Are you ready for March Madness? Here are our top tips for putting together a winning bracket. Don’t forget, we’re giving away 100,000,000 SPORTS tokens to anyone who gets a perfect bracket in ZenSports. Read all the contest rules here.
No. 12 Winthrop (+6.5) over No. 5 Villanova
The Winthrop Eagles have lost only one time this entire season and carry a 23-1 record into the tournament after winning the Big South Conference Championship. They are a dynamic scoring team, ranking 30th in the nation on offense with 79.5 points per game. Since senior guard Collin Gillespie suffered a torn MCL, the Wildcats have struggled down the stretch losing three out of their last four games. Villanova still may possess a dominant starting five, but the void left by Gillespie may make them vulnerable to this high-powered veteran Eagles squad.
No. 11 MSU over No. 6 BYU
BYU is one of the deepest teams of the tournament sporting a rotation of 10 players who average minutes in the double digits. However, should MSU defeat UCLA in Thursday’s First Four play-in game, the Cougars will have to take on the Spartans. Led by Hall-of-Fame head coach Tom Izzo, this MSU squad can be dangerous to any team who faces off against Sparty. Don’t forget, the Spartans upset both No. 1 seeds Michigan and Illinois recently.
No. 11 Utah State (+4.5) over No. 6 Texas Tech
The Red Raiders came so close to winning the last NCAA Championship, but fell to Virginia in an overtime thriller. This is the same team as two years ago, however. Both teams boast stellar defense and the Utah State Aggies are riding high having won six of their final seven games. The key difference could be the Aggies’ height advantage. Center Neemias Queta stands at 7 foot and averages 15.1 points and 10 rebounds a game. This could prove to be a major disadvantage to a Red Raiders team that tends to play small.
No. 12 UCSB (+7.5) over No. 5 Creighton
After winning the Big West Conference Championship, UC Santa Barbara is led by guard JaQuori McLaughlin who averages 16.2 points and 5.2 assists per game. The Gauchos also possess a stellar defense that ranks 19th in the nation in points allowed at 62.8 The Blue Jays made it all the way to the Big East Championship, but were blown out by Georgetown 73-48 in the final (that win netted Georgetown a No. 12 seed as well). Creighton has its own star guard in Marcus Zegarowski and an all-around, well-balanced offense that averages 77 points a game, but they could struggle late, especially if they are in foul trouble as the Gauchos are one of the top free throw scoring teams in the tournament.
No. 13 Ohio (+7) over No. 4 Virginia
Will the Cavaliers be rusty after having to sit out of the ACC Conference tournament due to a positive CoVid-19 test? Either way, Virginia will have to try and slow down a dynamic Winthrop team led by junior Jason Preston who averages 16 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers may struggle to slow down this Ohio squad that ranks 14th in the nation in scoring, averaging 80.9 points per game. After all, Virginia is all too familiar with being upset in the first round. Just look back to 2018 when they became the first No. 1 seed to fall to a No. 16.
