Expert NCAA Tournament bracket picks: Del’s 2014 March Madness selections

For the first time since he actually starting paying attention to sports, Del put together an extremely respectable NCAA Tournament bracket last year. Picking Louisville to win the national championship and riding Michigan to the Final Four netted Del about $1,000 in March Madness pools. But enough bragging — we all know this is a “what have you done for me lately?” world.

I would imagine very few brackets this year will feature all No. 1 seeds in the Final Four, and that’s probably for the best. Not only does it rarely happen, but there are some teams that definitely deserve to be seeded higher than they are (ahem, Louisville, ahem).

Like in past years, Del is going with mostly chalk. Will there be a Cinderella team or two that manages to will its way to the Sweet 16 and beyond? Most likely, but there’s nothing wrong with playing the odds. After all, the higher-seeded teams have been given higher seeds for a reason. I’m riding three of the four No. 1 seeds (Florida, Virginia and Arizona) to the Final Four and picking Louisville to emerge out of the incredibly difficult Midwest Region. I like Rick Pitino’s chances to repeat and cut down the nets.

Here is Del’s 2014 NCAA Tournament bracket. Click twice to see the large version of each section:

Below is a more in-depth breakdown of each region.

South Region

While Kansas has always proven to be a tough tournament team, there is just too much uncertainty surrounding the Joel Embiid injury situation. There has been some speculation that he could return by the Elite 8, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be at 100% even if he does. New Mexico is a dangerous team that can spread the ball around, and they’ll have a great opportunity if they get past Stanford in the first round. The Lobos lost to Kansas 80-63 at the beginning of the season, but we know how much those games mean. Without Embiid, Kansas will need Andrew Wiggins to play mistake-free basketball. It won’t be easy.

Coaching makes a huge difference in the tournament, and Jim Boeheim is one of the greatest of all-time. Syracuse closed out the season on a 2-5 run, but expect Boeheim to address those mistakes and put a different team on the floor going forward. There’s no reason the Orange can’t reach the Elite 8, where they would likely face Florida in an intriguing matchup.

Did we mention coaching? Billy Donovan has already won two national championships with the Gators. Four of his five starters are seniors who have led the team on a 26-game winning streak entering the tournament. Florida has made it look easy against some tough teams and can force turnovers. They should be capable of creating havoc for opponents, which is always a great strategy when teams are trying to contend with March Madness jitters. I’ll take the obvious pick and ride the Gators to the Final Four and beyond.

The most intriguing matchup in the South could be VCU vs. Stephen F. Austin (who?) in the Round of 64. While many experts have picked Stephen F. Austin as a sleeper, how can you bet against Shaka Smart in the postseason? That guy has proven he can get the job done on numerous occasions, and I think he’ll quiet the noise.

East Region

People love picking against No. 1 seeds in the later rounds on principle when filling out their brackets, and Virginia may be flying under the radar because of it. The Cavaliers aren’t normally a team we see as a top seed in The Dance, so people seem to feel comfortable assuming they’ll fall victim to an upset. I wouldn’t be so sure. Tony Bennett’s team cruised through the ACC this season and won 16 out of its last 17 games, including wins over No. 4 Syracuse and No. 7 Duke. Virginia’s offensive and defensive stats aren’t impressive, but they’re one of the scrappiest teams in the country. That’s why I like them to get through popular pick Michigan State and reach the Final Four.

As for the Spartans, they have gotten healthy at a perfect time and are playing some of their best basketball of the season. Momentum can be huge, and the potential of seeing a complete team at the perfect time has the nation excited about Tom Izzo’s squad. Again, I feel Virginia is not getting the respect it deserves and can knock off the Spartans in the Sweet 16.

One team to watch in the East Region will be UConn. Yes, I’m a UConn graduate who is certainly biased, but guard play can carry a team in the postseason. The Huskies will likely go as far as reigning AAC Player of the Year Shabazz Napier will take them. Napier and Ryan Boatright make up one of the best guard tandems in the country when they’re on. While I wouldn’t be shocked if St. Joseph’s beat UConn in the Round of 64, I also wouldn’t be stunned to see the Huskies take down Villanova and make a bit of a run.

Iowa State, led by Melvin Ejim, Georges Niang, and DeAndre Kane, is another team I could see making a run. The Cyclones are a program on the rise, yet they still seem to fly under the radar. They’ve earned their No. 3 seed this season, which is why I have them in the Elite 8 losing to Virginia.

West Region

As LB pointed out earlier this week, Arizona was missing Brandon Ashley for all — or almost all — of its four losses this season. Coincidence? I think not. The West Region is not all that strong, which should allow the Wildcats to get back into a groove and shake off losing two of their last four games. They’re one of the top rebounding teams in the country, though you could argue they have not been tested. I still see plenty of talent here in a weaker region.

Elsewhere, I like No. 6 seed Baylor to make a bit of a run and possibly give Arizona some problems. The Bears started off 2-8 in Big 12 play but never packed it in, as Scott Drew got his team to stick to what they do best and finish the season strong. Senior forward Cory Jefferson is a great rebounder who can score in the low post. Those players are incredibly valuable in March. I like Baylor to knock off Creighton and Wisconsin to reach the Elite 8.

I know, Creighton has Doug McDermott. He’s one of the best players in college basketball and could conceivably carry his team to the Final Four. That said, Creighton’s defense and rebounding (199th in the nation) leave a lot to be desired. Physical play often wins out in March, and the Bluejays have a tendency to loaf when the ball isn’t in their hands. I could be wrong, but I’m predicting that will be their demise.

Midwest Region

What can I say about the Midwest Region that hasn’t already been said? It’s loaded. Any one of Wichita State, Michigan, Duke, Louisville, or even Kentucky could win it all. Kentucky has the talent, but I don’t see it happening. They were disappointing all season long and I expect that to continue in the tournament.

As for the others, Wichita State is never going to get the respect it deserves unless it comes out firing. The Shockers only ran the table with a perfect 34-0 season, yet the selection committee stuck them in what has been labeled the “Region of Death.” Michigan and Duke are two teams that will live and die by the three. In recent years, Duke has died by it come tourney time. If the Blue Devils can’t hit shots from the perimeter, they’ll be destined for another early exit. The time for Jabari Parker to shine and really show he is an NBA prospect is now.

Louisville could easily be a No. 1 seed, but the selection committee clearly has very little respect for the AAC. Rick Pitino’s team won 12 of its last 13 games and destroyed some quality opponents along the way. Winning back-to-back national championships is incredibly difficult, but the Cardinals have the talent and veteran leadership in Russ Smith to get it done. The No. 4 seed should only motivate them even more.

Don’t expect any surprises from the Midwest Region — especially with all the championship contenders it features. It would be a shock if a Cinderella team emerged. I just can’t bring myself to pick against Louisville after they were so good to me a year ago.

Good luck, folks. Try not to give up on Thursday. Let the bracket play out — you might be surprised.