Following the conclusion of this week’s First Four games, the 64-team field for the NCAA Tournament has officially been set. Games will tip off in a matter of hours, beginning with Michigan and Colorado State in the South region. The full bracket for this year’s tournament can be found right here.
We don’t cover college basketball much at Hoops Rumors — in fact, we typically only discuss it in relation to the NBA, which means focusing on top draft-eligible prospects.
As a result, we’ll be keeping a close eye on Gonzaga, the No. 1 seed in the West region, to see what top prospect Chet Holmgren can do in the tournament. We’ll also be watching Duke, the No. 2 seed in that same region, led by star freshman Paolo Banchero. If the Zags and Blue Devils aren’t upset in the earlier rounds, Holmgren and Banchero could square off in the Elite Eight.
While Holmgren and Banchero are two of the most intriguing prospects worth monitoring, there’s no shortage of potential lottery picks on top-seeded teams. Here are some of the others we’ll be watching when the tournament tips off:
- Jabari Smith, Auburn (No. 2, Midwest)
- Jaden Ivey, Purdue (No. 3, East)
- Keegan Murray, Iowa (No. 5, Midwest)
- Jalen Duren, Memphis (No. 9, West)
- AJ Griffin, Duke (No. 2, West)
- Johnny Davis, Wisconsin (No. 3, Midwest)
- TyTy Washington Jr., Kentucky (No. 2, East)
- Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona (No. 1, South)
- Ochai Agbaji, Kansas (No. 1, Midwest)
- Jeremy Sochan / Kendall Brown, Baylor (No. 1, East)
While draft-eligible prospects are our focus, we want your predictions on winners, potential upsets, and possible disappointments.
Who are your Final Four picks? Who are your favorite upset candidates? Are you calling your shot on any Cinderella teams to make it to the Sweet Sixteen or beyond? Which team are you picking to win it all?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your March Madness thoughts and predictions!
Purdue, Providence, Gonzaga & Houston is my Final 4… The NCAA screwed Kelvin Sampson & Ed Cooley but of course that was to be expected. I think they win their regions anyway. I got Purdue over Houston in the title game tho with big Trevion Williams as MOP. Hyped to see all these games tho. This is truly the best day of the year for basketball fans
Colorado State’s Roddy looked terrific, like a stout pirate Doncic, tho he had to.play center too and tired.
Kentucky has all these propects but none stand out… Or stood out. Tchiebwe seems like a winner, but lost.
Iowa had twin brothers, one for the lottery, that got knocked out too.
Ivey started out lower but is the top guard, for the high drafter that wants that. He cannot seem to string moves together— but may not try to, relying on speed & size, and if necessary, more speed. He will have to learn moves but should get it. He has learned to keep a bail-out on his burst-drives, which aids their efficiency.
I doubt the tv ratings will suffer from some HS players choosing Ignite or Elite. But as long as these academys have sugar daddies, they will survive too.