2014 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

Red Barchetta

Red Barchetta

Talk less, smile more.
It's that time of the year again! Selection Sunday is in less than a week, and conference championships are already happening. Who are you guys rooting for and who do you think will win it all?

America East: Albany (18-14, 9-7)
American Athletic: #5 Louisville (29-5, 15-3)
Atlantic 10: Saint Joseph's (24-9, 11-5)
ACC: #6 Virginia (28-6, 16-2)
Atlantic Sun: Mercer (26-8, 14-4)
Big 12: #16 Iowa State (26-7, 11-7)
Big East: Providence (23-11, 10-8)
Big Sky: Weber State (19-11, 14-6)
Big South: Coastal Carolina (21-12, 11-5)
Big Ten: #22 Michigan State (26-8, 12-6)
Big West: Cal Poly (13-19, 6-10)
Colonial: Delaware (25-9, 14-2)
C-USA: Tulsa (21-12, 13-3)
Horizon: Milwaukee (21-13, 7-9)
Ivy League: Harvard (26-4, 13-1)
MAAC: Manhattan (25-7, 15-5)
MAC: Western Michigan (23-9, 14-4)
MEAC: North Carolina Central (28-5, 15-1)
Missouri Valley: #2 Wichita State (34-0, 18-0)
Mountain West: #20 New Mexico (27-6, 15-3)
Northeast: Mount St. Mary's (16-16, 9-7)
Ohio Valley: Eastern Kentucky (24-9, 11-5)
Pac-12: UCLA (26-8, 12-6)
Patriot: American (20-12, 13-5)
SEC: #1 Florida (32-2, 18-0)
Southern: Wofford (20-12, 11-5)
Southland: Stephen F. Austin (31-2, 18-0)
SWAC: Texas Southern (19-14, 12-6)
Summit: North Dakota State (25-6, 12-2)
Sun Belt: Louisiana-Lafayette (23-11, 11-7)
West Coast: Gonzaga (28-6, 15-3)
WAC: New Mexico State (26-9, 12-4)

America East: Albany (18-14, 9-7) def. Stony Brook (23-10, 13-3), 69-60
American Athletic: #5 Louisville (29-5, 15-3) def. #21 Connecticut (26-8, 12-6), 71-61
Atlantic 10: Saint Joseph's (24-9, 11-5) def. #23 Virginia Commonwealth (26-8, 12-4), 65-61
ACC: #6 Virginia (28-6, 16-2) def. #7 Duke (26-8, 13-5), 72-63
Atlantic Sun: Mercer (26-8, 14-4) def. Florida Gulf Coast (22-12, 14-4), 68-60
Big 12: #16 Iowa State (26-7, 11-7) def. Baylor (24-11, 9-9), 74-65
Big East: Providence (23-11, 10-8) def. #14 Creighton (26-7, 14-4), 65-58
Big Sky: Weber State (19-11, 14-6) def. North Dakota (17-16, 12-8), 88-67
Big South: Coastal Carolina (21-12, 11-5) def. Winthrop (20-13, 10-6), 76-61
Big Ten: #22 Michigan State (26-8, 12-6) def. #8 Michigan (25-8, 15-3), 69-55
Big West: Cal Poly (13-19, 6-10) def. Cal State Northridge (17-18, 7-9). 61-59
Colonial: Delaware (25-9, 14-2) def. William & Mary (20-12, 10-6), 75-74
C-USA: Tulsa (21-12, 13-3) def. Louisiana Tech (27-7, 13-3), 69-60
Horizon: Milwaukee (21-13, 7-9) def. Wright State (20-14, 10-6), 69-63
Ivy League: Harvard (26-4, 13-1), N/A (Ivy League awards automatic bid to regular-season champion)
MAAC: Manhattan (25-7, 15-5) def. Iona (22-10, 17-3), 71-68
MAC: Western Michigan (23-9, 14-4) def. Toledo (27-6, 14-4), 98-77
MEAC: North Carolina Central (28-5, 15-1) def. Morgan State (15-16, 11-5), 71-62
Missouri Valley: #2 Wichita State (34-0, 18-0) def. Indiana State (23-10, 12-6), 83-69
Mountain West: #20 New Mexico (27-6, 15-3) def. #8 San Diego State (29-4, 16-2), 64-58
Northeast: Mount St. Mary's (16-16, 9-7) def. Robert Morris (21-13, 14-2), 88-71
Ohio Valley: Eastern Kentucky (24-9, 11-5) def. Belmont (24-9, 14-2), 79-73
Pac-12: UCLA (26-8, 12-6) def. #4 Arizona (30-4, 15-3), 75-71
Patriot: American (20-12, 13-5) def. Boston U (24-10, 15-3), 55-36
SEC: #1 Florida (32-2, 18-0) def. Kentucky (24-10, 12-6), 61-60
Southern: Wofford (20-12, 11-5) def. Western Carolina (19-15, 10-6), 56-53
Southland: Stephen F. Austin (31-2, 18-0) def. Sam Houston State (23-10, 13-5), 68-49
SWAC: Texas Southern (19-14, 12-6) def. Prairie View A&M (11-23, 6-12), 78-73
Summit: North Dakota State (25-6, 12-2) def. IPFW (24-10, 10-4), 60-57
Sun Belt: Louisiana-Lafayette (23-11, 11-7) def. Georgia State (25-8, 17-1), 82-81 OT
West Coast: Gonzaga (28-6, 15-3) def. BYU (23-11, 13-5), 75-64
WAC: New Mexico State (26-9, 12-4) def. Idaho (16-18, 7-9), 77-55
 
