March Madness 2023 predictions and Final Four picks: The case for Texas

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Now that Selection Sunday is down america and the 2023 NCAA Tournament tract is set, it’s officially clip to commencement filling retired our March Madness brackets.

It’s the champion clip of twelvemonth for college basketball fans and bettors.

First circular upsets? Buzzer beaters? Cinderella? Sign america up for each if it arsenic March is successful afloat swing.

Before filling retired brackets oregon placing your bets, present is an overview of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, including predictions, upsets, sleepers and Final Four picks.

Easiest Region: East

Purdue and Marquette are precise bully teams, but they are some anemic apical seeds.

You are besides looking astatine Kansas State arsenic a three-seed.

I spot anarchy successful this portion and expect a batch of upsets.

If you are looking to instrumentality a darkhorse to marque the Final Four, this is wherever I’d instrumentality a shot.

Lower seeds similar Memphis and Kentucky could marque a heavy tally retired of the East.

Toughest Region: West

This isn’t adjacent debatable.

The apical 4 teams successful the West portion are Kansas, UCLA, Gonzaga and UConn.

All of those teams are morganatic rubric contenders.

Even the sixth-seed, TCU, is talented capable to marque a Final Four run.

Doubt you spot Cinderella coming retired of the West. The portion is simply excessively tough.

No. 1 Seed to Avoid: Purdue

Purdue is simply a prime squad with the astir ascendant subordinate successful assemblage basketball, Zach Edey.

However, they tin conflict against diversion teams that tin unit their guards.

The Boilermakers volition look a pugnacious second-round matchup against the victor of Memphis and Florida Atlantic.

Then the victor of Duke-Tennessee could enactment them away.

At +1000 to triumph it each (Caesars), Purdue is simply overvalued.

Biggest Bracket Buster: Indiana

The Hoosiers got a nightmare Round 1 matchup against Kent State.

The Golden Flashes are 1 of the astir talented mid-major teams successful the country.

Kent State showed however bully they are earlier this play erstwhile they mislaid to Houston by 5 and Gonzaga by seven.

And if Indiana survives the archetypal round, the victor of Miami-Drake volition beryllium waiting.

I don’t spot the inconsistent Hoosiers making a heavy tourney run.

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First Round Upset: Drake (+3.5) implicit Miami

I emotion this Miami squad and stake them to triumph it each astatine 65-1.

However, not lone did the Canes get a pugnacious draw, they mislaid 6-7 rebounding instrumentality Norchad Omier to an ankle wounded successful the ACC Tournament.

Miami is simply a tiny squad and Omier is fundamentally the Canes full frontline.

Drake is an experienced squad that went 16-2 successful its past 18 games.

The Bulldogs are besides 1 of the apical antiaircraft rebounding teams successful the country.

Look for them to propulsion the archetypal circular upset implicit the Hurricanes, particularly if Omier is out.

Final Four Sleeper: Memphis

I liked the Tigers coming into Championship Week but aft winning the AAC Tournament, they are present connected everyone’s radar.

Still, if Memphis tin bushed FAU successful the opener, I deliberation they lucifer up good with Purdue.

Memphis has 2 stars successful PG Kendric Davis and F DeAndre Williams that marque the Tigers a unsafe little seed.

In the weaker East region, I deliberation Memphis is unrecorded to marque the Final Four.

Final Four Picks

UCLA

I thought UCLA was the champion squad successful the state earlier Jaylen Clark was mislaid for the season.

Still, the Bruins are built to marque a heavy tourney run.

I’ll instrumentality them to travel retired of the loaded West region.

Texas

Texas has everything you look for successful a tourney team.

They are big, physical, and fertile Top 20 connected KenPom successful some violative and antiaircraft efficiency.

I besides emotion the Horns’ draw.

I deliberation they conscionable Houston successful the Elite Eight and with Marcus Sasser’s presumption uncertain (groin injury), I’ll instrumentality the Horns.

Big 12 tourney Most Outstanding Player Dylan Disu of the Texas Longhorns

Alabama

The Tide are loaded and portion they sprout a ton of threes and volition support shooting a ton of threes adjacent if they aren’t going in, I similar Alabama to marque it to the Final Four.

I don’t spot galore teams successful the South portion that lucifer up good with the Tide.