It’s NCAA Tournament time and I can’t back out of any picks because they are posted here. It was Monday morning when I completed this bad boy, so barring unforeseen injuries, arrests, or whatever, I’m confident this is a winner.
Let’s do it Reid Roundup style.
Missouri coach Dennis Gates will be a hot commodity after the Tigers knock off Drake and Texas Tech to reach the Sweet 16. That will set up a showdown with coach Rick Pitino and St. John’s…If KU, which is in its 35th straight NCAA Tournament, was any good the Jayhawks could meet Mizzou. They will lose to Arkansas and first-year coach John Calipari…The SEC has a record 14 teams in the NCAA Tournament but will fail to place a team in the Final Four….Alabama is the only SEC team I have in the Elite Eight….South Region top seed Auburn and cocky loudmouth coach Bruce Pearl will be stunned by Creighton in the second round….UCONN will pummel West Regional top seed Florida in another second-round shocker…Michigan State will win the national championship with a 72-68 victory over Cooper Flagg and Duke… …SIUE should be proud to reach the tournament for the first time, but Kelvin Sampson and Houston will blow them out and the Big 12 champs will reach the Final Four…St. Louisan Caleb Love and the Arizona Wildcats will reach the Sweet 16 before losing to Duke…Illinois’ up-and-down season will now see the Illini rattle off a run to the Midwest Regional Final where they fall to Houston…Coach Hubert Davis and North Carolina aren’t deserving of a tournament bid. However, if the Tar Heels beat San Diego State in a “First Four” game, they will then upset Mississippi and Iowa State…I teased Earl Austin Jr., when Grand Canyon beat SLU in December. Now, I’ve got them beating coach ‘Penny’ Hardaway and Memphis to reach the Sweet 16. The run also includes a win over Maryland…One more upset alert. McNeese State will beat Clemson and then give overrated Purdue a run for its money.