March Madness is finally here, and along with it, the monetary opportunity to win your bracket challenge. Though “bracketology” can be portrayed as pseudoscience, it helps to do research. Consider the following as a guide to navigating the maze called “March Madness.”
The most important element of manufacturing a winning bracket is picking a champion. Though people get caught up in picking upsets it is a more valuable pursuit to confidently pick a champion as that will win you the most points. The statistics recommend picking a 1-seed as seven of the last 10 champions have been ranked as such, with the exceptions being 2014 and 2024 UCONN, and 2016 Villanova.
An overlooked factor is the seniority of a roster. In the past ten years, championship rosters have featured an average age of 21.4, while the typical team is much younger. High seeded teams like Kentucky often struggle with youth and immaturity and are susceptible to upsets.
A final factor to consider is the pedigree of a team’s coach. Although it is difficult to quantify, there is no mystery why Coach K, Roy Williams, and John Wooden racked up so many trophies. Coaching can’t be the main factor, but in a long and unpredictable tournament it helps to have a strong leader who can unite and inspire his team to victory.
After studying the field and analyzing my composite of factors, I project the 2-seeded Red Storm of St. John’s to bring home the hardware on April 7th. The team is led by the 6’7’’ Junior Guard RJ Luis Jr., who averages 18.4 points per game but also makes a noticeable impact in steals, rebounding and overall court presence. He is backed up by Zuby Ejiofor and Kadary Richmond who helped provide the best defense in all of the Big East by allowing only 66.4 points per game. Perhaps the biggest contributor to St. John’s success is the famous (or infamous) coach Rick Pitino, who incites feelings of respect and dread in all of his opponents. A final convincing reason to pick St. John’s is that many analysts and fans think that they are overrated. If many have the Red Storm knocked out early, then it will be a differentiating advantage to have them going far in your bracket.
My pick for this year’s Cinderella is Grand Canyon University, a 13-seed who I foresee making the Sweet 16. The team is tall and athletic which helps them particularly excel in rebounding and blocking. Seniors Tyon Grant-Foster and JaKobe Coles lead the team in scoring (14.5 and 14.8 points per game), although the Antelopes have four players averaging double digits. Foster is seen as a potential NBA prospect which makes his team’s tournament potential particularly alluring. The biggest weakness of the team is their lack of discipline. Last year, the Antelopes were on the edge of a Sweet Sixteen Birth but turnovers and fouls caused them to lose to Alabama, who would later advance to the Final Four. Although I am breaking my own rules by picking a hit-or-miss team, the track record of GCU checks all the boxes and they even have a signature loss by 5 points to the Georgia Bulldogs. Grand Canyon will face a strong Maryland team on Friday at 4:35 p.m. but if they play to their strengths then they can feasibly advance to the second round.
Though picking a perfect bracket is near impossible, March Madness will always have some predictable qualities. Cinderellas will win-over the nation, blue-bloods will fall, and one champion will emerge victorious. Though the first-four has already kicked off, the true start to the tournament will be on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. between Creighton and Louisville. Matchups will then ensue throughout the day with 4 games being played at once from 2 p.m. until around 11 p.m.