The Lion’s Tale sports editors junior Bennett Bramson, sophomore Ari Feuer and junior Joel Vardon write about their predictions for the upcoming March Madness tournament.

Sports Editor Bennett Bramson’s predictions

Final Four

Oklahoma (2 seed): Coached by Lon Kruger, the Oklahoma Sooners have put together their best season since 2008-2009 when the team was led by current NBA superstar Blake Griffin. The Sooners now have their own superstar who will lead them to the Final Four: senior guard Buddy Hield. Hield was second in Division I college basketball in terms of scoring, as he averaged 25 points per game. Acting as Hield’s sidekicks are senior guard Isaiah Cousins and junior guard Jordan Woodard. All three of Oklahoma’s guards are elite three-point shooters, and have helped the Sooners obtain the second-highest team three-point shooting percentage in college basketball. Overall, this team is too skillful with the three-point shot to be upset before the Final Four.

UNC (1 seed): The North Carolina Tar Heels have proven themselves worthy of the claim that they are the second-best team in the country. Led by junior forward Brice Johnson, Roy Williams’ Tar Heels won the ACC tournament and obtained the number two overall seed in the NCAA tournament. While the Tar Heels struggled early in the season, overall they have lived up to the hype that surrounded the team before the season started. This team uses excellent guard and forward play to dismantle its opponents’ defense, as they averaged 82 points per game, good for top 15 in the country.

Michigan State (2 seed): What can you not say about the Michigan State Spartans? They have arguably the best coach in the country, Tom Izzo, the best player, senior Denzel Valentine, and one of the best three-point shooters in the nation, senior Bryn Forbes. The Spartans were snubbed out of getting a one seed even though they won the Big 10 tournament and finished number two in the final AP poll. I think the Spartans will use this as motivation and make yet another deep run in the NCAA tournament. In each of the last four seasons the Spartans have made at least the Sweet 16 and have done better each year. This year is there chance to finally make it to the championship, however, it is not yet time for Izzo to win his first championship since 2000 and the Spartans should come up just short.

Kansas (1 seed): I understand that some people may view it as a cop-out, but I full-heartedly believe that the Kansas Jayhawks will win the second national championship under coach Bill Self, their first since 2008. This team is full of experienced players who also play at an elite level. Senior forward Perry Ellis led the way for the Jayhawks averaging 16.7 points per game and grabbing six rebounds. Following Ellis are junior guards Wayne Selden Jr. and Frank Mason III, both of whom average about 13 points per game. This team has been dominant all season, only losing four games, and also won the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles, yet again. This team has too talented and too deep of a roster for me to be able to pick anyone to beat them and that is why they are my national champion. Despite how good Kansas is, this is March, and everyone knows that no one knows anything and we should always expect the unexpected.

Cinderella

Butler (9 seed): Do I really need to remind anyone of the Butler Bulldogs’ back-to-back miracle runs in 2010 and 2011? The Bulldogs made back to back national title games despite being a small mid-major school that no one had ever heard of. Now, the school has put itself on the national radar and has since joined a major conference, the Big East. While the Bulldogs had a mediocre season and lost in their first game of the Big East tournament, they are the type of team that you can never count out. Led by seniors Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones, this Butler team strongly resembles the one that made the second miracle run in 2011 as an eight seed. This year the team is a nine seed, has a similar record and even has similar statistics to the 2011 team. Moral of the story? Never count Butler out.

First round upsets

Iona (13 seed) over Iowa State (4 seed): Last year Iowa State’s season ended in shock as they were beaten in the first round of the NCAA tournament by a very mediocre UAB team. This year they are also playing a mediocre team, however, Iona has something that UAB did not, an elite guard: A.J. English English averages 22.4 points per game, and has year in and year out proven he is one of the NCAA’s best scorers. On the other side of things, Iowa State is definitely a very good team. Despite this, Iowa State has lost to a couple very average teams this season and is coming off of a two-game losing streak. Additionally, they have lost seven of their last 12 games and clearly do not have the hot hand. Even though Iowa State could easily make a deep run in this tournament, they are still a team that needs to be on upset alert in the first round.

Sports Editor Ari Feuer’s predictions

Final Four

UCONN (9 seed): I think momentum is crucial in the NCAA tournament, and no one capitalizes on it more than Connecticut. The first time I ever picked a bracket in a pool for money was in 2011, when UCONN won the championship after a fairly miraculous run to win the Big East Tournament. After an equally impressive and unlikely run through the AAC tournament, I pick the Huskies to make it to the Final Four again.

Texas A&M (3 seed): The Aggies come to the tournament coming off a loss in the SEC Championship game, but they are as strong a team as ever. Freshman Tyler Davis is a behemoth inside, collecting rebounds and second-chance points for A&M. They would have to beat Oklahoma and possible player of the year Buddy Hield to make it, but I like the Aggies to make the Final Four.

Kentucky (4 seed): Another example of a team with good momentum comes out of Lexington, Ky. The Wildcats had some rough stretches this season, but comes into the tournament firing on all cylinders after making their way through the SEC tournament. The key for Kentucky is freshman big man Skal Labissiere and the rest of the team’s young players, who will have to withstand the incredible pressure of the tournament. Coach John Calipari has shown that he can lead young players through the tournament before, and I look for him to do so again.

