As we head into the middle of March, my favorite time of the year starts. March Madness. One of the greatest 3-week stretches of any basketball fan's life.

With this year's tournament in particular, there is something different in the air. The tournament is believed to be considered “wide open."
 
There are many powerhouse teams that I think are a bit fraudulent, but with March Madness, you never know what will happen. Maybe top seeds will run through the competition, or maybe we will see another team like Saint Peter’s in 2022, or Oral Roberts in 2021, make a Cinderella run. 

I will give you my inside opinions on how the tournament will play out; who the upsets will be, teams that are going far, and games to be on the lookout for. 

South 

Teams to watch out for:

There are many teams that I could think make noise. There are the obvious picks; Alabama, Arizona, etc, but there are other picks that I could see happening.

My main pick is that I see Creighton going to the Elite 8, eventually playing Alabama. Creighton has one of the better big men in the tournament in Ryan Kalkbrenner, while adding scoring punches with Trey Alexander and Ryan Nembhard. 

Another team is San Diego State. Their slow pace of offense can help control games, and I think they have a chance of beating Alabama. 

My upset pick: Furman

Although many analysts believe an upset between 12th seeded Charleston against No. 5 San Diego State, I believe the opposite. I believe the big upset will come in the Furman-Virginia game.

Furman is coming off a huge winning streak before the tournament and their offense will be too much for the Cavaliers. I think Furman is this year's Cinderella team, having the potential for the Sweet 16. 

My pick: Alabama 

One of the most dominant teams in college basketball has somewhat an "easy" path to the Final Four. I think Alabama will run through the competition, only struggling in the Elite 8. Brandon Miller & Co. may be too much for most teams. 

Midwest 

Teams to watch out for: 

Looking into the Midwest region, there are many chances for teams to be upset. For starters, I believe that No. 1 seed Houston is in trouble with the injury to star guard Marcus Sasser.

My teams to watch are Auburn, Penn State, and Texas A&M. Auburn has Sweet 16 potential depending on if Sasser plays. Based on the outcome of the Aggies and the Lions, both teams will have similar paths to the Elite 8. The Aggies were second in scoring in the SEC, and Penn State quality of shooting will keep them in games. 

My upset pick: Drake 

There are not too many teams that I think will upset, or go on a run, but Drake definitely has a chance to upset Miami. Will they go on a historic run? No, but I haven't been high on Miami and Drake is one of my favorite lower seeds. I think Tucker Devries for Drake is extremely underrated. 

My pick: Houston 

Houston is one of the best teams in the nation with talent galore, but will Sasser's injury affect them? At the moment there is no time for his return, but if he returns, Houston will handle the Midwest region. Don't be surprised if the 7th-seeded Aggies make a run.

East

Teams to watch out for:

Here is where the madness begins. For the east region, I believe that no team whatsoever is safe. Top seed Purdue has looked very fraudulent over the past couple months, and having an offense focused on one player (star center Zach Edey) will not get you that far.

With this, most of their guards are freshmen which doesn't really fare well in March. 

My teams look out would be Oral Roberts, Memphis, and Kansas State. Oral Roberts have a core similar to their 2021 run, which is led by start senior guard Max Abmas. Even with the tough matchup with Duke, I say Oral Roberts is making a run this year.

Memphis, on the other hand, has guys that can hold Purdue's big men. Kansas St. have studs such as Kiante Johnson and Marquis Nowell.

It's a toss up as to who the best team is. 

My upset pick: Oral Roberts 

That's it. A very highly picked upset for this year's tournament, but I am backing it 100%. They have a strong chance. Duke starts three freshmen, and Tennessee's offense is not as good as many other teams. This team could possibly break the Elite 8, who knows?

My pick: Kansas State 

I think in the Elite 8, we will see something different. Three seeded Kansas State will take on Oral Roberts. I think Oral Roberts' magic will run out eventually like every Cinderella team, and Kansas State will punch their ticket into the Final Four. 

West

Teams to watch out for:

The West is another toss up. Kansas will not repeat this year due to the region being too stacked.  Most games will be close. Although this is true, there has been one team that I believe will make a lot of noise -- UConn.

The huskies have shooters all around the floor highlighted by Jordan Hawkins. They also have a big presence inside with Adama Sanogo.

On the contrary, due to a season that they didn't do their best, Gonzaga has become a super underrated team. I think they will remind the team why they are so successful every year. 

With that, there's not a lot of other teams that really catch my radar besides Iona. Rick Pitino has led his team to be one of the best in the NCAA, but drew unlucky on selection day, facing UConn. 

My upset pick: VCU

Nothing in this region really screams "upset" to me. I think that the high seeds will steam roll. If I had to pick one, it could be chosen that No 12 VCU upsets Saint Mary's. Both teams play a pretty slow paced game, and I could see this game coming down to the wire. 

My pick: UCLA 

For the West region, I like two teams. For one, I think Gonzaga has a huge chance to make the Final Four. They have been so underrated this year that no one is really talking about them. However, I think this is UCLA's year. It's more of a gut feeling than anything else.

They've lost in heartbreaking games the last couple years, and I think that they are due. 

My pick to win

This leaves us with four teams: Alabama, Houston, Kansas State, and UCLA.

Alabama will play Kansas State, while Houston will play UCLA. In the first matchup, it's K-State over Alabama. Although Brandon Miller is one of the best players in the nation, I think Nowell and Johnson will be too much for the Tide.

On the other side, I've got UCLA over Houston. I think Houston runs out of steam during the Final Four, and UCLA finally gets its "third time's a charm" moment. 

In the battle between Kansas State and UCLA, I am riding with UCLA. I think Jaime Jaquez, Jr. will play his heart out in what could be the last game of his college career, and UCLA stout defense will help shut down Kansas State's duo of Nowell and Johnson. 

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