Final Four Predictions Based on Bracket Preview

As many of you already know, the NCAA selection committee released their top 16 seeds and placed them into brackets as somewhat of a preview of Selection Sunday. Whether you are for or against the process, I'm sure all you guys watched because how could you not? Anyway, this is how it all shook out:

*The number in parentheses is the overall seed the team received.*

EAST

1 (1) Villanova

2 (7) Louisville

3 (12) Kentucky

4 (15) UCLA

MIDWEST

1 (2) Kansas

2 (6) Florida State

3 (9) Arizona

4 (16) Duke

SOUTH

1 (3) Baylor

2 (5) North Carolina

3 (11) Florida 

4 (13) Butler

WEST 

1 (4) Gonzaga

2 (8) Oregon 

3 (10) Virginia

4 (14) West Virginia

Now, I'll tell you who I think would make the Final Four if these particular regions were used. I must note that I'm really not confident in any of these picks. I literally see 10-11 teams that are more than capable of winning it all, but here goes nothing.

EAST 

Villanova- I spent a good 25 minutes thinking of who to pick in this region. If I'm being honest, this shouldn't give me this much anxiety considering this bracket isn't, well, real. Ultimately I decided to pick Villanova because I think they have the best combination of good offense and good defense in the region. The one concern I have is their lack of size, but they shot that down today by getting outrebounded by 16 and still winning by 16. This kind of result probably isn't consistent, but it helps to know they can do it. 

MIDWEST

Duke- I never thought I would have Duke in the Final Four, but I'm just really confident in their play right now. The North Carolina won was huge for this club moving forward and even though they didn't play their best today against Clemson, I still think that they would beat out Kansas and then Arizona to get to Phoenix. 

SOUTH

North Carolina-This was definitely the easiest region to pick. I don't really like Florida and Butler as major tournament threats, and Baylor still worries me. So for this region, North Carolina is my choice. They have a great combination of athleticism, talent and experience, and they have four guys who can light you up for 20 points. All those reasons are why I like North Carolina to advance in the easiest region in the tournament.

WEST

Oregon- If this were a region, I think Oregon would get by Gonzaga in the Elite Eight. As I look down the list, I see a Virginia team that struggles to score against Gonzaga who has every facet of the game locked down. I think their run would come to a halt if they got Oregon because the Ducks can match every one of their guys. Obviously there's Dillon Brooks, but Tyler Dorsey, Jordan Bell, Casey Benson, Payton Pritchard, Dylan Ennis and Chris Boucher round out the most talented group of 7 in the country. They have too many good guys to have an off night.