Michigan State (2 seed): The Spartans come into the tournament after winning the Big Ten, one of the best conferences in college basketball. Denzel Valentine is one of the best players in college basketball, and plays under Tom Izzo, one of the greatest coaches. The Spartans are fairly consistent, good in all phases of the game, and experienced in the tournament. They are not only my pick to make the Final Four, but my pick to win the tournament.

Cinderella

UCONN may count as a cinderella team, but for a real shocker, look for St. Joseph’s to potentially make the Elite Eight. The Hawks come in fresh off of winning the Atlantic Ten Conference. I watch a lot of A10 games and when watching St. Joe’s, I see a strong, consistent team capable of beating just about anyone on their best day. Most importantly, they are good at keeping turnovers to a minimum. Look for the Hawks to not just win a first round game, but beat the number one seed in their region, Oregon, and maybe go further.

First round upsets

I am pretty confident that the University of Arkansas-Little Rock (12 seed) will beat Purdue (5 seed) in their first round matchup. Little Rock went 29-4 over the course of the season, screaming through the Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament, overcoming a halftime deficit in the conference championship to win by 20. This team is good and could win one or two games.

In the South region, Maryland (5 seed) plays South Dakota State (12 seed) and California (4 seed) plays Hawaii (13 seed). Both Maryland and California, the fifth and fourth seeds, respectively, are extremely talented but once in awhile lose inexplicably to a team that is worse than they are. That tendency often causes problems in the tournament. If you want a good risky pick, either SDSU or Hawaii would be a good choice.

Sports Editor Joel Vardon’s predictions

Final Four

Kansas (1 see): Kansas earning the No. 1 overall seed has proven all season they have the makeup to clinch a berth in Houston, TX. They boast an experienced backcourt with junior guards Wayne Selden Jr and Frank Mason III, along with rock-solid depth behind them in freshman forward Cheick Diallo, junior guard Brandon Greene and senior forward Jamari Traylor. Undoubtedly the most valuable piece to Kansas’s success is senior forward Perry Ellis. Ellis is a Wooden Award Finalist (College Basketball Player of the Year Award) and a player you can lean on down the stretch with his plethora of post moves.

West Virginia (3 seed): Head Coach Bob Huggins runs a team like no other. West Virginia is a nitty gritty team that forced 18 turnovers a game and has caused 141 more turnovers than their opponents. It is uncommon that teams go up against a team that makes you run for 40 minutes a game. West Virginia has an eight-man rotation with no elite scorers, but players who can put it in the basket consistently. They are an effective rebounding team, which means if you miss they won’t give you another opportunity, and if they miss they can keep reloading. West Virginia definitely has the ingredients to make the Final Four, but I wonder if they can get past the grueling East region.

Oklahoma (2 seed): Sorry, I like the Big 12, what can I say. Oklahoma, led by senior guard and likely Naismith Player of the Year Buddy Hield play an up-tempo offense that goes well with their ability to shoot the ball from deep. Oklahoma lacks a front court with great offensive ability,but I do not see a team that will really bother their big men on their potential schedule. Junior guard Jordan Woodard and senior guard Isaiah Cousins do a great job of complimenting each other, but it depends if they can help Buddy Hield score the ball. I think Woodard and Cousins find the bottom of the cylinder and help Hield lead the sooners to Houston.

Michigan State (2 seed): I absolutely love Michigan State when it comes March. They arguably have the best tournament coach there is in Tom Izzo, who led a seven seed Michigan State team to the Final Four last year. Additionally, the only real threat they face isn’t until the Elite 8 in Virginia. Virginia has no one who can guard senior forward Denzel Valentine, who averages nearly a triple double per contest with 19 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists. Virginia’s tallest starter is Anthony Gill at 6’8, an offensively minded forward facing Michigan State’s 6’10 NBA prospect in forward Deyonta Davis who is primarily an interior defender. In addition, Gary “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr is an incredible on-ball defender who should limit senior guard Malcolm Brogdon’s success. With this in mind, I give the edge to the Spartans.

Cinderella

Seton Hall (6 seed) has the potential to shock many teams come March. Seton Hall has everything I like. They have an all Big East guard in Isaiah Whitehead along with superb rebounders and above-average scorers in forwards Desi Rodriguez and Angel Delgado. While they lack depth overall, they have a fantastic back-up guard in UMass transfer Derrick Gordon who gives sophomore guard Khadeen Carrington a break when he needs it. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were upset by Gonzaga, but if they are able to tame Gonzaga’s forwards I look for them to advance far in the tournament.

First Round Upsets

I am not gonna waste my time picking any real upset because hey my colleagues above already addressed that. Although my prediction is I think three 10 seeds will come out victorious.

Syracuse (10 seed) will top Dayton (7 seed) because Dayton lacks solid shooting and the Orange make you shoot the ball a ton. Don’t think the Flyers get it done.

VCU (10 seed) will top Oregon State (7 seed) because VCU plays a lot more defense than Oregon State. What I mean by that is VCU is very active in the passing lanes and don’t foul a lot. I think they come out on top.

Pittsburgh (10 seed) will beat Wisconsin (7 seed) because Pittsburgh is identical to Wisconsin but have a coach that has been there before. Pittsburgh revolves around their forward play in Jameel Artis and Michael Young, similar to Wisconsin in Ethan Happ and Nigel Hayes. Jameel Artis and Michael Young have more combined experienced and get the job done.