MICHIGAN STATE TAKES IT ALL

 Everyone is talking NCAA this week, so I thought I would put my predictions on paper:

FINAL FOUR

Michigan State. The Spartans are 4-6 when they play top 25 teams, but when March Madness rolls around they can be a dangerous team. It will come down to a match-up with Louisville in the Elite Eight. Keith Appling, Adreian Payne and Branden Daws will match-up with Louisville quite well.

Ohio State. Here is another team that plays well in the month of March. The Buckeyes are on an eight-game winning streak in a very tough conference. They edged Michigan State Saturday then beat Wisconsin for the Big Ten championship Sunday. Deshaun Thomas, Aaron Craft, Amir Williams and Sam Thompson are just a few names to watch.

Georgetown: Someone out of the Big East always makes a run. This time it will be the Hoyas of Georgetown. They may have the player of the year in Otto Porter, who can do it all. The South Region is loaded with good teams, but when it comes down to the Elite Eight look for Georgetown to get past Kansas.

Miami. Everyone is climbing on the Hurricanes bandwagon. The reasons are Shane Larkin, Reggie Johnson, Julian Gamble and Bishop Daniels. There are three outstanding teams in the East including Indiana and Syracuse. Miami will get past Marquette then beat out the survivor of the Indiana-Syracuse contest.

CHAMPION

Michigan State over Georgetown. I am out on the limb with this one. Who would I like to come out of the national championship game? Louisville, of course, but everyone is picking them to win it all and how often does that happen.

UPSET SPECIALS

No. 13 New Mexico State over Saint Louis. A surprise team out of the Western Athletic Conference. The Aggies have won five straight could very well take on Saint Louis in the first-round.

There will be several upsets down the road, but I don’t see them. I guess I am playing it too safe this year.

CINDERALLAS

If there is a Cinderalla in this field, I think it will be No.11 Bucknell, out of the East Region. The Patriot League regular season champion and tournament champion may take down Butler this week at Rupp Arena. They could get past the Marquette-Davidson winner and make it into the coveted Sweet Sixteen where they would probably face Indiana or North Carolina State.

KENTUCKY TEAMS

Louisville: Many project Louisville to win it all. That just sounds too easy for the Cardinals. They are playing very well right now and I hope they can bring the second straight NCAA title back to the Bluegrass State. Especially if Kentucky wins the NIT. Two national champions from our state would put us where we belong…King of the Hill!

Western Kentucky: What a lousy seed for the Hilltoppers! Our state schools always seem to get terrible seeds. The OVC usually gets that distinction, but Belmont got a No.11 seed in the West. I’m not sure why Belmont got such a high seed and the champions of the Sun Belt were lowered to a 16-seed. Tough spot for the Hilltoppers. Can they be the first 16-seed to put down the mighty Kansas Jayhawks?

ELITE EIGHT

My Elite Eight looks to have three Big East teams, Louisville, Georgetown and Syracuse. The Big East has the most teams in the tournament field with eight teams. This will more than likely be the last time you see that many from the conference since it is about to split at the end of the year. Sad, Sad, Sad!

BRACKET BREAKDOWN

I agree with Lexington Herald-Leader Sports Writer Mark Story, the Midwest Region looks like the toughest of the four with the likes of Duke, Michigan State, Louisville, Memphis, Oklahoma State along with upset-minded Saint Louis.

NIT FINAL FOUR

Kentucky, Florida State, Maryland and Virginia. There are some outstanding teams in the NIT and it will be fun to watch with the Wildcats in the field of 32.

I see a Kentucky-Baylor rematch at Rupp Arena for the ‘Cats with UK winning this time to get to Madison Square Garden. But, we know what the road has looked like and it will be Florida State to end the UK season.

I believe Maryland will take down Florida State in the finals for the NIT championship.

Who are your Final Four picks? Let me know!