CBB: March Madness Guide
Championship Week was unpredictable! No. 13 Duke beat No. 10 Louisville, No. 4 North Carolina, and No. 20 Notre Dame en route to an ACC title. No. 1 Kansas was defeated by TCU in the Big 12 quarterfinals before Iowa State took the crown, and Michigan upset No. 12 Purdue and No. 19 Wisconsin to take home the Big Ten championship. But now it's time for March Madness. The three week period of constant bracket talk, buzzer beaters, cinderella runs, heroic and shocking performances, overtime periods, and finally, a champion being etched into history. Charles Post, Tunde Aduroja, and Blake Stoll are releasing our usual top-25, bracket predictions, Final Four projections, and Wooden Award rankings.
Top-25 Rankings:
1. Villanova (31-3)
2. Kansas (28-4)
3. Gonzaga (32-1)
4. North Carolina (27-7)
5. UCLA (29-4)
6. Arizona (30-4)
7. Oregon (29-5)
8. Duke (27-8)
9. Baylor (25-7)
10. Kentucky (29-5)
11. Louisville (24-8)
12. Florida State (25-8)
13. SMU (30-4)
14. Purdue (25-7)
15. St. Mary's (28-4)
16. Florida (24-8)
17. West Virginia (26-8)
18. Wisconsin (25-9)
19. Butler (23-8)
20. Cincinnati (29-5)
21. Creighton (25-9)
22. Iowa State (24-10)
23. Michigan (24-11)
24. Arkansas (25-9)
25. Notre Dame (24-9)
Charles Post:
Week 18 Record: 2/8.
Overall Record: 133-55.
Tunde Aduroja:
Week 18 Record: 2/8.
Overall Record: 32-16.
Blake Stoll:
Week 18 Record: N/A.
Overall Record: 78-42.
Pre-Season Final Four Picks:
Post: Duke, Oregon, Kansas, and Wisconsin.
Aduroja: Kansas, Villanova, UCLA, and Kentucky.
Stoll: Duke, Kansas, Oregon, and Kentucky.
Pre-Tournament Final Four Picks:
Post: North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, and Gonzaga.
Aduroja: UCLA, Duke, Arizona, and Michigan.
Stoll: Kentucky, Florida State, Villanova, and Kansas.
Wooden Award Standings:
1. Frank Mason (Kansas PG) — 20.8 points, 5.1 assists per game.
2. Josh Hart (Villanova SG) — 18.9 points, 6.5 rebounds per game.
3. Caleb Swanigan (Purdue PF) — 18.5 pints, 12.6 rebounds per game.
4. Lonzo Ball (UCLA PG) — 14.6 points, 7.7 assists per game.
5. Justin Jackson (North Carolina SF) — 18.1 points, 4.6 rebounds per game.
Photo Credit: CBS Sports.
