Mizzou is in, so join the Rock M Nation Bracket Challenge
For the first time since 2012-2013, Missouri Basketball has made the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons. The Tigers are also in the Big Dance for the third time in four seasons under Dennis Gates.
After what was a nerve-wracking Selection Show being on the precarious bubble, Mizzou received a favorable draw from the committee — earning the No. 10 seed vs No. 7 seed Miami (FL) in St. Louis on Friday (West Region) with a tip-off time set for 9:10 p.m. CST. The winner will get either No. 2 Purdue
vs No. 15 Queens in the Round of the 32. If you want to read more, check out Matthew Gustafson’s post and update, complete with Coach Gates’ reaction.
Per FanDuel’s odds — Miami (FL) comes in as 1.5-point favorites (so, this game is essentially a toss-up).
Despite coming in on a three-game losing streak, I like Missouri’s chances to pull off a minor upset and get a win in front of Mizzou heavy crowd in St. Louis. To be completely honest, I like this matchup a whole lot better than the Drake draw last year.
Three upset picks to watch:
- 12-seeded Northern Iowa over 5-seeded St. John’s (-11.5): UNI is led by senior guard Trey Campbell and MVC teams usually have success in the NCAA Tournament.
- 12-seeded Akron over 5-seeded Texas Tech (-7.5): Akron has become a MAC powerhouse under former Illinois head coach John Groce and the Red Raiders have struggled down the stretch. Tech hasn’t been the same after losing JT Toppin.
- 13-seeded Hofstra over 4-seeded Alabama (-13.5): After winning the CAA, Hofstra has won seven in a row and had two true road wins over power conference teams in the non-con. Bama has shown vulnerability after losing their SEC Tournament opener to Ole Miss.
My Final Four Picks:
I’ll be going with UConn, Houston, Arizona, Michigan — with Michigan over UConn in the National Championship Game. The Wolverines rank No. 1 in defensive efficiency on KenPom — and defense wins championships.
So, how far do YOU have the Tigers going? What are your upset and Final Four picks? How about joining the Rock M Nation Bracket Challenge on ESPN?