I'm hoping Michigan wins their first national title in 25 years this year. It also appears that over in the Mid-American Conference, another one of my local teams (Eastern Michigan) is really on fire now, especially after beating intrastate rival Central Michigan, though I doubt EMU will make it all the way to the national finals.
 
New Super Mario said:
Yay. Hopefully I win this year.

I was going to pick Arizona but then I found out one of their guys is injured.
Click to expand...

They've actually adjusted really well to the injury, although they've lost 3 games since Brandon Ashley was injured. A lot of people think they should be the overall #1 seed, though (generally between them and Florida).
 
Well, remember two posts above that I doubted Eastern Michigan would make it to the national finals? I was right when I noticed that Toledo and Western Michigan will face off for the MAC title. I don't know now who to root for, since I live closer to Toledo but live in the same state as Kalamazoo...

Sidenote: I've actually stepped foot in Toledo before, but haven't been in Kalamazoo since 2009-and even then, I've only passed through it on a train twice.
 
Well, it looks like this year, whoever's winning the Big Ten championship will be from the Great Lakes State, as both Michigan and Michigan State are facing off as I type this.

And it looks like I'm also going to follow Western Michigan as well, since they're the MAC champs, in addition to being another Michigan-based NCAA team.
 
All the conference tournaments are officially done, with #22 Michigan State and #1 Florida clinching the last automatic bids. Less than half an hour left before selections are made and the brackets are released!
 
Here are the brackets! The tournament starts tomorrow at 6:40 PM EDT with Albany vs. Mount St. Mary's!

South Regional - Memphis, Tennessee

1 Florida
16 Albany/Mount St. Mary's

8 Colorado
9 Pittsburgh


5 VCU
12 Stephen F. Austin

4 UCLA
13 Tulsa


6 Ohio State
11 Dayton

3 Syracuse
14 Western Michigan


7 New Mexico
10 Stanford

2 Kansas
15 Eastern Kentucky

West Regional – Anaheim, California

1 Arizona
16 Weber State

8 Gonzaga
9 Oklahoma State


5 Oklahoma
12 North Dakota State

4 San Diego State
13 New Mexico State


6 Baylor
11 Nebraska

3 Creighton
14 Louisiana–Lafayette


7 Oregon
10 BYU

2 Wisconsin
15 American

Midwest Regional – Indianapolis, Indiana

1 Wichita State
16 Cal Poly/Texas Southern

8 Kentucky
9 Kansas State


5 Saint Louis
12 NC State/Xavier

4 Louisville
13 Manhattan


6 UMass
11 Iowa/Tennessee

3 Duke
14 Mercer


7 Texas
10 Arizona State

2 Michigan
15 Wofford

East Regional – New York City, New York

1 Virginia
16 Coastal Carolina

8 Memphis
9 George Washington


5 Cincinnati
12 Harvard

4 Michigan State
13 Delaware


6 North Carolina
11 Providence

3 Iowa State
14 NC Central


7 Connecticut
10 St. Joseph's

2 Villanova
15 Milwaukee
 
Here are my basic picks:

Elite 8:
Florida
Syracuse
Mich St.
Iowa St.
Arizona
Creighton
Wich St.
Michigan

Final Four:
Florida
Iowa St.
Creighton
Wich St.

Championship is Florida and Wich St. with Wich St. wining.