March Madness 2015: Top Basketball Experts' Predictions For Your Last Second Tournament Bracket
College basketball experts and analysts from several major media outlets seem to side with Las Vegas when it comes to picking the 2015 NCAA Tournament champion, but there are plenty of conflicting views on who will make up the Final Four this year.
Experts from USA Today, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN are resoundingly picking the Kentucky Wildcats, with a few exceptions, but who joins them on Final Four weekend is up for some debate.
Ten of the 13 experts selected Kentucky to go all the way and complete a perfect 40-0 season, while two chose the Wisconsin Badgers to upend Kentucky en route to its second championship and first since 1941.
One analyst, former Duke All-American guard Jay Williams, now with ESPN, predicted the Arizona Wildcats to upset both Kentucky and Wisconsin and lift the school’s first championship trophy since 1997.
Even though a handful believe Kentucky will eventually fall, every expert picked Kentucky to make their 17th overall Final Four and fourth in the last five years.
The experts couldn’t really come to any solid conclusion of who will join Kentucky in the Final Four, but the majority chose some mix of Arizona, Duke, Wisconsin, Virginia, Gonzaga, and Arizona.
Perhaps the biggest surprise Final Four picks were the Iowa State Cyclones and the Northern Iowa Panthers. Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel predicted the Cyclones to go as far as the national title game before falling to Wisconsin. USA Today’s Shelby Mast also chose the Cyclones to make the championship but succumbing to Kentucky.
Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports analyst Seth Davis was the only one to pick the Panthers, a 30-3 squad this season that has some tournament experience. Northern Iowa will make its seventh overall appearance in the tournament, but has gone 3-6 without a Final Four appearance.
The most predicted championship game? Kentucky is expected to topple Duke in a repeat of the classic 1992 Elite Eight matchup.
Final Four and Championship Picks
Seth Davis, Sports Illustrated
Final Four: Kentucky, Arizona, Northern Iowa, Duke
Championship: Kentucky over Duke
Luke Winn, Sports Illustrated
Final Four: Kentucky, Arizona, Virginia, Duke
Championship: Kentucky over Duke
Pete Thamel, Sports Illustrated
Final Four: Kentucky, Wisconsin, Virginia, Iowa State
Championship: Wisconsin over Iowa State
Brian Hamilton, Sports Illustrated
Final Four: Kentucky, Wisconsin, Villanova, Duke
Championship: Kentucky over Duke
Shelby Mast, USA Today
Final Four: Kentucky, Wisconsin, Villanova, Iowa State
Championship: Kentucky over Iowa State
Nicole Auerbach, USA Today
Final Four: Kentucky, Arizona, Villanova, Gonzaga
Championship: Kentucky over Villanova
Scott Gleeson, USA Today
Final Four: Kentucky, Wisconsin, Virginia, Gonzaga
Championship: Wisconsin over Virginia
Eric Prisbell, USA Today
Final Four: Kentucky, Wisconsin, Villanova, Iowa State
Championship: Kentucky over Iowa State
Jay Bilas, ESPN
Final Four: Kentucky, Wisconsin, Virginia, Duke
Championship: Kentucky over Duke
Reece Davis, ESPN
Final Four: Kentucky, Arizona, Michigan State, Gonzaga
Championship: Kentucky over Gonzaga
Dick Vitale, ESPN
Final Four: Kentucky, Arizona, Virginia, Gonzaga
Championship: Kentucky over Gonzaga
Seth Greenberg, ESPN
Final Four: Kentucky, Arizona, Villanova, Duke
Championship: Kentucky over Villanova
Jay Williams, ESPN
Final Four: Kentucky, Arizona, Virginia, Gonzaga
Championship: Arizona over Gonzaga
Bobby Ilich, International Business Times
Final Four: Kentucky, Arizona, Michigan State, Duke
Championship: Kentucky over Duke
Greg Price, International Business Times
Final Four: Kentucky, Arizona, Virginia, Gonzaga
Championship: Kentucky over Gonzaga
Anthony Riccobono, International Business Times
Final Four: Kentucky, Arizona, Villanova, Iowa State
Championship: Kentucky over Villanova
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