5) this season. I’ll take those odds.
THE BRACKETS ARE BACK! The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back! $1 MILLION grand prize for a perfect bracket, $25,000 prize for top bracket. Free to enter, 21+. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules. Play now!
Charles Curtis - Kansas
Final Four: Texas, Marquette, Alabama, Kansas
Champion: Kansas
Reasoning: Rock Chalk Jayhawk? OK, sure, I’m sold. I do think Texas is underrated heading into the tourney, though.
Jordan Tomiyama - Duke
Final Four: Texas, Duke, Arizona, UCLA
Champion: Duke
Reasoning: Have to ride with Jon Scheyer and Duke. They’ve caught momentum and have been playing really good ball as of late. If they stay healthy and hit some timely shots, I think they’re going to very tough to beat. A veteran UCLA squad is my dark horse to win it as well but I hope to see the Blue Devils hoist the trophy at the end.
Mary Clarke - Kansas
Final Four: Houston, Duke, Alabama, Kansas
Champion: Kansas
Reasoning: Even though Kansas stumbled at the finish line of the Big 12 tournament, the Jayhawks very well should have been the top team in the Midwest. And the rest of the field will likely pay for it, as even though the West side of the bracket is deep, I have a feeling the Jayhawks will show the selection committee why they shouldn’t have doubted them in short order. Back to back NCAA tournament wins for Bill Self and crew? Yes please!
Cory Woodruff - Marquette
Final Four: Houston, Marquette, Virginia, Kansas
Champion: Marquette
Reasoning: You’re far better off reading the insight from my esteemed FTW colleagues, but I’ll go Marquette to take the tourney since Shaka Smart is due to win a bracket at some point in his career.
