Let the madness begin.
The NCAA Tournament began Tuesday night as eight teams battled for four coveted spots in the 64-team field and there’s certain to be plenty of headaches, triumphs and heartbreaks along the way. It happens every season and this year will be no exception.
Kansas (Midwest), Gonzaga (West), Villanova (East) and North Carolina are the top seeds and predicted to be preparing for the Final Four in two weeks. According to my bracket, only the Tar Heels and Villanova will advance to the national semifinals, joining No. 2 seed Arizona and seventh-seeded Michigan in Phoenix.
How do the four regions stack up? Here’s a glance of what I think will transpire in the next three weeks.
South Region
Kentucky, one of the hottest teams in the country and carrying an 11-game winning streak into the Big Dance, will have to overcome possible rematches against UCLA, which it lost to at home in December and also fend off North Carolina in the Eight Eight for the second time this year.
It will be an epic close call between the Cats and Tar Heels in Memphis, but North Carolina will be difficult to beat twice in one season, especially a Tar Heels squad that won the regular-season title in the Atlantic Coast Conference. If North Carolina loses early and Kentucky doesn’t falter, give the nod to the Wildcats.
Team to watch: Richard Pitino’s Minnesota Golden Gophers. Early exit: Arkansas.
East Region
In its quest to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Florida Gators accomplished the feat in 2006-07, Villanova will reach the Final Four for the second straight season, fending off ACC members Virginia and Duke in the Sweet Sixteen in New York.
Speaking of Florida, the Gators are capable of winning a pair of games in the tournament after falling to Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament last weekend in Nashville.
Team to watch: Baylor. The Bears showed potential early in the season, but dropped off considerably down the stretch. Early exit: Wisconsin.
Midwest Region
Kansas is the top seed in a relatively easy bracket, but sometimes things don’t always go according to plan this time of the year. The Jayhawks are certainly talented enough to reach the Final Four and win the national championship, but Michigan may be a team of destiny after winning the Big 10 Conference Tournament last weekend.
The Wolverines won the tourney following a plane mishap that forced the team to evacuate during a flight to the Big 10 Tournament last week. Michigan won four straight to take its first conference tournament title since 1998.
Michigan and Louisville could meet in the second round, with the Wolverines advancing all the way to the Final Four, overcoming league foe Purdue in the regional finals.
Team to watch: Creighton. Early exit: Louisville.
West Region
Gonzaga has lost one game this season, but that doesn’t mean the Zags are primed to overcome the big boys in the Big Dance and will have trouble proving their worth in this year’s tournament.
Notre Dame will be a tough out Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen, while second-seeded Arizona will breeze through the lower portion of the bracket and knock off the Irish in the regional finals.
Arizona is still the top team on the West Coast and is more than capable of winning the national championship.
Team to watch: Notre Dame. Early exit: West Virginia
Final Four
North Carolina will end Michigan’s magical postseason, while Arizona will overcome defending champion Villanova in the national semifinals.
The Tar Heels will be one tired team after beating the Wildcats and Wolverines. As a result, the Wildcats — Arizona’s version — will win the national title.
Right or wrong, that’s just one man’s opinion.
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter