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Let the Madness Begin

The brackets are set and we are ready for everyone's favorite time of the year. Even if you don't have a dog in the fight, most people will tune in and keep an eye on the excitement of March Madness. Here is a breakdown of each region and it's top teams and potential Cinderellas.

Duke tops the field as the #1 overall seed. Many thought the Blue Devils were the best team last year, however a very physical Houston team ousted them in the Semifinals. Duke is just as strong this year however injuries to two starters in Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba could be costly. Both are questionable when there return is likely. Foster's injury could be lengthier.

UConn and St. John's are in the East as is Michigan State making this a very interesting bracket. Michigan State and Duke have a long tournament history and could meet in the Elite Eight. Kansas is inconsistent while UCLA is playing its best basketball and Louisville could surprise and opponent or two.

In the South, Florida was the hottest team in the country before getting blasted by Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament. Houston may not be as good as last year but there is the likelihood we can have rematch of last year's championship game between the two in the regional final.

Vanderbilt is dangerous and deserved a much higher seed while Illinois has talent but they have been inconsistent down the stretch.

Arizona is the top seed in the West and dominated the Big 12. No. 2 seed Purdue won four games in the Big Ten tournament but is hard to trust. They played the perfect game against Michigan on Sunday. Arkansas may be the most intriguing as they have the best guard in the country in Darius Acuff. Only a freshman but he can take over a game single handily while the Hogs have a solid supporting cast around him.

Michigan is the class of the Midwest but they have shown chinks in their armor lately. The Big Ten hasn't won national championship since 2000. Iowa State and Virginia are two teams worth watching. Both have lineups capable of making a postseason run but maybe not enough size or depth to handle Michigan. Alabama has the potential to make a run but need more consistency. Texas Tech slipped to a No. 5 seed after the loss of JT Toppin but they are battled tested and could make a deep run.

Potential Cinderellas are South Florida, VCU and Troy. South Florida is on an 11-game winning streak and went 17-3 in the final 20 games while VCU closed the season with a 21-3 record over the final 24 games and won 16 of its last 17 games. Troy is the first team to win back-to-back Sun Belt tournament titles since Georgia State did so in 2018 and 2019 and face a Nebraska team that has never won a game in the NCAA Tournament.

The action all starts on Thursday. Expect the unexpected from upsets to buzzer beaters and let the Madness begin.