Since the implementation of the one-and-done rule at the 2006 NBA Draft, a prohibition on players declaring for the draft straight out of high school has leveled the playing field in college basketball.
Led by Kemba Walker and his patented step back, UConn won the national championship in 2011 despite recording nine losses on the season. Three years later, the Huskies captured the title again, this time as a No. 7 seed. With additional appearances in the 2014 Final Four from No. 8 seed Kentucky, No. 1 Florida, and No. 2 Wisconsin, the combined seed total of the four teams hit 18, one of the highest since 2000.
The total for this year’s Final Four could be even higher due to across-the-board parity spread among all four regions. Teams from 10 of the 32 Division I conferences received inclusion in the AP Top 25 since New Year’s Day, the highest number in five years.
At SuperBook Sports, the over/under total for the four seeds to reach the Final Four is 15.5. There are numerous possibilities for the over, as a top-heavy bracket with South No. 1 Alabama, West No. 1 Kansas, East No. 5 Duke and Midwest No. 10 Penn State would clear the threshold. The same for a Final Four with East No. 1 Purdue, West No. 4 UConn, and two dangerous No. 6 seeds in Creighton and TCU.
Nothing like March Madness in Vegas
We'll be live from @CircaSports all weekend. Can't wait ??
(?? @ArashMarkazi)pic.twitter.com/p7ERisy9H4
— br_betting (@br_betting) March 14, 2023
The field may produce the most exciting NCAA tournament in recent years. Without further ado, here are our staff picks. A disclaimer: While we write about sports betting, we are not professional handicappers. We may be able to educate, enlighten, or entertain, but we should not be counted on to make anyone a profit.
Among sleepers, we like Oral Roberts, Furman, and Charleston to pull off an upset or two. Still, take all of our picks with a considerable grain of salt.
Chris Altruda
South:' No. 1 Alabama
East: No. 2 Marquette (Did you really think this alum would not put his team in the Final Four?)
Midwest: No. 1 Houston
West: No. 4 UConn
Final Four: Alabama over Marquette; UConn over Houston
National Title: UConn 83, Alabama 78
Sleeper(s): Furman, Oral Roberts to the Sweet 16
I don't think the Crimson Tide get challenged on the court until facing Arizona in the regional final. How they deal with the increased media scrutiny of everything surrounding Brandon Miller when they get to the regionals may be the bigger tell of them living up to the expectations of being the No. 1 overall seed. There's also nothing special about this region, hence the Paladins in the Sweet 16 as they get past a Virginia team that lacks the defensive chops of years past and then an Aztecs team that is somewhat like the Cavaliers.
Marquette, UConn, and Houston join Alabama in the Final Four, with the Golden Eagles avenging a loss to Purdue in the regional final, the Huskies getting past Gonzaga, and the Cougars fending off Texas for their second Final Four appearance in three years. There is some risk in picking Houston with Marcus Sasser not 100%, but Kelvin Sampson's defense has traveled well in March each of the last three years.
A perfect pairing: How Shaka Smart quickly changed the trajectory of Marquette and the Big East https://t.co/t0I8ZqBhxq
— William Faust (@williamfaust) March 14, 2023
The dream ends for my alma mater versus the Crimson Tide, while UConn wears down the Cougars with its superior depth to set up a rematch from the Phil Knight Invitational. The Huskies have the size and depth to go body for body with the Tide and match them strength for strength, especially on the glass. Alabama will not commit 21 turnovers like it did in the first meeting in November, but if the refs let them play, it should make for an entertaining championship game that sees the Huskies cut down the nets in Houston.
Concerning the pair of 12 seeds I have advancing to the Sweet 16, Oral Roberts is a dangerous offensive team that can shoot from the outside, somewhat negating Purdue big man Zach Edey's defensive presence. And the Eagles may be the only team with someone who can stare down Edey with 7-foot-5 center Connor Vanover. If such a player prop were available, I'd take Max Abmas over 80.5 points in three games for Oral Roberts.
Mike Seely
South:' No. 1 Alabama
East: No. 12 Oral Roberts
Midwest: No. 5 Miami (Fla.)'
West: No. 8 Arkansas
Final Four: Oral Roberts over Alabama; Arkansas over Miami
National Title: Oral Roberts 86, Arkansas 83 (500/1 at FanDuel)
Sleeper: Oral Roberts'
Oral Roberts hasn't lost since falling 82-75 at New Mexico on Jan. 9. That's more than two months without tasting the bitterness of defeat. The Golden Eagles have a stellar floor general in Abmas, who averages 22.2 points per game, and a defensive albatross in Vanover. The mammoth senior center has altered shots throughout the season, averaging more than 3 blocks per contest.
Oral Roberts went undefeated in the Summit, absolutely throttling North Dakota State, 92-58, in the conference tournament title game. It will have to upset fifth-seeded Duke in the first round on Thursday to advance, but if ever there were a year where the strangest imaginable March Madness result could realistically come to pass, this is it.
MAX ABMAS CALLED GAME FROM HALF-COURT ??
(via @ORUMBB)pic.twitter.com/awrvp3FKIM
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 8, 2023
Brett Smiley
South: No. 1 Alabama
East: No. 5 Duke
Midwest: No. 1 Houston
West: No. 3 Gonzaga