Who won March Madness a year ago?

Part of this shift has to do with conference realignment bleeding small conferences of their stronger programs. Syracuse, however, was not selected to play in the tournament. This year’s MTSU squad is just as risky having won 30 games including a 2-0 SU and ATS record against major conference foes (defeating Ole Miss and Vanderbilt) and they are slim underdogs against Minnesota. Therefore, it is the weakest bracket.

On last year’s national championship team, he came off the bench to average 20 minutes, 6.4 points and 3.2 rebounds.

What we’re left with is a bracket with plenty of recognizable names and fewer Cinderella options compared to years past.

March Madness begins this week.

Victor gets: No. 6 Cincinnati in the South Region first round on Friday.

So with that, I’ll share my bracket with you and try to make sense of the 68-team field.

Three of the teams – including Kansas – will play in the Midwest regional. Sure, right after I burn my 1971 Louie Dampier basketball card. That’s what March Madness is all about.

Friday, 9:17 p.m.: Villanova team manager Matt O’Neill, a junior computer science major, collects the team’s uniforms in the Knicks’ locker room after the Wildcats’ victory over Seton Hall.

Below is information on each of the teams, along with viewing information for the game.

Duke, the No. 2 seed in the east region, has the best odds to win the national championship, according to ESPN.

The Round of 64 kicks off on Thursday with plenty of intriguing matchups.

Three double-digit seeds will pull off first-round upsets.

Should Villanova not make history by losing its first-round game, it would face the victor of eighth-seeded Wisconsin and No. 9 Virginia Tech.

Check out the slideshow above to see players in the tournament that have a connection to New Jersey. Thursday they will embark on their final journey together when they open this year’s win-or-go-home tournament in snow-covered Buffalo.

“We were in the same league, and I think they won it one or two years, maybe my first year [at Gardner-Webb]”, Holtmann said after the pairings were announced.

But, thanks to the indifference of the NCAA, the Tar Heels may stand as a huge obstacle for the Wildcats in the Elite Eight.

My guess is that Virginia will pull off the upset, but the Cavs won’t be able to get past a Duke team that is getting better each game.

Kansas is my pick to advance. This Friday matchup will be an interesting one to say the least. Assuming they get past Northern Kentucky in the opening round, the Wildcats will likely face a gauntlet that includes a 30-win Wichita State team, a UCLA team that beat United Kingdom in December, and a North Carolina team just slightly less athletic than the Golden State Warriors. The outing included indignation over the uninviting hotel accommodations for the 14th seeded Pride, a crushing loss to Oklahoma State and folk hero Bryant “Big Country” Reeves in the first game, and Wright’s post-game talk to his players that, uh, appeared in a newspaper the next day. Iowa State 23-10 560 18. Could Wichita State turn the tables this season?

The CAA champions boast an RPI of 27, and Kevin Keatts, once a Rick Pitino assistant at Louisville, got the Seahawks to 25-9 on the year. Both are capable of beating the Wildcats. I think they felt pressured during the tournament.

Potts scored seven straight points to help the Blue Raiders (30-4) pull away with a late 15-5 run and reach that milestone win for the first time.