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Predicting The 2016 NCAA Tournament Bracket

By Nathan Giese

Apr 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A general view of the NCAA Tournament bracket on display on the J.W. Marriott before the 2015 NCAA Men
Apr 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A general view of the NCAA Tournament bracket on display on the J.W. Marriott before the 2015 NCAA Men /
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Mar 11, 2015; Greensboro, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard/forward Justin Jackson (44) and guard Joel Berry II (2) and forward J.P. Tokoto (13) and guard Marcus Paige (5) and forward Joel James (42) react in the first half in the second round at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2015; Greensboro, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard/forward Justin Jackson (44) and guard Joel Berry II (2) and forward J.P. Tokoto (13) and guard Marcus Paige (5) and forward Joel James (42) react in the first half in the second round at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Top Overall Seed

1. North Carolina Tar Heels vs. 16. Texas Southern Tigers or High Point Panthers

North Carolina is able to overcome Marcus Paige’s injury early in the year and doesn’t let the high expectations take away what could be the programs final chance in a long time to take home a national championship.

Texas Southern and High Point both use their veteran leaders to earn them automatic bids. John Brown goes ham on some dunks this year and becomes a mainstay on the #SCtop10. Mike Davis continues to show that maybe Indiana should look to get him back.

8. LSU Tigers vs. 9. Providence Friars

Ben Simmons is all that he’s made out to be but LSU continues to be a bit of a mystery team. It’s enough to get into the 2016 NCAA tournament though after a fourth-place finish in the SEC.

Like their counterpart, Providence rides Kris Dunn all season long. They’re a team many see as NIT bound, but the possibility of Dunn in the Big Dance is too much to overcome for the selection committee.

Seriously, Dunn vs. Simmons sells tickets itself.

5. Connecticut Huskies vs. 12. Oregon Ducks

Sterling Gibbs plays more team-oriented basketball under Kevin Ollie and helps boost Daniel Hamilton’s draft considerations in the process. The Huskies maintain just enough defense behind Amida Brimah to help their top 25 offense.

Joseph Young’s absence is highly evident in the scoring column early in the season as the Ducks dig themselves a bit of a hole in the non-conference, but Dylann Ennis becomes more and more comfortable running the show and provides Oregon with a late-season surge.

4. Michigan State Spartans vs. 13. UAB Blazers

Denzel Valentine cements himself as, once again, the most versatile player in the country and finishes in the top three in National Player of the Year voting to carry the Spartans.

Robert Brown and UAB use last season’s miraculous success and carries it over into this season as the Blazers run away with the Conference USA auto-bid. UAB looks to continue its Cinderella ways.

Mar 29, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) takes a jump shot against the Louisville Cardinals during the second half in the finals of the east regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 29, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) takes a jump shot against the Louisville Cardinals during the second half in the finals of the east regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Utah Utes vs. 11. Rhode Island Rams

Jakob Poeltl establishes himself as one of the best pure big men in the country and helps alleviate the loss of Delon Wright. Brandon Taylor has no problem controlling the tempo and leads the Utes to a near Pac-12 title.

Rhode Island uses an early-season victory over Providence and nearly upsetting Maryland in the Cancun Challenge to ride momentum into the rest of the season. E.C. Matthews starts generating NBA Draft buzz in mid-December and uses that to his advantage.

3. Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. 14. UC Irvine Anteaters

Kyle Wiltjer claims National Player of the Year honors and carries Gonzaga to a two-loss regular season. Domontas Sabonis becomes a lottery pick in waiting and Eric McClellan proves that his short-lived stint at Vanderbilt was not just a flash-in-the-pan.

A full season of Mamadou Ndiaye makes UC Irvine a legitimate mid-major threat but their lackluster non-conference output puts them in prime position for an upset bid.

7. Louisville Cardinals vs. 10. Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Despite all the noise outside the court, Louisville maintains its success but is unable to overcome how tough the ACC is this year. Trey Lewis and Damion Lee show that they were, indeed, big fishes in small ponds ready for an upgrade.

Tulsa rides its three high-scoring guards to a tie for second in the AAC and generates plenty of buzz by knocking off Wichita State early in the season.

2. Villanova Wildcats vs. 15. Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns

Villanova proves that the Big East is still theirs while riding the hot shooting of Josh Hart and keen leadership ability of freshman Jalen Brunson to another conference title.

Shawn Long continues his path to the NBA by showing that, despite his limited time on the court, his experience with Team USA in the Pan America games was invaluable.

Next: Region 2